Context. The existence of time-energy correlations in flare occurrence is still an open and much debated problem. Aims. This study addresses the question whether statisticallysignificant correlations are present between energies of successiveflares as well as energies and waiting times. Methods. We analyze the GOES catalog with a statistical approachbased on the comparison of the real catalog with a reshuffled one whereenergies are decorrelated. This analysis reduces the effect ofbackground activity and is able to reveal the role of obscuration. Results. We show the existence of non-trivial correlationsbetween waiting times and energies, aswell as between energies ofsubsequent flares. More precisely, we find that flares close in timetend to have the second event with large energy. Moreover, after largeflares the flaring rate significantly increases, together with theprobability of other large flares. Conclusions. Results suggest that correlations between energiesand waiting times are a physical property and not an effect ofobscuration. These findings could give important information on themechanisms for energy storage and release in the solar corona. Key words: Sun: flares - methods: data analysis
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