Studies of solar flares and coronal loops. Final scientific report 1 February 1982-31 May 1984

Technical Report · Tue Jul 10 04:00:00 EDT 1984

OSTI ID:6207152

Canfield, R C

The objectives of this research were to improve our understanding of solar flares and solar coronal loops. The specific approach to the flare objective was to analyze and interpret solar flare data, using theoretical methods developed as part of the research. The specific approach to the coronal loop objective was to investigate their thermal and magnetohydrodynamic stability for various physical models. The principal result of the flare research was to demonstrate that, in two well-observed flares, the mechanism of chromospheric evaporation accounts for the observed amount of flare X-ray plasma. The dominant energy transport mechanism is thermal conduction. Heating by energetic electrons is of secondary importance. The principal results of the magnetohydrodynamic stability analyses were demonstrations of the role of radiative energy loss, compressibility, magnetic field line twist, foot-point magnetic field line tying, and radial plasma pressure gradient.

• Research Organization: California Univ., San Diego, La Jolla (USA). Center for Astrophysics and Space Sciences
• OSTI ID: 6207152
• Report Number(s): AD-A-145009/7; UCSD-SP-84-21
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640104* -- Astrophysics & Cosmology-- Solar Phenomena
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATMOSPHERES
CHROMOSPHERE
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY TRANSFER
EVAPORATION
FERMIONS
FLUID MECHANICS
HEATING
HYDRODYNAMICS
LEPTONS
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETOHYDRODYNAMICS
MECHANICS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PRESSURE GRADIENTS
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR ATMOSPHERE
SOLAR CORONA
SOLAR FLARES
STABILITY
STELLAR ATMOSPHERES
STELLAR CORONAE
THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES