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When and where the magnetic field energy is released and converted in eruptive solar flares remains an outstanding topic in solar physics. To shed light on this question, here we report multiwavelength observations of a C9.4-class eruptive limb flare that occurred on 2017 August 20. The flare, accompanied by a magnetic flux rope eruption and a white light coronal mass ejection, features three post-impulsive X-ray and microwave bursts immediately following its main impulsive phase. For each burst, both microwave and X-ray imaging suggest that the nonthermal electrons are located in the above-the-loop-top region. Interestingly, contrary to many other flares, the peak flux of the three post-impulsive microwave and X-ray bursts shows an increase for later bursts. Spectral analysis reveals that the sources have a hardening spectral index, suggesting a more efficient electron acceleration into the later post-impulsive bursts. We observe a positive correlation between the acceleration of the magnetic flux rope and the nonthermal energy release during the post-impulsive bursts in the same event. Intriguingly, different from some other eruptive events, this correlation does not hold for the main impulse phase of this event, which we interpret as energy release due to the tether-cutting reconnection before the primary flux rope acceleration occurs. In addition, using footpoint brightenings at conjugate flare ribbons, a weakening reconnection guide field is inferred, which may also contribute to the hardening of the nonthermal electrons during the post-impulsive phase.

Solar type III radio bursts are generated by beams of energetic electrons that travel along open magnetic field lines through the corona and into interplanetary space. However, understanding the source of these electrons and how they escape into interplanetary space remains an outstanding topic. Here we report multi-instrument, multiperspective observations of an interplanetary type III radio burst event shortly after the second perihelion of the Parker Solar Probe (PSP). This event was associated with a solar jet that produced an impulsive microwave burst event recorded by the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array. The type III burst event also coincided with the detection of enhanced in situ energetic electrons recorded by both PSP at 0.37 au and WIND at 1 au, which were located very closely on the Parker spiral longitudinally. The close timing association and magnetic connectivity suggest that the in situ energetic electrons originated from the jet’s magnetic reconnection region. Intriguingly, microwave imaging spectroscopy results suggest that the escaping energetic electrons were injected into a large opening angle of about 90°, which is at least nine times broader than the apparent width of the jet spire. Our findings provide an interpretation for the previously reported, longitudinally broad spatial distribution of flare locations associated with prompt energetic electron events and have important implications for understanding the origin and distribution of energetic electrons in interplanetary space.

Flare-associated quasiperiodic pulsations (QPPs) in radio and X-ray wavelengths, particularly those related to nonthermal electrons, contain important information about the energy release and transport processes during flares. However, the paucity of spatially resolved observations of such QPPs with a fast time cadence has been an obstacle for us to further understand their physical nature. Here, we report observations of such a QPP event that occurred during the impulsive phase of a C1.8-class eruptive solar flare using radio imaging spectroscopy data from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) and complementary X-ray imaging and spectroscopy data. The radio QPPs, observed by the VLA in the 1–2 GHz with a subsecond cadence, are shown as three spatially distinct sources with different physical characteristics. Two radio sources are located near the conjugate footpoints of the erupting magnetic flux rope with opposite senses of polarization. One of the sources displays a QPP behavior with a ∼5 s period. The third radio source, located at the top of the postflare arcade, coincides with the location of an X-ray source and shares a similar period of ∼25–45 s. We show that the two oppositely polarized radio sources are likely due to coherent electron cyclotron maser emission. On the other hand, the looptop QPP source, observed in both radio and X-rays, is consistent with incoherent gyrosynchrotron and bremsstrahlung emission, respectively. We conclude that the concurrent, but spatially distinct QPP sources must involve multiple mechanisms which operate in different magnetic loop systems and at different periods.

Magnetic flux ropes are the centerpiece of solar eruptions. Direct measurements for the magnetic field of flux ropes are crucial for understanding the triggering and energy release processes, yet they remain heretofore elusive. Here we report microwave imaging spectroscopy observations of an M1.4-class solar flare that occurred on 2017 September 6, using data obtained by the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array. This flare event is associated with a partial eruption of a twisted filament observed in Hαby the Goode Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory. The extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and X-ray signatures of the event are generally consistent with the standard scenario of eruptive flares, with the presence of double flare ribbons connected by a bright flare arcade. Intriguingly, this partial eruption event features a microwave counterpart, whose spatial and temporal evolution closely follow the filament seen in Hαand EUV. The spectral properties of the microwave source are consistent with nonthermal gyrosynchrotron radiation. Using spatially resolved microwave spectral analysis, we derive the magnetic field strength along the filament spine, which ranges from 600 to 1400 Gauss from its apex to the legs. The results agree well with the nonlinear force-free magnetic model extrapolated from the preflare photospheric magnetogram. We conclude that the microwave counterpart of the erupting filament is likely due to flare-accelerated electrons injected into the filament-hosting magnetic flux rope cavity following the newly reconnected magnetic field lines.