|
|
SPRG Seminars - Archive
March 14, 2006:
Solar Electron Beams in HXR and Radio
Steven Christe, UC Berkeley / Space Sciences Laboratory
Solar flares are associated with a variety of non-thermal emissions; in particular impulsive X-rays and type III radio bursts. Observations of impulsive X-ray emission (> 10 keV) are consistent with bremsstrahlung radiation from non-thermal electrons accelerated during the impulsive phase of a flare. Type III radio bursts are characterized by a rapidly-drifting emission in time from high to low frequency and are generally assumed to be caused by beams of escaping electrons interacting with the coronal plasma. Electron beams are also detected at earth providing direct measurement of their energy content and spectral shape. At the present time, the relationship between the non-thermal electrons responsible for the X-ray emission and those responsible for the type III radio bursts is not well understood. Yet, X-ray observations by RHESSI can now provide detailed information about electron beam on the Sun and can be compared to radio-producing electron beams detected at earth.