Abstract
Observations of an energy-dependent asymmetry in footpoint hard X-ray emission by RHESSI for the M4.0 solar flare of 17 March 2002 allows us to probe the dynamics of particle transport with energy and time. The presence of such an asymmetry is most readily explained by the effects of a converging magnetic field with different rates of convergence at the different footpoints, as would be expected from realistic surface field distributions. Such a geometry has been discussed in the context of a trap-plus-precipitation model where the transport of energetic particles in the flare is governed by the precipitation out of the coronal trap via collisions, wave-particle interactions or some other scattering process, into the high-density chromosphere. Comparison of RHESSI observations with a trap-plus-precipitation model allows us to use the energy dependence of the asymmetry and the observed ratio of footpoint to coronal emission at the different energies to assess the role of the trapping in the transport of energetic electrons and to probe the nature of the particle precipitation process inside the loss cone.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Alexander, D.: 1990, Astron. Astrophys. 235, 431.
Alexander, D. and Metcalf, T. R.: 1997, Astrophys. J. 489, 442.
Antonucci, E. et al.: 1998, in J. L. R. Saba, B. M. Haisch, and J. T. Schmelz (eds.), `Flare Dynamics’, The Many Faces of the Sun,pp. 331–393.
Aschwanden, M. J.: 2002, Space Sci. Reviews 101,1.
Aschwanden, M. J., Fletcher, L., Sakao, T., Kosugi, T., and Hudson, H.: 1999, Astrophys. J. 517, 977.
Aschwanden, M. J., Hudson, H. S., Kosugi, T., and Schwartz, R. A.: 1996, Astrophys. J. 464, 985.
Bai, T. and Dennis, B. R.: 1985, Astrophys. J. 292, 699.
Bai, T. and Ramaty, R.: 1979, Astrophys. J. 227, 1072.
Bai, T., Hudson, H. S., Pelling, R. M., Lin, R. P., Schwartz, R. A., and von Rosenvinge, T. T.: 1983, Astrophys. J. 267, 433.
Brown, J. C.: 1971, Solar Phys. 18, 489.
Emslie, A. G. and Alexander, D.: 1987, Solar Phys. 110, 295.
Holman, G. D.: 1985, Astrophys. J. 293, 584.
Fishman, G. J., Meegan, C. A., Wilson, R. B., Paciesas, W. S., and Pendleton, G. N.: 1992, `The BATSE Experiment on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory: Status and some Early Results’, The Compton Observatory Science Workshop, pp. 26–34.
Kane, S.: 1983, Solar Phys. 86, 355.
Kennel, C. F. and Petschek, H. E.: 1966, J. Geophys. Res. 71, 1.
Kosugi T. et al.: 1991, Solar Phys. 136, 17.
Krucker, S. and Lin, R. P.: 2002, Solar Phys. (this volume).
LaRosa, T. N. and Emslie, A. G.: 1988, Astrophys. J 326, 997.
Lin R. P. et al.: 2002, Solar Phys.,this volume.
MacKinnon, A. L.: 1986, Astron. Astrophys. 163, 2391.
MacKinnon, A. L.: 1988, Astron. Astrophys. 194, 279.
MacKinnon, A. L.: 1991, Astron. Astrophys. 242, 256.
Masuda, S., Kosugi, T., Hara, H., Tsuneta, S., and Ogawara, Y.: 1994, Nature 371, 495.
McClements, K. G.: 1990a, Astron. Astrophys. 230, 213.
McClements, K. G.: 1990b, Astron. Astrophys. 234, 487.
McClements, K. G.: 1992, Astron. Astrophys. 253, 261.
McClements, K. G. and Alexander, D.: 1989, Solar Phys. 123, 161.
Melrose, D. B. and Brown, J. C.: 1976, Monthly Notices Royal Astron. Soc. 176, 15.
Metcalf, T. R. and Alexander, D..: 1999, Astrophys. J. 522, 1108.
Metcalf, T. R., Hudson, H. S., Kosugi, T., Puetter, R. C., and Pina, R. K.: 1996, Astrophys. J. 466, 585.
Ramaty, R., Schwartz, R. A., Enome, S., and Nakajima, H.: 1985, Astrophys. J. 436, 941.
Scherrer, P. et al.: 1995, Solar Phys. 162, 129.
Takakura, T. and Kai, K.: 1966, Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan 18, 57.
Takakura, T., Tanaka, K., Nitta, N., Kai, K., and Ohki, K.: 1987, Solar Phys. 107, 109.
Tsuneta, S. and Naito. T.: 1998, Astrophys. J. 495, L67.
Tsuneta, S. et al.: 1984, Astrophys. J. 280, 887.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2003 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Alexander, D., Metcalf, T.R. (2003). Energy Dependence of Electron Trapping in a Solar Flare. In: Lin, R.P., Dennis, B.R., Benz, A.O. (eds) The Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3452-3_18
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-3452-3_18
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-90-481-6212-3
Online ISBN: 978-94-017-3452-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive