Microflares observed in He I 10830 and their relation to the quiet sun magnetic fields

Abstract

The preliminary results of this study of three microflares are: (1) The size scale of the He I λ 10830 microflares ranges from 8 to 25 arc-seconds and time scales of between 9 to 40 minutes; (2) He I λ 10830 microflares are accompanied by increased brightening in Hα and sometimes 20 cm emission; (3) Ejecta, such as filament eruptions or surges, often occur in association with these events; (4) Microflares occur at sites where opposite polarities are interacting, specifically at the sites of magnetic flux cancellation; (5) Since microflares occur only during a fraction of the time of the magnetic field interaction, it is suggested that microflares (and dark points) result from local magnetic field reconnection; (6) In all the events studied, Hα fibrils or filaments connect the magnetic elements of opposite polarity that are cancelling. In one instance, reconnection of the magnetic fields of an ephemeral region with the nearby opposite polarity network begins almost immediately after it has emerged.