  Data from the Multiple EUV Grating Spectrograph (MEGS-A) component of the
Extreme Ultraviolet Experiment (EVE) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory
(SDO) were used to quantify the contribution of continuum emission to each of
the EUV channels of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), also on SDO, during
an X-class solar flare that occurred on 2011 February 15. Both the pre-flare
subtracted EVE spectra and fits to the associated free-free continuum were
convolved with the AIA response functions of the seven EUV passbands at 10 s
cadence throughout the course of the flare. It was found that 10-25% of the
total emission in the 94A, 131A, 193A, and 335A passbands throughout the main
phase of the flare was due to free-free emission. Reliable measurements could
not be made for the 171A channel, while the continuum contribution to the 304A
channel was negligible due to the presence of the strong He II emission line.
Up to 50% of the emission in the 211A channel was found to be due to free-free
emission around the peak of the flare, while an additional 20% was due to the
recombination continuum of He II. The analysis was extended to a number of M-
and X-class flares and it was found that the level of free-free emission
contributing to the 171A and 211A passbands increased with increasing GOES
class. These results suggest that the amount of continuum emission that
contributes to AIA observations during flares is more significant than that
stated in previous studies which used synthetic, rather than observed, spectra.
These findings highlight the importance of spectroscopic observations carried
out in conjunction with those from imaging instruments so that the data are
interpreted correctly.
