The Seismic Response of the 14 December 2006 Flare

Observations of the lower atmosphere and below the surface of flares, including changes in the photospheric magnetic field and appearance of strong optical and seismic emission, are challenging tasks to explain in the context of existing flare models. Such observations indicate the poorly understood connections between the primary energy release occurring in the corona via dissipation of the magnetic field and its further transport to lower atmospheric levels. In the current paper, by using data from Hinode, TRACE, RHESSI and GONG, we study the changes in the photosphere, including those in the magnetic field, occurring during the X-class flare of 14 December 2006 and the associated dynamics of the overlying corona to gain an insight into these connections. In particular, we explore the origin of the seismic responses observed by GONG in the locations close to sunspots and hard X-ray emission. The observational results are probed by kinetic and hydrodynamic models applied to the simulations of white light flare and seismic emission.