Radio burst characteristics of solar proton flares

Journal Article · Fri Oct 15 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · Astrophys. J.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1086/160381· OSTI ID:6527326

Kahler, S W

To isolate the properties of solar radio bursts indicative of energetic (E>20 MeV) proton acceleration, we compare several groups of solar bursts. Intense centimetric bursts and metric type II bursts associated with solar flares at magnetically well-connected longitudes, but not resulting in detected prompt proton events, are compared with the radio bursts of proton flares. The type II bursts not associated with proton flares are distinguished from those of proton flares by their short durations, associations with small H..cap alpha.. flares, and lack of associated type IV metric bursts. We find that, contrary to the claim of Svestka and Fritzova-Svestkova, the appearance of a type II burst, indicating a coronal shock, is not a sufficient condition for the occurrence of an interplanetary proton event. We further conclude that interplanetary energetic protons are not significantly produced in most type II burst shocks. The centimetric bursts were examined in detail using records from the Sagamore Hill Observatory. The distinguishing difference between the proton and nonproton centimetric bursts is that the proton-event burst durations ranged from 1 minute to 1 hour, but the burst durations of nonproton flares were less than 10 minutes. We argue that energetic electrons produced in postflare loop systems are the sources of the stationary metric and decimetric type IV bursts associated with proton flares.

• Research Organization: Air Force Geophysics Laboratory, Hanscom Air Force Base, Massachusetts
• OSTI ID: 6527326
• Journal Information: Astrophys. J.; (United States), Vol. 261:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
SOLAR RADIO BURSTS
SOLAR PROTONS
DATA ANALYSIS
INTERPLANETARY SPACE
MAGNETIC FIELDS
PLASMA ACCELERATION
SHOCK WAVES
SOLAR FLARES
ACCELERATION
BARYONS
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
FERMIONS
HADRONS
NUCLEONS
PROTONS
RADIATIONS
RADIOWAVE RADIATION
SOLAR ACTIVITY
SOLAR PARTICLES
SOLAR RADIATION
SPACE
STELLAR RADIATION
640104* - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Solar Phenomena