Thermodynamic and magnetic evolution of an eruptive C-class solar flare observed with SST/TRIPPEL-SP

Abstract

Solar flares are complex phenomena driven by the release of magnetic energy, but a large energy reservoir is not sufficient to determine their eruptive potential; the magnetic topology and plasma dynamics play a key role. We investigate the thermodynamic and magnetic properties of the solar atmosphere during the rise, peak, and decay phases of a C5.1-class flare and filament eruption in active region NOAA 12561 on 2016 July 7, to understand the origin and atmospheric response of this event. High spatial and spectral resolution spectropolarimetric observations of the chromospheric Ca II 8542A line and nearby photospheric lines were obtained with the TRIPPEL-SP spectropolarimeter at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. Using non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) inversions and non-force-free field (NFFF) magnetic extrapolations, we followed the event's evolution from its precursor to its decay. Before the flare, our analysis reveals a complex, sheared magnetic topology with a high free energy content ($\sim2\times10^{30}$ erg). In this precursor phase, we detected persistent, localized heating (temperature increase of $\sim$2000 K) with strong downflows ($\sim$10-20 km/s) deep in the atmosphere. This heating was co-spatial with a bald-patch region, suggesting that low-altitude magnetic reconnection could destabilize the filament of the region. The flare's rise phase was marked by the filament's eruption, with a total speed larger than $\sim$70 km/s, when combining inversions and plane-of-sky motions. Following the eruption, the free energy decreased by $\sim$30$\%$ as post-flare loops formed, connecting the flare ribbons and channeling the released energy into the lower atmosphere. The flare ribbons exhibited significant heating to $\sim$8500 K and downflows up to $\sim$10 km/s, consistent with energy deposition along reconnected loops.