Post-Eruptive Arcade Formation in the 25 January 2007 CME/Flare Limb Event: Microwave Observations with the RATAN-600 Radio Telescope

A CME/flare event occurred at the eastern limb on 25 January, 2007. Seven successive multi-wavelength scans in the range 1.8 cm – 5.0 cm were obtained with the RATAN-600 radio telescope starting just at the beginning of the post-eruptive arcade formation (30 min after a C6.3 flare peak) and lasting for 3.5 hours. The conditions were favorable to study the off-limb microwave radio source associated with the post-eruptive arcade in different phases of its formation. Microwave radio emission of the arcade was rather intense initially and then considerably decreased; its maximum was co-spatial with the 195 A Fe xii loop tops. The RATAN-600 total flux spectra of the off-limb radio source were practically flat during the first two hours indicating a predominant contribution of thermal emission. The X-ray spectrum was thermal (according to RHESSI data) at that time. Data available in the meter wavelength range during this phase were indicative of weak non-thermal processes likely due to accelerated particles. However, free – free emission of an isothermal source dominated in microwaves. This is indicative of the presence of a large amount of plasma in the region of arcade formation at the initial stage of the event. The weak microwave emission during the decay phase might be interpreted as the thermal cyclotron emission of the loops in the arcade.