Very Long-periodic Pulsations Detected Simultaneously in a White-light Flare and Sunspot Penumbra

Abstract We investigate the origin of very long-periodic pulsations in the white-light emission of an X6.4 flare on 2024 February 22 (SOL2024-02-22T22:08), which occurred at the edge of a sunspot group. The flare white-light fluxes reveal four successive and repetitive pulsations, which are simultaneously measured by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager and the White-light Solar Telescope. A quasi-period of <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow> <mml:mn>8.6</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1.9</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1.5</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> minutes, determined by the Morlet wavelet transform, is detected in the visible continuum channel. The modulation depth, which is defined as the ratio between the oscillatory amplitude and its long-term trend, is smaller than 0.1%, implying that the quasi-periodic pulsation (QPP) feature is a weak wave process. Imaging observations show that the X6.4 flare occurs near a sunspot group. Moreover, the white-light brightening is located in sunspot penumbra, and a similar quasi-period of about 8.5 <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" overflow="scroll"> <mml:msubsup> <mml:mrow/> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>−</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1.8</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> <mml:mrow> <mml:mo>+</mml:mo> <mml:mn>1.6</mml:mn> </mml:mrow> </mml:msubsup> </mml:math> minutes is identified in one penumbral location of the nearest sunspot. The map of Fourier power distribution suggests that a similar periodicity is universally existing in most parts of the penumbra that is close to the penumbral–photospheric boundary. Our observations support the scenario that the white-light QPP is probably modulated by the slow-mode magnetoacoustic gravity wave leaking from the sunspot penumbra.