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Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions

Journal Article · · The Astrophysical Journal
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [4];  [5]
  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Greenbelt, MD (United States); Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)
  3. Univ. of New Hampshire, Durham, NH (United States)
  4. Sorbonne Univ., Paris (France); Ecole Polytechnique Federale Lausanne (EPFL) (Switzerland); Université Paris-Saclay (France); Université PSL (France); Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) (France); Université d'Orléans, Nançay (France)
  5. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
Determining the relative contribution of solar flares versus coronal mass ejections in large solar energetic particle (SEP) events is a long-standing problem. Flare-accelerated particles may travel through complex magnetic fields in the eruption region and escape into interplanetary space, thereby contributing to large SEP events. The process by which flare accelerated particles are released into the heliosphere is poorly understood and yet is critical to advancing our understanding of SEPs. In this work, we address the release problem by solving the focused transport equation in the context of a 2.5D ARMS magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a breakout coronal mass ejection (CME)/flare event. We find that particles accelerated by flare reconnection can be released into interplanetary space through interchange reconnection between closed and open field lines. These particles can contribute directly to SEP events and may become an important seed population for further acceleration by CME-driven shocks. Additionally, we find that the energetic particle fluxes in the inner heliosphere remain elevated for an extended period, allowing them to contribute to SEP acceleration by subsequent CMEs. This study represents the first direct particle modeling of how flare-accelerated particles can contribute to major SEP events.
Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); National Science Foundation (NSF)
Grant/Contract Number:
89233218CNA000001
OSTI ID:
2568696
Report Number(s):
LA-UR--25-21824; 10.3847/1538-4357/adcb42; 1538-4357
Journal Information:
The Astrophysical Journal, Journal Name: The Astrophysical Journal Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 985; ISSN 0004-637X; ISSN 1538-4357
Publisher:
IOP PublishingCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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