Fractal dimensions of the time variation of solar radio emission

The fractal dimensions of solar radio fluxes at 245, 410, 610, 1415, 2695, 2800, 4995, 8800, and 15400 MHz are calculated for the data period 1976–1990. The fractal dimension used here is an index to quantify the time variability of radio emission. The fractal dimensions were found to have values in the range of 1.2–2.0 for time scales of 10 days, 1–10 months, and 10 months. The lowest values were found around 3 GHz. The annual variations of fractal dimensions are small and are not in concert with the solar cycle for most of the fractal dimension at the analyzed frequencies except those for 4995 and 8800 MHz. The annual variations of the fractal dimensions are similar for the sunspot number and radio emission around 3 GHz; this implies a close relation between them. According to a simulation, larger fractal dimensions correspond to shorter e-folding time constants in the distribution of radio-source lifetimes.