2018ApJ...869..182S -
Astrophys. J., 869, 182-182 (2018/December-3)
Characteristics of late-phase >100 MeV gamma-ray emission in solar eruptive events.
SHARE G.H., MURPHY R.J., WHITE S.M., TOLBERT A.K., DENNIS B.R., SCHWARTZ R.A., SMART D.F. and SHEA M.A.
Abstract (from CDS):
We characterize and catalog 30 solar eruptive events observed by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) having late-phase >100 MeV γ-ray emission (LPGRE), identified 30 yr ago in what were called long-duration gamma-ray flares. We show that LPGRE is temporally and spectrally distinct from impulsive phase emission in these events. The spectra are consistent with the decay of pions produced by >300 MeV protons and are not consistent with primary electron bremsstrahlung. Impulsive >100 keV X-ray emission was observed in all 27 LPGRE events where observations were made. All but two of the LPGRE events were accompanied by a fast and broad coronal mass ejection (CME). The LPGRE start times range from CME onset to 2 hr later. Their durations range from ∼0.1 to 20 hr and appear to be correlated with durations of >100 MeV solar energetic particle (SEP) proton events. The power-law spectral indices of the >300 MeV protons producing LPGRE range from ∼2.5 to 6.5 and vary during some events. Combined γ-ray line and LAT measurements indicate that LPGRE proton spectra are steeper above 300 MeV than they are below 300 MeV. The number of LPGRE protons >500 MeV is typically about 10x the number in the impulsive phase of the solar eruptive event and ranges in nine events from ∼0.01x to 0.5x the number in the accompanying SEP event, with large systematic uncertainty. What appears to be late-phase electron bremsstrahlung with energies up to ∼10 MeV was observed in one LPGRE event. We discuss how current models of LPGRE may explain these characteristics.
Abstract Copyright:
© 2018. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.
Journal keyword(s):
acceleration of particles - Sun: flares - Sun: particle emission - Sun: X-rays, gamma rays
Simbad objects:
3
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