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At least 1,117 records · Page 62
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NASA NTRS1985

Nuclear processes and neutrino production in solar flares

The determination of flare neutrino flux is approached from the standpoint of recent observations and theoretical results on the nuclear processes in solar flares. Attention is given to the energy spectra and total numbers of accelerated particles in flares, as well as their resulting production of beta(+)-emitting radionuclei and pions; these should be the primary sources of neutrinos. The observed 0.511 MeV line flux for the June 21, 1980 flare is compared with the expected from the number and spectrum of accelerated particles.

Lingenfelter, R. E.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Energetic charged particles in the Uranian magnetosphere

The cosmic ray instrument on Voyager 2 obtained detailed charged particle data on the path the spacecraft followed through the newly-discovered Uranian magnetosphere. Notably, the electron counts did not rise above background until the spacecraft was deep in the magnetosphere. The data further indicated that the satellites Miranda, Ubriel and Ariel impose a sweep effect on MeV electrons, which move radially inward from some source in the outer magnetosphere or the magnetotail. The energetic particle data also supported a firm pitch angle dependence for proton energy spectra in the 1-8 MeV range. Finally, the particle density data were commensurate with a dipole magnetic field tilted 60.1 deg in relation to the planet and rotating every 17.4 hr, close to estimates from other instruments.

Stone, E. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Operational wave forecasting with spaceborne SAR: Prospects and pitfalls

Measurements collected in the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR-B) Extreme Waves Experiment confirm the ability of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to yield useful estimates of wave directional energy spectra over global scales, at least for shuttle altitudes. However, azimuth fall-off effects tend to become severe for wavelengths shorter than about 100 m in most sea states. Moreover, the azimuth fall-off problem becomes increasingly severe as the platform altitude increases beyond 300 km. The most viable solution to the global wave measurements problem may be a low altitude spacecraft containing a combination of both the SAR and the Radar Ocean Wave Spectrometry (ROWS). Such a combination could have a synergy which yield global spectral estimates superior to those of either instrument singly employed.

Beal, R. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Signatures of current loop coalescence in solar flares

The nonlinear coalescence instability of current carrying solar loops can explain many of the characteristics of the solar flares such as their impulsive nature, heating and high energy particle acceleration, amplitude oscillations of electromagnetic emission as well as the characteristics of 2-D microwave images obtained during a solar flare. The physical characteristics of the explosive coalescence of currents are presented in detail through computer simulation and theory. Canonical characteristics of the explosive coalescence are: (1) a large amount of impulsive increase of kinetic energies of electrons and ions; (2) simultaneous heating and acceleration of electrons and ions in high and low energy spectra; (3) ensuing quasi-periodic amplitude oscillations in fields and particle quantities; and (4) the double peak (or triple peak) structure in these profiles, participate in the coalescence process, yielding varieties of phenomena.

Sakai, J.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Particle acceleration in solar flares

The most direct signatures of particle acceleration in flares are energetic particles detected in interplanetary space and in the Earth atmosphere, and gamma rays, neutrons, hard X-rays, and radio emissions produced by the energetic particles in the solar atmosphere. The stochastic and shock acceleration theories in flares are reviewed and the implications of observations on particle energy spectra, particle confinement and escape, multiple acceleration phases, particle anistropies, and solar atmospheric abundances are discussed.

Ramaty, R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Expansion velocity and temperatures of gas and ions measured in the coma of Comet Halley

In situ measurements of flow velocity and temperature in the inner coma were obtained from ram energy spectra of molecules and ions observed by the Giotto neutral mass spectrometer. Radial flow speed is 800 km/sec; near 2,500 km from the nucleus increasing to more than 1000 m/sec at 20,000 km. A near zero volt spacecraft potential was inferred. Ion temperatures are approx. 200 K inside the contact surface (approx. 4500 km) where the plasma is collisionally coupled to the gas; at this boundary ion temperature rises by approx. 1000 K. The observations indicate a heat source which is effective to large distances.

Laemmerzahl, P.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Evidence for HCS(+) and CH2SH(+) in the inner coma of Comet Halley

Number densities for ion species with masses 44, 45, and 47 amu/q were derived from ram energy spectra of the neutral gas mass spectrometer experiment on Giotto in the inner coma of comet Halley. The relative abundances of the masses suggest the presence of the ions CS(+), HCS(+), and CH2SH(+).

Krankowsky, D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Solar cycle variations of anomalous He-4 as deduced by studies of cosmic ray He-3

Voyager 1 and 2 observations have been used to derive the energy spectrum of 'anomalous' cosmic-ray (ACR) He using a technique based on the separation of the isotopes of He. Previously reported observations show that the ACR oxygen spectrum underwent a change in shape following the solar magnetic field reversal in 1980; in this paper evidence for a corresponding change in the ACR He spectrum is presented. It is found that the energy spectra of ACR He and oxygen and Galactic-cosmic-ray He-4 and He3 can be reproduced both before and after the field reversal using a simple solar modulation model in which the effects of curvature and gradient drifts are arbitrarily neglected.

Cummings, A. C.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The high energy transmission grating spectrometer for AXAF

Attention is given to a high energy transmission grating spectrometer that operates over the range 0.4-8 keV, giving resolving powers of 100-1000 and effective areas of 10-200 sq cm. The instrument, which is part of the MIT high resolution X-ray spectroscopy investigation, consists of a single array of grating facets of two types: medium energy gratings of 0.6-micron period, 0.5-micron thick silver mounted behind the outer three AXAF mirrors, and high energy gratings of 0.2-micron period, 1.0-micron thick gold mounted behind the inner three mirrors. The gratings are oriented so as to correct for coma and so that the medium and high energy spectra form a shallow 'X' at the AXAF focal plane. Likely targets include normal stars, binary X-ray sources, active galactic nuclei and quasars. The HETGS can also be used to give moderate resolution spectra of slightly extended sources and monochromatic images of sources with strong lines, such as supernova remnants in nearby galaxies.

Canizares, C. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Characteristics of auroral electron precipitation on the morningside

A quantitative description of the electron precipitation within the morningside aurora is presented based on observations of precipitating electrons obtained from the low-altitude DMSP-F6 satellite. The equatorward region of the diffuse aurora is found to have precipitating electron energy fluxes which typically reach 10 ergs/sq cm-s, and such fluxes can extend over several degrees in latitude. Energy spectra over the diffuse aurora are quite hard and show no evidence of acceleration by field-aligned potential drop. The poleward region of the structured aurora includes a soft background of relatively weak, uniform precipitation. Omega band waves are occasionally observed along the poleward boundary of the diffuse aurora.

Lyons, L. R.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Energetic ions upstream of planetary bow shocks - Fermi acceleration or leakage?

Observations of energetic ions upstream of earth, Jupiter, and Saturn are examined. The velocity dispersions, energy spectra, and ion compositions for the three planets are described. Fermi acceleration and leakage are analyzed as the potential mechanism for the presence of energetic particles upstream of planetary bow shocks. It is noted that energetic ions upstream of planetary bow shock originate from within the planetary magnetosphere, and leakage is the mechanism for the energetic particles.

Krimigis, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1986

Pion-decay radiation and two-phase acceleration in the June 3, 1982 solar flare

The June 3, 1982 flare is unique in the wealth of observed neutron, gamma-ray and energetic-particle emission that it produced. Using calculations of high-energy emissions to fit the various time-dependent gamma-ray fluxes, a self-consistent interaction model for the June 3 flare is constructed in which the observed fluxes are produced by two distinct particle populations with different acceleration and interaction time histories as well as different but time-independent energy spectra. The two populations are associated with first- and second-phase particle acceleration, respectively.

Ramaty, R.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Radio emission from RS CVn binaries. II - Polarization and spectral properties

Multiepoch radio observations of circular polarization and spectral characteristics of several close, late-type stellar binaries are reported. The median luminosity of four well-studied systems ranged from 16.2 to 17.1 ergs/s/Hz. For individual systems, the fractional circular polarization decreases with increasing luminosity, particularly at frequencies above 5 GHz. Eclipsing binaries have significantly lower average circular polarization compared with noneclipsing systems. Helicity reversal is almost always observed between 1.4 and 4.9 GHz for systems with high orbital inclination. Comparison with ten years of previously published polarization observations for two RS CVn stellar systems show that the same helicity occurs at a given frequency for a given source, indicating a very stable, large-scale magnetic field geometry. These spectral and polarization characteristics strongly support a model of inhomogeneous gyrosynchrotron emission arising from electrons with power law energy spectra interacting with inhomogeneous magnetic fields.

Mutel, R. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Current loop coalescence model of solar flares

A computer simulation and theoretical study of the physical characteristics of the explosive coalescence of current-carrying loops is presented. Characteristics of the explosive coalescence include a large impulsive increase of the kinetic energies of electrons and ions, the simultaneous heating and acceleration of electrons and ions in high and low energy ranges, and a break in the energy spectra of electrons and ions. A characteristic double subpeak structure is found in the quasi-periodic oscillations found in the time profiles of the solar flares of June 7, 1980 and November 26, 1982 which can be explained in terms of the coalescence instability of two current loops.

Tajima, T.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Properties of low-energy electron precipitation in the cleft during periods of unusually high ambient electron temperatures

A recently developed automated fitting procedure for Dynamics Explorer 2 electron energy spectra represents each auroral electron spectrum as a superposition of several Maxwellian and several Gaussian components. The fitting parameters give a digital representation which uniquely describes each spectrum. It is shown that unusually high ambient electron temperatures (of the order of 10,000 K) in the cleft are strongly correlated with the intensity parameters of the lowest-temperature Maxwellian components of the precipitation. The collisional heat input into the ambient electrons by these Maxwellian components of the precipitation fluxes is shown to be more than an order of magnitude higher in the high-temperature storm time cases than it is in a control set of 'normal temperature' quiet time cases. The heating effect of the solar flux is shown to be nearly the same for both sets of cases. As a result it is concluded that electron precipitation is the chief mechanism responsible for those high ambient temperatures.

Fontheim, Ernest G.↗
NASA NTRS1987

High-energy particle production in solar flares (SEP, gamma-ray and neutron emissions)

Electrons and ions, over a wide range of energies, are produced in association with solar flares. Solar energetic particles (SEPs), observed in space and near earth, consist of electrons and ions that range in energy from 10 keV to about 100 MeV and from 1 MeV to 20 GeV, respectively. SEPs are directly recorded by charged particle detectors, while X-ray, gamma-ray, and neutron detectors indicate the properties of the accelerated particles (electrons and ions) which have interacted in the solar atmosphere. A major problem of solar physics is to understand the relationship between these two groups of charged particles; in particular whether they are accelerated by the same mechanism. The paper reviews the physics of gamma-rays and neutron production in the solar atmosphere and the method by which properties of the primary charged particles produced in the solar flare can be deduced. Recent observations of energetic photons and neutrons in space and at the earth are used to present a current picture of the properties of impulsively flare accelerated electrons and ions. Some important properties discussed are time scale of production, composition, energy spectra, accelerator geometry. Particular attention is given to energetic particle production in the large flare on June 3, 1982.

Chupp, E. L.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Observations of polar rain at low and high altitudes

Data from the low-altitude DMSP spacecraft were used to compare polar rain electron intensities, energy spectra, and time variations at low altitudes with concurrent bidirectional electron properties in the magnetotail measured by ISEE 3. The DMSP-measured polar rain phase space densities near the polar cap agreed well with the field-aligned magnetotail lobe electron phase space densities above about 200 eV. Below 100-200 eV, a thermal electron population was observed (by ISEE) in the distant tail which is absent at the DMSP altitudes. The results suggest that the suprathermal tail lobe electrons can move freely along field lines to form polar rain, whereas the thermal electrons are bound to the tailward flowing lobe ion population far down the tail and thus cannot reach the polar cap regions.

Baker, D. N.↗
NASA NTRS1987

Nuclear processes and accelerated particles in solar flares

Nuclear processes and particle acceleration in solar flares are reviewed. The theory of gamma-ray and neutron production is discussed and results of calculations are compared to gamma-ray, neutron, and charged-particle observations from solar flares. The implications of these comparisons on particle energy spectra, total numbers, anisotropies, electron-to-proton ratios, as well as on acceleration mechanisms and the interaction site, are presented. The information on elemental and isotopic abundances derived from gamma-ray observations is compared to abundances obtained from escaping accelerated particles and other sources.

Ramaty, R.↗