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Propagation and confinement of energetic electrons in solar flares

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:6594688

The propagation, confinement, and total energy of energetic (>25 keV) electrons in solar flares are examined through a brief review of the following hard x-ray measurements: (1) spatially resolved observations obtained by imaging instruments; (2) stereoscopic observations of partially occulted sources providing radial (vertical) spatial resolution; and (3) directivity of the emission measured through stereoscopic observations and the center-to-limb variation of the occurrence frequency of hard X ray flares. The characteristics of the energetic electrons are found to be quite distinct in impulsive and gradual hard x-ray flares. In impulsive flares, the nonthermal electron spectrum seems to extend down to about 2 keV indicating that the total energy of nonthermal electrons is much larger than that assumed in the past.

Research Organization:
California Univ., Berkeley (USA). Space Sciences Lab.
OSTI ID:
6594688
Report Number(s):
AD-A-199577/8/XAB
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English