Diogeness was an uncollimated scanning flat crystal spectrometer observing solar flare X-ray spectra in four narrow wavelength bands in the vicinity of Ca xix, S xv and Si xiii He-like line ‘triplets’ around 3.18 Å, 5.04 Å and 6.65 Å. In two of the spectral channels, emission lines around the Ca xix 3.178 Å resonance line were scanned in opposite directions, being diffracted from precisely adjusted identical Quartz crystals mounted on a common shaft in a so-called Dopplerometer (tachometer) configuration. Observations of solar X-ray spectra made by Diogeness provide a direct diagnostic information on plasma characteristics during the impulsive flare energy release. We present a sample of events which occurred during the Diogeness operation time from August 16, 2001 to September 17, 2001.

ChemiX is a Bragg crystal spectrometer that will fly on the two Interhelioprobe spacecraft due for launch in 2025 and 2026. The spacecraft perihelion will be only 0.3 a.u. and the orbit inclination up to 30°, and so instruments on board will have a close view of solar active regions and flares and regions near each solar pole. The ChemiX X-ray spectrometer, built by a consortium of groups led by the Space Research Centre, Polish Academy of Sciences, will fly on each of the spacecraft, and observe X-ray spectra in the 1.5 - 9 Å range. Spectral lines in this range include resonance lines of helium-like and hydrogen-like ions of elements such as Fe, Ca, Ar, S, and Si, with less abundant elements such as K and Cl represented by weaker lines which the high sensitivity of ChemiX should be able to detect. The free–free and free–bound continua should also be detected since instrumental background will be eliminated. Three of the seven channels of ChemiX will be in a “dopplerometer” arrangement by which spatial and spectral shifts present in flare impulsive stages can be disentangled.

We present results of multitemperature analysis of GOES C7.2 class flare SOL2003-03-29T10:15. This event occurred close to the centre of the solar disk and had two maxima in soft X-rays. We have performed analysis of physical parameters characterizing evolution of conditions in the flaring plasma. The temperature diagnostics have been carried out using the differential emission measure (DEM) approach based on the soft X-ray spectra collected by RESIK Bragg spectrometer. Analysis of data obtained by RHESSI provided opportunity to estimate the volume and thus calculating the density and thermal energy content of hot flaring plasma.

We propose a new model for description of solar flare lightcurve profile observed in soft X-rays. The method assumes that single-peaked ‘regular’ flares seen in lightcurves can be fitted with the elementary time profile being a convolution of Gaussian and exponential functions. More complex, multi-peaked flares can be decomposed as a sum of elementary profiles. During flare lightcurve fitting process a linear background is determined as well. In our study we allow the background shape over the event to change linearly with time. Presented approach originally was dedicated to the soft X-ray small flares recorded by Polish spectrophotometer SphinX during the phase of very deep solar minimum of activity, between 23rd and 24th Solar Cycles. However, the method can and will be used to interpret the lightcurves as obtained by the other soft X-ray broad-band spectrometers at the time of both low and higher solar activity level. In the paper we introduce the model and present examples of fits to SphinX and GOES 1-8 Å channel observations as well.

The subject of our work is the review and comparison of solar activity during the last two solar minima that occurred between recent activity cycles. We use the soft X-ray global solar corona observations covering the two nine-months long time intervals in 1997/98 and 2009. Data from RF15-I multichannel photometer are used for the penultimate minimum. For the last unusually deep and prolonged solar activity minimum in 2009 the data from SphinX spectrophotometer are used. Comparison of measurements from both minima takes place in the overlapping energy range 2–15 keV. We focus on the active region formation, evolution and flaring productivity during respective minima.

In February 2009, during recent deepest solar minimum, Polish Solar Photometer in X-rays (SphinX) begun observations of the Sun in the energy range of 1.2–15 keV. SphinX was almost 100 times more sensitive than GOES X-ray Sensors. The silicon PIN diode detectors used in the experiment were carefully calibrated on the ground using Synchrotron Radiation Source BESSY II. The SphinX energy range overlaps with the Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) energy range. The instrument provided us with observations of hundreds of very small flares and X-ray brightenings. We have chosen a group of solar flares observed simultaneously with GOES, SphinX and RHESSI and performed spectroscopic analysis of observations wherever possible. The analysis of thermal part of the spectra showed that SphinX is a very sensitive complementary observatory for RHESSI and GOES.