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At least 739 records · Page 41

Gamma-ray lines and neutrons from solar flares

The energy spectrum of accelerated protons and nuclei at the site of a limb flare was derived by a technique, using observations of the time dependent flux of high energy neutrons at the earth. This energy spectrum is very similar to the energy spectra of 7 disk flares for which the accelerated particle spectra was previously derived using observations of 4 to 7 MeV to 2.223 MeV fluence ratios. The implied spectra for all of these flares are too steep to produce any significant amount of radiation from pi meson decay. It is suggested that the observed 10 MeV gamma rays from the flare are bremsstrahlung of relativistic electrons. Previously announced in STAR as N83-19695

Ramaty, R.↗

Some contributions to knowledge of the magnetospheric plasma by ISEE investigators

The ISEE project has made substantial contributions to the knowledge of the magnetosphere during the period of the IMS, especially in the discipline of Space Plasma Physics. Results obtained during approximately the first two years of the operation of ISEE-1 and -2, and touches on relevant results of ISEE-3 are reviewed. The ability to control the separation between ISEE-1 and -2, which are in nearly identical orbits, has permitted study of the motion and structure of the bow shock and magnetopause, the boundary layers, and the plasma sheet. Much evidence was obtained favoring the existence of reconnection and its relevance to the transfer of magnetic flux from the frontside to the rear of the magnetosphere, although not everyone agrees that it is the only important process. The presence of both reflected and accelerated particles was shown to lead to the development of a foreshock region between the bow shock and the interplanetary magnetic field line tangential to it.

Ogilvie, K. W.↗

Solar Terrestrial Physics: Present and Future

The following topics relating to solar-terrestrial interactions are considered: (1) reconnection of magnetic fields; (2) particle acceleration; (3) solar magnetic flux; (4) magnetohydrodynamic waves and turbulence in the Sun and interplanetary medium; (5) coupling of the solar wind to the magnetosphere; (6) coronal transients; (7) the connection between the magnetosphere and ionosphere; (8) substorms in the magnetosphere; (9) solar flares and the solar terrestrial environment; (10) shock waves in the solar terrestrial environment; (11) plasma transport and convection at high latitudes; and (12) high latitude ionospheric structure.

Butler, D. M.↗

X-rays from jets and lobes

The current status of X-ray detections (and non-detections) of radio jets and lobes is presented. High resolution images obtained with the Einstein Observatory reveal X-ray emission associated with jet and lobe components of Virgo A, Centaurus A, 3C273, and possibly other radio structures. The Vir A and Cen A jet emission is probably s ynchrotron in origin, requiring in situ particle acceleration to extremely high energies. Inverse Compton emission is the likely cause of asymmetrical X-ray features in the halo of Vir A, supporting the assumption of equipartition.

Feigelson, E. D.↗

Correlated observations of impulsive UV and hard X-ray bursts in solar flares from the solar maximum mission

An investigation is conducted of the temporal and spatial structures of UV and hard X-ray bursts in a disk and a limb flare observed with instruments on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite. Attention is given to the transient UV brightening before the flare, the impulsive enhancement of UV continuum emission, the relationship between emission source region and particle acceleration region, and large scale excitations. The most active part of the active region appears to be the most flare-productive region. These regions exhibit high UV activities with numerous UV transient bursts occurring in many small kernels.

Cheng, C.-C.↗

X-rays from radio pulsars - The portable supernova remnants

Neutron stars are the longest-lived remnants of supernova explosions. As a reservoir of thermal energy remaining from the explosion and generated by frictional coupling between core and crust, as a storehouse of magnetic and rotational kinetic energy which allows the star to act as a high energy particle accelerator, and as the source of a deep gravitational potential which can generate heat from infalling matter, neutron stars remain capable of producing high energy radiation for a Hubble time. The results of an extensive survey of supernova remnants and radio pulsars performed with the imaging instruments on board the Einstein Observatory are reviewed and the implications of these results for pulsar physics and for the origin and evolution of galactic neutron stars are discussed.

Helfand, D. J.↗

Hydrogen Refrigerator Would Cool Below 10 K

Closed-cycle hydrogen refrigerator uses low-level heat energy to cool objects to temperature of 10 K. Refrigerator needs only fraction of energy of previous equipment with similar low-temperature capability. Unit compact and light in weight. With valves as only moving parts, reliable for many years. Refrigeration concept adapted to cooling superconducting magnets on magnetically levitated railcars, nuclear-particle accelerators, and variety of other cryogenic equipment.

Jones, J. A.↗

Study of the solar corona using radio and space observations

The physics of coronal transients, the characteristics of radiation and accelerated particles at the time of flares, and the density/temperature structure of the transition region and corona and the coronal magnetic field are investigated.

Dulk, G. A.↗

Some contributions to knowledge of the magnetospheric plasma by ISEE-1 investigators

The ability to control the separation between ISEE-1 and 2 permitted study of the motion and structure of the bow shock and magnetopause, the boundary layers, and the plasma sheet. Evidence favoring the existence of reconnection and its relevance to the transfer of magnetic flux from the frontside to the rear of the magnetosphere, was obtained. The presence of reflected and accelerated particles is shown to lead to the development of a foreshock region between the bow shock and the interplanetary magnetic field line tangential to it. Precursors to interplanetary shocks are also observed. Inside the magnetosphere, ISEE contributed to knowledge of plasma waves, and, augmenting work with GEOS, to studies of plasma composition. In the near tail, the boundary layer of the plasma sheet disclosed interesting phenomena.

Ogilive, K. W.↗

Analysis of spacecraft data

Support was provided for the maintenance and modifications of software for the production and detailed analysis of data from the DE-A spacecraft and new software developed for this end. Software for the analysis of the data from the Spacelab Experimental Particle Accelerator (SEPAC) was also developed.

Source record↗

On the retention of high-energy protons and nuclei with charges Z or equal to 2 in large solar flares after the process of their acceleration

Data which suggest that the protons with energies of up to several GeV should be retained on the Sun after the process of their acceleration are presented. The protons are on the average retained for 15 min, irrespectively of the solar flare heliolatitude and of the accelerated particle energy ranging from 100 MeV to several GeV. It is suggested that the particles are retained in a magnetic trap formed in a solar active region. No Z or = 2 nuclei of solar origin during large solar flares. The absence of the 500 MeV/nucleon nuclei with Z or = 2 may be due to their retention in the magnetic trap which also retains the high-energy protons. During the trapping time the approx. 500 MeV/nucleon nuclei with Z or = 2 may escape due to nuclear interactions and ionization loss.

Volodichev, N. N.↗

Solar source regions of 3HE-rich particle events

Hydrogen alpha X-ray, and metric and kilometric radio data to examine the solar sources of energetic 3He-rich particle events observed near earth in association with impulsive 2 to 100 keV electron events were applied. Each 3He/electron event is associated with a kilometric type 3 burst belonging to a family of such bursts characterized by similar interplanetary propagation paths from the same solar active region. The 3He/electron events correlate very well with the interplanetary low frequency radio brightnesses of these events, but progressively worse with signatures from regions closer to the Sun. When H alpha brightnings can be associated with 3He/electron events, they have onsets coinciding to within 1 min of that of the associated metric type 3 burst but are often too small to be reported. The data are consistent with the earlier idea that many type 3 bursts, the 3He/electron events, are due to particle acceleration in the corona, well above the associated H alpha and X-ray flares.

Kahler, S. W.↗

A standard source for high energy neutrino astronomy

A standard source of high energy neutrinos composed of a source of accelerated particles imbedded in a cloud of low density gas is described. The main mechanism of neutrino production in the source is pp-collision, and the main process of detection is through muons produced underground by the neutrions. The flux of neutrino-produced muons is computed for sources with different spectral index.

Berezinsky, V. S.↗

Relativistic charge-separated winds

An investigation is made into the effects of including charge separation in three-dimensional MHD wind models. Attention is focused on the energy gain experienced by particles in the wind zone of a magnetized rotator, e.g., a pulsar. An expression is defined for the energy gained by a particle emitted from the polar cap of a rotating neutron star while crossing the polar axis from the wind zone to the equatorial plane. The stellar wind is treated in terms of global electrodynamics and solutions are obtained for a neutral sheet wind, a monopole wind, and a simple wind model. The particle acceleration Lorentz factors are found to be a quadratic of those formerly predicted by MHD theory and in agreement with observations of energies around the Crab pulsar.

Michel, F. C.↗

The impulsive phase of a solar limb flare

The limb flare of 1980 November 18 at 14:51 UT is studied with the X-ray instruments on board the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM). Evidence is found for release of a significant fraction, 10 percent or more, of the flare energy before the impulsive hard X-ray burst. In the impulsive phase the hard X-rays emitted during the rapidly varying part of the burst are observed on the limb, at a level consistent with the chromosphere. During the final stages of the hard X-ray burst, when the fast time structure has disappeared, the hard X-rays clearly come from the corona, at which time the spectrum is softer. Throughout the decay phase of the flare the X-rays also originate in the corona. It is concluded that initially the flare energy is deposited below the transition zone, from which point the chromospheric plasma is ablated. When this plasma has expanded into the corona to the energy release site, particle acceleration associated with such energy release is quenched. The altitude of this site is estimated at 6000 + or - 1500 km above the photosphere. The sequence of observations is consistent with the bulk of the energy being contained in suprathermal protons, in the energy region 100-1000 keV, during the impulsive phase.

Simnett, G. M.↗

Kinetic Alfven waves on auroral field lines

It is suggested on the basis of several observations of Alfven waves near auroral arcs that kinetic Alfven waves play a significant role in the process of particle acceleration. The characteristic properties of kinetic Alfven waves are summarized according to the theoretical classifications provided by Hasegawa and Mima (1979). The resonant coupling of large-scale surface waves to kinetic Alfven waves is also discussed. It is shown that kinetic Alfven waves can explain observations of what have previously been known as 'electrostatic' shocks.

Goertz, C. K.↗

The energy spectra of solar energetic particles

A survey of recent results on the shapes and relative slopes of the spectra of various solar energetic particle populations is presented, with emphasis on the more extensive results currently available for protons, alphas and electrons. From previous work, it is found that proton spectra 0.8 to more than 400 MeV and alpha spectra 1.4 to 80 MeV/nucleon are best characterized, on average, by a functional form involving a Bessel function in momentum/nucleon. However, proton and alpha spectral slopes using this form are not equal, and there is significant variation from event to event. From other studies, electrons 0.02 to 20 MeV are also found to have curved spectra, but seem to be better fit with a double power law in energy. The spectral properties in both cases correlate with other measures of solar particle acceleration; e.g. gamma-ray line production, hard X-ray burst spectra and microwave fluxes.

Mcguire, R. E.↗