HR: 1340h
AN: SH13A-1129    [Abstracts]
TI: Solar X-rays and Energetic Electrons Escaping from the Sun
AU: * Krucker, s
EM: krucker@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Lab UC Berkeley, 7 Gauss way, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 United States
AU: Kontar, E P
EM: eduard@astro.gla.ac.uk
AF: University of Glasgow, The Kelvin Building, Glasgow, G12Q88 United Kingdom
AU: Lin, R P
EM: rlin@ssl.berkeley.edu
AF: Space Sciences Lab UC Berkeley, 7 Gauss way, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450 United States
AB: The Sun frequently accelerates electrons in solar flares and type III radio bursts. Some of the accelerated electrons lose their energy by collisions in the denser, lower solar atmosphere producing hard X-ray (HXR) emissions and heat the corona, while others escape into interplanetary space. Whether the HXR producing and the escaping electrons are accelerated by the same mechanism is not known. Combining RHESSI X-ray observations with in-situ observations of energetic electrons from the WIND spacecraft allows for the first time a detailed temporal, spatial, and spectral study. Statistical results of 16 events with a close temporal agreement between the HXR and the in-situ detected electrons (taking the time of flight of the escaping electrons into account) show a correlation between the HXR photon spectral index and the electron spectral index observed in-situ thus indicating a common acceleration mechanism. Furthermore, the solar X-ray source structure of these events look similar showing hot loops with HXR footpoints plus an additional HXR source separated from the loop by typically ~15". This source structure can be explained by a simple magnetic reconnection model with newly emerging flux tubes that reconnect with previously open field lines, so-called interchange reconnection. Events with a delayed timing between the HXRs and the solar release of escaping electrons (Krucker et al. 1999, Haggerty & Roelof 2002) are presently investigated. If these delayed events are indeed accelerated later in the event by shocks, no correlation between the HXR photon spectrum and the in-situ observed electron spectrum is expect to be found.
DE: 7514 Energetic particles (2114)
DE: 7519 Flares
DE: 7554 X rays, gamma rays, and neutrinos
DE: 2114 Energetic particles, heliospheric (7514)
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting