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3.1.2.7 How are so many electrons accelerated on such short time scales to explain the observed hard X-ray fluxes?

 

Hard X-ray imaging observations show most prominent emissions from footpoints of flare loops in the chromosphere where the ambient density is high enough to stop flare-accelerated electrons by collisions (e.g. Hoyng et al. 1981). However, fainter, co-temporal hard X-ray sources are also seen in the corona (e.g. Frost & Dennis 1971, Masuda et al. 1994, Veronig & Brown 2004, Battaglia & Benz 2006, Krucker et al. 2007) consistent with electron acceleration in the corona. In particular, RHESSI observations of partially-occulted flares show that at least 90% of all flares have coronal hard X-ray sources (Krucker & Lin 2008). Further evidence for a coronal acceleration region comes from radio observations (e.g. Benz 1985, Aurass et al. 2004, Mann et al. 2006). The details of the transport of electrons from the coronal acceleration site down to the hard X-ray footpoints are still unclear (e.g. Miller et al. 1997, Önel et al. 2007, Battaglia & Benz 2007). 

 

  • Understand effects of non-uniform plasma ionisation (Kontar et al., 2003), return current (Zharkova and Gordovskyy, 2006), and beam-plasma interaction via various plasma waves (Kontar, 2001).
  • Partially limb-occulted flare observations: provide unique information about the suprathermal electrons closest to the site in the corona where their acceleration is believed to occur (Krucker and Lin, 2008).
  • Study coronal phenomena in hard X-rays associated with CMEs:
    • Highly occulted events associated with fast backside CMEs (Krucker et al., 2007), non-thermal bremsstrahlung.
      • Produced by flare-accelerated energetic electrons (>10 keV) trapped in magnetic structures related to the CME or
      • Accelerated in CME current sheets or other coronal magnetic restructuring related to the CME.
  • Explore the consequences of particle acceleration by Alfvén waves created by the magnetic reconfiguration during magnetic reconnection (Fletcher & Hudson, 2008).

 

 

  • SoloHI: Contribute (mode: shock+synoptic), no min. obs time, all distances, w/EUI-STIX-METIS.
  • EUI, EUI synoptic mode (S). EUI FD 174, 304, cadence 2 min. EUI HR 174 and Ly-alpha, cadence 1 min for 30 min before and during X-ray peak. Best when the solar limb from SO is connected to Earth, or other s/c.
  • EPD: All sensors: spectra, composition, fluxes, directional information, together with IS instruments. Solar source identification by RS instruments (full disk imaging). Also coordinated multi-s/c SEP observation campaigns with SPP & other missions.

 

 

  • METIS: Measurement of coronal outflow velocity and density in corona to identify the shock front. Measurement of shock passage timing relative to the flare occurrence.
    • Products:
      • CME velocity maps 
      • CME density maps 
      • CME directionality
      • CME flag
    • Modes:
      • GLOBAL (before the event, if possible), min. obs time 2 hr, data volume ≤ 300 Mb.
      • CMEOBS, starts after CME flag rise, min. obs time 1 hr (high cadence, 1 min), data volume ~ 2.137 Gb.
      • GLOBAL (after the event), min. obs time 2 hr, data volume ≤ 300 Mb.
    • Other instruments: PHI, EUI, STIX, SoloHI, MAG, SWA, EPD, RPW.

 

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