Flare heating and ionization of the low solar chromosphere. II. Observations of five solar flares
- California Univ., San Diego (USA) Hawaii Univ., Honolulu (USA) Lockheed Research Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA (USA)
Two neutral Mg spectral lines formed in the temperature-minimum region and the low chromosphere, at 4571 and 5173 A, are used to quantify the changes in the atmospheric structure as a function of time during five solar flares. Eight proposed flare heating and ionization mechanisms and predictions of the effects of each on the temperature minimum region are discussed. Two Mg spectral observations made at the National Solar Observatory (Sacramento Peak), along with observations of hard and soft X-rays from the SMM and GOES satellites, are compared to the predictions of the eight proposed mechanisms. The initial effects in all five flares are consistent with backwarming by enhanced Balmer- and Paschen-continuum radiation originating in the upper chromosphere. Extended heating observed in two of the flares is most likely due to UV irradiation. In all cases heating by the dissipation of nonreversed electric currents, collisions with an electron or proton beam, irradiation by soft X-rays, and dissipation of Alfven waves are eliminated. 61 refs.
- OSTI ID:
- 5994495
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal; (USA), Vol. 365; ISSN 0004-637X
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
GENERAL PHYSICS
CHROMOSPHERE
HEATING
IONIZATION
SOLAR FLARES
COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRON BEAMS
ENERGY LOSSES
GOES SATELLITES
HARD X RADIATION
HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES
MAGNESIUM
PHOTOSPHERE
PROTON BEAMS
SOFT X RADIATION
TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION
ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ATMOSPHERES
BEAMS
CURRENTS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
LEPTON BEAMS
LOSSES
METALS
NUCLEON BEAMS
PARTICLE BEAMS
RADIATIONS
SATELLITES
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
X RADIATION
640104* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Solar Phenomena