The rapid heating of coronal plasma during solar flares: nonequilibrium ionization diagnostics and reverse currents

Technical Report · Tue Jan 31 00:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6474553

Shapiro, P R; Knight, J W

A simple method is presented for diagnosing the electron temperature and density of a rapidly heated, coronal-type plasma from observable, non-equilibrium enhancements of X-ray line emission. This method, it is argued, is applicable to the study of solar flares. Accordingly, theoretically predicted line enhancements are given for a representative selection of X-ray lines prominent in the preflare coronal emission spectrum. Some of these predicted line enhancements should soon be observable with instruments aboard the Solar Maximum Mission.

• Research Organization: Stanford Univ., CA (USA). Inst. for Plasma Research
• OSTI ID: 6474553
• Report Number(s): AD-A-055633; SU-IPR-726
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY
PLASMA DIAGNOSTICS
SOLAR CORONA
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
HEATING
SOLAR FLARES
EMISSION SPECTRA
IONIZATION
KINETICS
X-RAY SPECTRA
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SPECTRA
640104* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Solar Phenomena
700102 - Fusion Energy- Plasma Research- Diagnostics