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Cyclotron Masers and Solar Spike Bursts

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Fragmented Energy Release in Sun and Stars
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Abstract

The theory of electron cyclotron maser emission and its application to solar spike bursts are reviewed. By analogy with the Earth’s AKR, three sources of free energy are considered: a loss-cone anisotropy, a velocity-space hole, and a ‘trapped’ distribution. The problem of how the radiation escapes through the second harmonic absorption layer is emphasized. Harmonic emission due to z mode coalescence may operate for some bursts, but the 2–5 s delay between hard X-ray bursts and spike bursts suggests that some other mechanism is required for most spike bursts. A model involving formation of a trapped distribution in low-density regions neighboring the flaring flux tube is considered.

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© 1994 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Melrose, D.B. (1994). Cyclotron Masers and Solar Spike Bursts. In: Van den Oord, G.H.J. (eds) Fragmented Energy Release in Sun and Stars. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1014-3_23

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-1014-3_23

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4441-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-1014-3

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