Characteristics that Produce White-Light Enhancements in Solar Flares Observed by Hinode/SOT

Abstract: To understand the conditions that produce white-light (WL) enhancements in solar flares, a statistical analysis of visible continuum data as observed by Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) was performed. In this study, approximately 100 flare events from M- and X-class flares were selected. The time period during which the data were recorded spans from January 2011 to February 2016. Of these events, approximately half are classified as white-light flares (WLFs), whereas the remaining events do not show any enhancements of the visible continuum (non-WLF; NWL). In order to determine the existence of WL emission, running difference images of not only the Hinode/SOT WL (G-band, blue, green, and red filter) data but also the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager continuum data are used. A comparison between these two groups of WL data in terms of duration, temperature, emission measure of GOES soft X-rays, distance between EUV flare ribbons, strength of hard X-rays, and photospheric magnetic field strength was undertaken. In this statistical study, WLF events are characterized by a shorter time-scale and shorter ribbon distance compared with NWL events. From the scatter plots of the duration of soft X-rays and the energy of non-thermal electrons, a clear distinction between WLF and NWL events can be made. It is found that the precipitation of large amounts of accelerated electrons within a short time period plays a key role in generating WL enhancements. Finally, it was demonstrated that the coronal magnetic field strength in the flare region is one of the most important factors that allow the individual identification of WLF events from NWL events.