HR: 11:30h
AN: SP42A-05    [Abstracts]
TI: Size Distribution of Flares: Is it Universal?
AU: * Bai, T A
EM: bai@quake.stanford.edu
AF: Stanford University, MC 4085, HEPL B206, Stanford, CA 94305 United States
AB: Size distributions of solar flares, measured in appropriate variables, often exhibit power-law forms with negative indices. From this, an avalanche model has been proposed. This model assumes that the size distribution is universal; that is, it does not easily change from under one condition to another. In my previous study, I showed that the size distribution varies with the phase of the 152-day periodicity. In the peak phase, the size distribution was flatter. I also reported that the size distribution was flatter in the declining phase of cycle 21 than in the maximum phase. In this paper, I am going to study of a size distribution, using GOES soft X-ray observations of solar flares. The size distribution is flatter for flares produced by super-active regions than for other flares. The size distribution is also flatter for flares produced in 2003 and 2004, during which unusually high flare activity was observed. Such variability of size distributions does not support the avalanche model.
DE: 7519 Flares
DE: 7536 Solar activity cycle (2162)
SC: Solar Physics Division - AAS [SP]
MN: 2005 Joint Assembly