Chromospheric Condensation

Data Driven Forward Modeling of Condensation

Following the numerical results presented in Ashfield+ (2021), we applied our theoretical prediction for condensation velocity decay to an observed flare. We found that our predicted curve was well fit by the data using Si IV 1402.77 Å line measurements:

Using an independent method, we calculated the energy deposited into the flare loop footpoint responsible for this condensation velocity. This energy was then fed as an input into a 1D flare loop simulation, where we synthesized the evolution of a Si IV line:

While the evolution of the synthetic Si IV agreed well with our observations, only a fraction of the total energy input calculated using the independent method was needed to drive the condensation. Our exercise showed that chromospheric condensation characterizes a particular portion of the reconnection energy release rather than its entirety, and that the timescale of condensation does not necessarily reflect the timescale of energy input.