Structural properties of the dynamics in flare fragmentation

Solar flares have a fragmented structure. Dynamical systems theory, for instance in its form of dimensional analysis, can analyze such structures. It answers the question whether the underlying process is deterministic or stochastic. If the process is deterministic, it provides a measure of how complicated the process is (the fractal dimension). In order to be reliable, the analysis has to be combined with the investigation of stationarity.We apply this method to ms-spikes, observed in the decimetric range, which are possibly a manifestation of flare fragmentation. We compare the system-theoretical properties - such as stationarity, stochasticity or deterministic behaviour - of the ms-spikes to the properties of several classes of suggested scenarios. This permits us to discuss different scenarios from a general point of view and to derive general properties of the source.Paper presented at the 4th CESRA Workshop in Ouranopolis (Greece) 1991.