We investigate the spatial, temporal, and spectral properties of 10 microflares from AR12721 on 2018 September 9 and 10 observed in X-rays using the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope ARray (NuSTAR) and the Solar Dynamic Observatory's Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (SDO/AIA and HMI). We find GOES sub-A class equivalent microflare energies of 1026-1028 erg reaching temperatures up to 10 MK with consistent quiescent or hot active region core plasma temperatures of 3-4 MK. One microflare (SOL2018-09-09T10:33), with an equivalent GOES class of A0.1, has non-thermal HXR emission during its impulsive phase (of non-thermal power ∼7×1024 erg s−1) making it one of the faintest X-ray microflares to have direct evidence for accelerated electrons. In 4 of the 10 microflares, we find that the X-ray time profile matches fainter and more transient sources in the EUV, highlighting the need for observations sensitive to only the hottest material that reaches temperatures higher than those of the active region core (>5 MK). Evidence for corresponding photospheric magnetic flux cancellation/emergence present at the footpoints of 8 microflares is also observed.
@article{arxiv.2109.00263,
title = {NuSTAR observations of a repeatedly microflaring active region},
author = {Kristopher Cooper and Iain G. Hannah and Brian W. Grefenstette and Lindsay Glesener and Säm Krucker and Hugh S. Hudson and Stephen M. White and David M. Smith and Jessie Duncan},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2109.00263},
year = {2021}
}