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Title: TRANSMISSION AND EMISSION OF SOLAR ENERGETIC PARTICLES IN SEMI-TRANSPARENT SHOCKS

Journal Article · · Astrophysical Journal Letters
;  [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory (Oulu Unit), University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, FI-90014 Oulu (Finland)
  2. Jeremiah Horrocks Institute, University of Central Lancashire, Preston PR1 2HE (United Kingdom)
  3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Turku, FI-20014 Turku (Finland)

While major solar energetic particle (SEP) events are associated with coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven shocks in solar wind, accurate SEP measurements reveal that more than one component of energetic ions exist in the beginning of the events. Solar electromagnetic emissions, including nuclear gamma-rays, suggest that high-energy ions could also be accelerated by coronal shocks, and some of those particles could contribute to SEPs in interplanetary space. However, the CME-driven shock in solar wind is thought to shield any particle source beneath the shock because of the strong scattering required for the diffusive shock acceleration. In this Letter, we consider a shock model that allows energetic particles from the possible behind-shock source to appear in front of the shock simultaneously with SEPs accelerated by the shock itself. We model the energetic particle transport in directions parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field in a spherical shock expanding through the highly turbulent magnetic sector with an embedded quiet magnetic tube, which makes the shock semi-transparent for energetic particles. The model energy spectra and time profiles of energetic ions escaping far upstream of the shock are similar to the profiles observed during the first hour of some gradual SEP events.

OSTI ID:
22365825
Journal Information:
Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 787, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English