Spatial brightness distribution of hard X-Ray emission along flare loops

The work is devoted to the simulation of recently discovered hard X-ray and gamma radiation sources localized near the top of solar flare loops. The calculations were performed in the context of a model of a flare magnetic loop inhomogeneous with respect to the magnetic field. Two cases of injection were considered: isotropic and anisotropic along the loop axis. The distributions of electrons along the loop are found by solving the nonstationary relativistic kinetic equation in the Fokker-Planck form. Based on the calculated electron distribution functions, the spatial brightness distribution of hard X-ray and gamma radiation has been calculated. Radiation characteristics are compared for different sets of injection parameters.     

Superfine time structure and polarization of hard X-ray emission during solar flares: Simulation of isolated pulses

A superfine time structure has been detected recently via hard X-ray satellite observations during solar flares. Some pulses are hundreds of milliseconds in length. Time series are sharply nonstationary sequences of overlapping pulses. We interpreted a similar time structure in a model of the nonstationary kinetics of accelerated electron beams. In this work, we present calculation results of the degree of polarization of the hard X rays of solar flares with millisecond pulses. The dependence of the polarization degree on the plasma concentration, radiation energy, and the observation angle has been derived from calculations with the thick-target nonstationary kinetics model for rectangular and triangular individual pulses of accelerated electrons in the region of injection with the angular dependence cos²ⁿ θ. It is shown that the degree of polarization does not exceed 78% and decreases down to 50–65% 20 s after the beginning of the injection.     

Dynamics of the spatial distribution of electrons and their gyrosynchrotron emission characteristics in a collapsing magnetic trap

The dynamics of the distribution of nonthermal electrons, injected into a collapsing magnetic trap, has been considered. The electron energy and pitch angle nonstationary spatial distributions in an extensive magnetic trap have been obtained for the first time for different laws of inhomogeneous magnetic field evolution in this trap by numerically solving the Fokker-Planck kinetic equation. The gyrosynchrotron emission intensity has been calculated for the obtained electron spatial distributions. It has been indicated that energetic electrons are effectively accumulated and accelerated at the top of a collapsing trap due to the first-order Fermi and betatron acceleration mechanisms at certain rates of variations in the magnetic field and background plasma density.     

Hard X rays of relativistic electrons accelerated in solar flares

The direction and polarization degree of hard X rays (HXRs) in solar flares are studied. The continuous injection of relativistic electrons, which is implemented in powerful flares, is considered. The stationary relativistic kinetic equation is studied by using the method of expansion in terms of the Legendre polynomial and by integrating the equations for the expansion coefficients. The HXR characteristics are calculated using the bremsstrahlung relativistic cross-section for different angular and energetic electron distributions in the acceleration region. A high linear polarization degree of HXRs (??35%) has been obtained for narrow (??cos⁶??) beams of electrons with a soft spectrum (??E ^?6); the polarization degree decreases with increasing quanta energy, whereas the directivity of a high-energy emission increases. This effect is absent for a nonrelativistic approximation. The considered model is applied to one of the most powerful flares in cycle 23, registered on October 28, 2003. The measured polarization degree values at relativistic energies (0.2?C0.4 and 0.4?C1 MeV) agree with the results achieved in the considered model when the electron energy spectrum index (?? = 2.5), angular distribution part (??cos⁶??), and the spectrum cutoff energy (E _max = 1.3 MeV) were specified.     

Effect of a self-induced electric field on the electron beam kinetics and resulting hard X-ray and microwave emissions in flares

The kinetics of beam electron precipitation from the top of a loop into the solar atmosphere with density gradients and an increasing magnetic field have been generally described. The Fokker-Planck equations are solved with regard to Coulomb collisions and the effect of the electric field induced by this beam. The photon spectra and polarization degree in hard X-ray (10–300 keV) and microwave (1–80 GHz) emissions are simulated under different assumptions regarding the beam electron distribution function. The simulation results are compared with the flare observations on March 10, 2001, and July 23, 2002, visible at different position angles. It has been indicated that the coincidence of the theoretical photon spectra with simultaneous observations of the hard X-ray and microwave emissions of these flares is the best for models that not only take into account collisions, but also the electric field induced by electron fluxes propagating in flare loops with very weakly or moderately converging magnetic fields.     

Flare coronal loop heating and hard X-ray emission from solar flares of August 23, 2005, and November 9, 2013

The thermal balance and hard X-ray emission of coronal loops for two solar events have been considered in the scope of a “standard” flare model. An important role of the thermal energy release is justified by the event of August 23, 2005, as an example. For the flare of November 9, 2013, it has been established that electrons accelerated at a flare loop top cannot maintain the observed hard X-ray fluxes from the flare footpoints, which indicates that charged particles are additionally accelerated in the chromosphere.

     

伴随等离子体密度下降的磁声波与辐射带电子的波粒相互作用及其散射效应

利用范阿伦卫星的高质量观测数据,我们报道了伴随等离子体密度下降的磁声波现象.通过选取分别发生于2013年7月26日(事件A)和2013年9月19日(事件B)的两个相应事件进行细致分析,我们开展试验粒子模拟计算了磁声波对辐射带电子的散射系数,并求解二维福克-普朗克扩散方程量化了磁声波散射导致的辐射带电子动态变化.结果表明,事件A中的磁声波的散射作用主要发生于投掷角范围为60°～80°、能量范围为20～200keV的辐射带电子,而事件B中的磁声波的散射作用主要发生于投掷角范围为50°～80°、能量范围为20～400keV的辐射带电子;两个事件中的磁声波均能导致辐射带电子的蝴蝶状投掷角分布,但是由于事件B的磁声波幅度更强,形成的电子蝴蝶状分布更明显.     

Magnetopause boundary structure deduced from the high-time resolution particle experiment on the Equator-S spacecraft

An electrostatic analyser (ESA) onboard the Equator-S spacecraft operating in coordination with a potential control device (PCD) has obtained the first accurate electron energy spectrum with energies &7 eV-100 eV in the vicinity of the magnetopause. On 8 January, 1998, a solar wind pressure increase pushed the magnetopause inward, leaving the Equator-S spacecraft in the magnetosheath. On the return into the magnetosphere approximately 80 min later, the magnetopause was observed by the ESA and the solid state telescopes (the SSTs detected electrons and ions with energies &20–300 keV). The high time resolution (3 s) data from ESA and SST show the boundary region contains of multiple plasma sources that appear to evolve in space and time. We show that electrons with energies &7 eV–100 eV permeate the outer regions of the magnetosphere, from the magnetopause to &6Re. Pitch-angle distributions of &20–300 keV electrons show the electrons travel in both directions along the magnetic field with a peak at 90° indicating a trapped configuration. The IMF during this interval was dominated by Bx and By components with a small Bz.     

Electron acceleration in the magnetosphere by whistler-mode waves of varying frequency

Acceleration of relativistic electrons in an inhomogeneous geomagnetic field during their resonant interaction with longitudinally propagating whistler-mode waves of varying frequency has been considered. Specific features of acceleration of electrons trapped by the wave field have been studied. Previous estimates of the efficiency of such acceleration have been generalized with regard to relativistic effects, and the simple formula for energy gain in a wide range of initial energies has been obtained. It has been indicated that the energy gain during a single interaction between electron and a whistler-mode wave packet, with typical parameters of an element of chorus emissions in the Earth’s magnetosphere, can reach several keV. The conditions of this acceleration mechanism realization are discussed. Specifically, it has been found that, in the case of chorus emissions in the Earth’s magnetosphere, this mechanism can be effective for electrons with perpendicular energies several times as high as such an energy of electrons generating chorus.     

Dynamics of electron fluxes in the near-rocket region in the ARAKS experiment

In the ARAKS experiment, electron pulses were injected into the ionosphere from onboard a rocket. For different series of pulses, the initial energy of electrons was 27 and 15 keV and the current strength was ∼0.5 A. On board the rocket, the distributions of electron fluxes directed toward the rocket were measured using the retarding potential by the electron energy up to 3000 eV. In this work, it is shown that the appearance of extreme values of the intensity of electron fluxes higher than 200 eV at the tail of the electron energy distribution can be explained by the nonmonotonic acceleration of electrons in the fields of electrostatic turbulence. The dynamics of electron and ion fluxes can be influenced by the polarization drift. It should be noted that extreme values of the flux intensities were not observed at heights lower than 130 km. This can be connected with the suppression of electrostatic oscillations by collisions of electrons with ionospheric components.     

Local structures of electrons with energies of hundreds of keV in the inner belt and the slot region observed from the Vernov satellite

The structure and dynamics of electron fluxes of subrelativistic energies in the range 235–300 keV at L < 4 during December 3–8, 2014, are analyzed according to the RELEC instrument onboard the Vernov satellite. Sharp changes in the parameters of the solar wind and the IMF were detected on December 6, but they did not lead to a magnetic storm. However, after the event of December 6, subrelativistic electron fluxes in the inner belt and the slot region were enhanced and structured. The dynamics of electron fluxes in the local transient bursts at L ~ 1.5–1.7 is considered in detail. It is shown that these bursts are associated with the development of the cyclotron instability in the tops of magnetic flux tubes near the inner belt maximum. The electron anisotropic index is estimated in these bursts. It is shown that in the beginning these bursts are anisotropic and that they become isotropic as the decay proceeds. The most likely chain of physical mechanisms that could lead to variations in electron fluxes of the inner belt described in this paper is presented. For the first time, the topological effects in stationary distributions of the electrons of the inner belt observed at low altitudes in the South Atlantic Anomaly region are explained.     

磁层相对论电子通量变化与磁暴/亚暴的关系

本文分析了1 AU处的行星际磁场、太阳风速度、Kp指数、Dst和AE的变化关系,以及它们和地球同步轨道附近相对论电子通量的变化关系.分析说明,当行星际磁场Bz分量出现南向扰动和太阳风速度增大超过500 km/s时,地球磁层中常常发生磁暴/亚暴活动.在磁暴主相期间,相对论电子(能量E≥1 MeV)通量下降;而在磁暴恢复相期间,相对论电子通量恢复上升.但是,只有在伴随有高强度（AE≥500 nT）的持续性亚暴活动的磁暴恢复相期间,相对论电子的通量才能增长到超过暴前通量值,且能量低于300 keV的亚暴电子的通量越高,相对论电子的通量越高,反之则越低.亚暴注入电子数的多少很大程度上决定了磁暴恢复相期间相对论电子数的多少,这说明亚暴活动注入能量低于300 keV的亚暴电子是磁层相对论电子的一个重要来源.     

Simultaneous measurements from the Millstone Hill radar and the Active satellite during the SAID/SAR arc event of the March 1990 CEDAR storm

During a nearby passage of the Active satellite above the Millstone Hill radar on 21 March 1990 at local sunset, the satellite and the radar performed simultaneous measurements of upper ionospheric parameters in nearly the same spatial volume. For this purpose the radar carried out a special azimuth-elevation scan to track the satellite. Direct comparisons of radar data and in situ satellite measurements have been carried out quite rarely. In this case, the coincidence of co-ordinated measurements and active ionospheric-magnetospheric processes during an extended storm recovery phase presents a unique occasion resulting in a very valuable data set. The measurements show generally good agreement both during quiet prestorm and storm conditions and the combination of radar and satellite observations gives a more comprehensive picture of the physical processes involved. We find a close relationship between the rapid westward ion drift peak at subauroral latitudes (SAID event) and the occurrence of a stable auroral red (SAR) arc observed after sunset by an all-sky imager and reported in an earlier study of this event. The SAID electric field is caused by the penetration of energetic ions with energies between about 1 keV and 100 keV into the outer plasmasphere to a latitude equatorward of the extent of the plasmasheet electrons. Charge separation results in the observed polarisation field and the SAID. Unusually high molecular ion densities measured by the satellite at altitudes of 700–870 km at subauroral and auroral latitudes point on strong upward-directed ion acceleration processes and an intense neutral gas upwelling. These structures are collocated with a narrow trough in electron density and an electron temperature peak as observed simultaneously by the radar and the satellite probes.     

Effect of acceleration and loss rates on time variations in energetic electron fluxes during geomagnetic disturbances

The general properties of the effect of the acceleration and loss rate on the time variations in relativistic electron fluxes have been studied based on the analytical solutions to the nonstationary equation for the particle distribution function, taking into account diffusion in the momentum space (stochastic acceleration) and loss (due to particle escape from the acceleration region). The results of calculating the time variations in the fluxes of electrons with energies of 1 MeV are presented for different ratios of the loss-to-acceleration rates. The cases of instantaneous and prolonged injection of low-energy particles are considered. It has been proposed to estimate the acceleration and loss rate effectiveness based on the observed electron flux decrease rate at the end of the magnetic storm recovery phase.     

Simultaneous multispectral imaging of the discrete aurora

A unique multispectral imager and an associated multispectral analysis framework are described which together constitute a new diagnostic tool for auroral research. By acquiring spatial and spectral data simultaneously, multispectral imaging allows one to exploit physical connections between auroral morphology and the auroral optical spectrum in a way that sequential spectral imaging cannot. The initial research focus is on imaging the transition in the incident energy spectrum during the formation of discrete arcs—that is, when the precipitating population is characterized by <1 keV electrons. A technique is presented which uses two spectral bands (centered at 4278 and 7325 Å) to extend the effective dynamic range of passive imaging to much lower energies.     

A localised co-rotating auroral absorption event observed near noon using imaging riometer and EISCAT

An isolated region of energetic electron precipitation observed near local noon in the auroral zone has been investigated using imaging riometer (IRIS) and inco-herent-scatter radar (EISCAT) techniques. IRIS revealed that the absorption event was essentially co-rotating with the Earth for about 2 h. The spatial and temporal variations in D-region electron density seen by EISCAT were able to be interpreted within a proper context when compared with the IRIS data. EISCAT detected significant increases in electron density at altitudes as low as 65 km as the event drifted through the radar beam. The altitude distribution of incremental radio absorption revealed that more than half of the absorption occurred below 75 km, with a maximum of 67 km. The energy spectrum of the precipitating electrons was highly uniform throughout the event, and could be described analytically by the sum of three exponential distributions with characteristic energies of 6, 70 and 250 keV. A profile of effective recombination coefficient that resulted in self-consistent agreement between observed electron desities and those inferred from an inversion procedure has been deduced. The observations suggest a co-rotating magnetospheric source region on closed dayside field lines. However, a mechanism is required that can sustain such hard precipitation for the relatively long duration of the event.     

Local particle traps in the high latitude magnetosphere and the acceleration of relativistic electrons

Variations of electron fluxes with energies 300–600 keV in the region of quasitrapping are analyzed using data of the low orbiting Coronas-F satellite. Enhancements in the electron fluxes with energies above 300 keV are observed at the polar boundary of the outer radiation belt. Meteor-3M satellite data, OVATION and AP models of the position of the auroral oval are used to determine the position of analyzed increases in the energetic electrons with respect to the position of the auroral oval. There is a significant number of events when these increases were observed at a few consequent orbits crossing the outer radiation belt boundary. Studied increases in relativistic electron fluxes are localized at the latitudes of the auroral oval. Different mechanisms of formation of observed enhancements are discussed. The possibility of the appearance of increases due to formation of local particle traps is analyzed using Tsyganenko geomagnetic field models. The role of the formation of local particle traps at the boundary of the outer radiation belt and its possible influence to the formation of the outer radiation belt is discussed.     

地球辐射带能量电子通量在不同地磁活动下的统计分析

利用大约15个月的CRRES卫星MEA能量电子观测数据,分别在地磁活动平静(0≤Kp＜3)、中等(3≤Kp≤6)及强烈(6＜Kp≤9)的条件下,选取电子能量为148 keV,509 keV,1090 keV,1581 keV的辐射带能量电子通量进行统计分析,得到了不同地磁活动条件下地球辐射带高能电子通量在(L,MLT)...     

Simultaneous measurements of X-rays and electrons during a pulsating aurora

The PULSAUR II rocket was launched from Andøya Rocket Range at 23.43 UT on 9 February 1994 into a pulsating aurora. In this paper we focus on the observations of precipitating electrons and auroral X-rays. By using models it is possible to deduce the electron energy spectrum from X-ray measurements. Comparisons are made between the deduced electron fluxes and the directly measured electron fluxes on the rocket. We found the shape of the observed and the deduced electron spectra to fit very well, with almost identical e-folding energies in the energy range from 10 keV to 60–80 keV. For the integrated fluxes from 10.8 to 250 keV, we found a discrepancy of 30%. By combining two models, we have found a good method of deducing the electron precipitation from X-ray measurements. The discrepancies between calculations and measurements are in the range of the uncertainties in the measurements.     

Skin-layer of the eruptive magnetic flux rope in large solar flares

The analysis of observations of large solar flares made it possible to propose a hypothesis on existence of a skin-layer in magnetic flux ropes of coronal mass ejections. On the assumption that the Bohm coefficient determines the diffusion of magnetic field, an estimate of the skin-layer thickness of ~10⁶ cm is obtained. According to the hypothesis, the electric field of ~0.01–0.1 V/cm, having the nonzero component along the magnetic field of flux rope, arises for ~5 min in the surface layer of the eruptive flux rope during its ejection into the upper corona. The particle acceleration by the electric field to the energies of ~100 MeV/nucleon in the skin-layer of the flux rope leads to their precipitation along field lines to footpoints of the flux rope. The skin-layer presence induces helical or oval chromospheric emission at the ends of flare ribbons. The emission may be accompanied by hard X-ray radiation and by the production of gamma-ray line at the energy of 2.223 MeV (neutron capture line in the photosphere). The magnetic reconnection in the corona leads to a shift of the skin-layer of flux rope across the magnetic field. The area of precipitation of accelerated particles at the flux-rope footpoints expands in this case from the inside outward. This effect is traced in the chromosphere and in the transient region as the expanding helical emission structures. If the emission extends to the spot, a certain fraction of accelerated particles may be reflected from the magnetic barrier (in the magnetic field of the spot). In the case of exit into the interplanetary space, these particles may be recorded in the Earth’s orbit as solar proton events.