Helioseismology in Space Weather - National Solar Observatory

Flares and subsurface dynamicsUsing quantities averaged over the disk passage of active regions, we find that, while there is a considerable spread of the flux andvorticity values, they are more or less linearly related. We distinguish the level of flare activity by X-ray flare class and find that largeflux or large vorticity values are sufficient for an active region to produce low-intensity C-class flares. Active regions that producehigh-intensity X-class flares are characterized by large values of both flux and vorticity. Active regions that produce M-class flaresof intermediate intensity are characterized by large vorticity values. The inclusion of solar subsurface vorticity thus helps todistinguish between flaring and nonflaring active regions.Komm, R. and Hill, F. 2009, JGRA, 114