地球磁层极尖区场向电子事件期间能量特性研究

根据Cluster卫星2001年9月30日在北半球极尖区观测到的一次强扰动场向电子事件数据,分析研究了这次事件期间场向电子的能量特性,讨论了场向电子对太阳风能量向磁层的传输和磁层-电离层耦合过程中能量传输的作用.分析认为,这次电子扰动事件期间电子速度和密度都具有很强的扰动变化,电子速度增加是一个主要特点.本次事件中低能段5~200eV和500~1500eV内的能谱分析结果表明,上行电子通量大于下行电子通量,上行电子主要来源于电离层,说明电离层上行电子在本次事件中具有非常活跃的作用.根据电离层中带电粒子的能量特征分析结果可知,这次事件中电离层起源的上行电子在上行过程中得到了加速.关于加速机制问题还有待深入研究.      

太阳宇宙线源物质的高色球层模式和重离子丰度过量机制的探讨

本文利用太阳能量粒子事件中重离子平均丰度过量的资料,计算得到太阳能量粒子源物质的温度,提出了描述太阳宇宙线能量粒子源物质的新模式——高色球层模式;太阳耀斑观测确定,太阳宇宙线耀斑的加速区一般最可能出现在低日冕甚至高达几万公里的高度,从而,太阳宇宙线的源和加速区通常不位于同一区域;进而提出了描述太阳能量粒子事件中重离子丰度过量的可能机制——其源物质是通过太阳黑子的冻结型无力场从高色球层输送到活动区,形成耀斑前加速区内重离子丰度大和耀斑后宇宙线中重元素丰度的过量.      

日冕背景下的等离子体尾场效应

计算了高能脉冲电子束在冷背景和热背景等离子体条件下产生的等离子体尾场(PWF)大小,讨论了高能电子束的速度、密度、长度对等离子体尾场分布的影响。在这基础上,研究了太阳耀斑脉冲相产生的向外逃逸高能脉冲电子束在日冕背景等离子体条件下激发的等离子体尾场分布以及对其捕获电子的加速。      

影响地球环境的太阳质子事件的时间过程

利用1966年以来的大量太阳耀斑以及相应质子事件的资料,分析研究了质子事件到达时间和极大时间同耀斑经度位置的统计关系.结果表明当耀斑位置处于经过地球的行星际大尺度场磁力线足点位置附近时,上述两种时间过程最短.这个结果支持了太阳耀斑粒子经日冕传播再向行星际空间传播的二阶段传播模型.      

两个临近脉冲型太阳能量电子事件的观测与拟合

WIND飞船在2010年11月15日观测到两个临近的脉冲型太阳能量电子事件, 这两个事件在1AU处呈现出不同类型的通量-时间曲线. 事件一的通量表现出快速上升及快速下降的特性; 事件二则表现为缓慢上升, 更缓慢下降, 事件二的持续时间是事件一的5～17倍. 以往的解释认为事 件二中的电子在行星际受到了更强的散射. 本文引入等腰三角形的释放函数并 求解电报方程, 利用得到的解对1AU处的观测进行拟合. 根据最佳拟合结果 反推两事件在太阳上的释放函数和在行星际传播的平均自由程, 发现造成两事 件在1AU处能谱和通量-时间曲线形状不同的原因是太阳上电子 加速过程的不同而非行星际散射. 结合SOHO卫星的白光观测, 发现两事件可能 与一个CME (日冕物质抛射)相关, 并进一步推测了这两个太阳电子事件可能 的加速图像.      

太阳高能粒子事件上升时间统计研究

选取1997-2006年共66个较大的缓变型太阳高能粒子(SEP)事件, 分析了不同条件下太阳高能粒子通量廓线上升时间与源区日面经向分布之间的相关关系, 研究了日冕物质抛射(CME)和耀斑在SEP上升阶段的作用特点.统计结果表明,大SEP事件的源区主要分布在太阳西半球, 特别是磁足点东西两侧45°范围内; 在高速太阳风条件下, 低能通道的通量上升时间与日面相对经度有较好的相关性,即离磁足点越远, 上升时间越长,而高能通道相关性则不明显; 全晕状CME产生的SEP事件对应的上升时间与源区位置没有明显的相关性, 而部分晕状CME伴随的SEP事件则与二次拟合曲线符合很好.分析表明,在缓变型SEP事件的通量上升阶段, 耀斑加速过程起着重要作用,这在部分晕状CME伴随的SEP事件中尤为显著.      

磁层压缩ULF湍流对电子的加速

在准线性理论下,磁层压缩 ULF(超低频)湍流可以通过“渡越时间加速”机制使电子增加能量．典型的压缩 ULF 湍流的频率为2—15mHz,被加速的源电子为同步轨道附近的背景电子(E＜30keV)和亚暴注入电子(30—300 keV)．当发生波粒共振时,低能电子数减少,而高能尾部分的相对论(E≥1 MeV)电子数增加,这说明电子得到了压缩湍流的有效加速,且亚暴注入的电子数越多,其加速产生的相对论电子数也越多．在亚暴注入率ε=0.5的情况下,这种加速机制只要约12h 就可以造成同步轨道附近相对论电子数量的显著增加．     

太阳耀斑显著的热和非热事件的统计特征

本文利用GOES卫星和SMM卫星软、硬X射线耀斑观测资料,分析耀斑中软、硬X射线辐射流量的分布,发现太阳耀斑存在着显著的热事件(PT事件)和显著的非热事件(PNT事件),它们主要特征是:(1)PT事件为缓变型耀斑,PNT事件为脉冲型耀斑;(2)PT事件的硬X射线谱较软,PNT事件能谱较硬;(3)PNT事件非热能量释放速率比PT事件快3—10倍;(4)耀斑发展趋缓慢,PT事件中软X射线峰值流量越大;(5)耀斑中PNT事件约占60％,PT事件约占40％.最后定性讨论了产生PT和PNT事件的可能机制.      

太阳质子耀斑X射线辐射特征及质子事件警报

太阳质子耀斑X射线辐射特征的研究, 为太阳质子事件的警报提供一个重要的途径和方法。本文分析了第21周太阳活动峰年(1977—1986)期间质子耀斑和相应的GOES和SMM卫星观测的X射线辐射资料, 结果表明:大部分质子耀斑的硬X射线峰值流量F_HX≥104s/c;积分流量F₀≥106counts;硬X射线辐射到达峰值时间T_R≥100s;持续时间T_D≥103s;X光子最高能量E_x≥300keV;平均能谱指数√r≤3.5;高能时延T_L≥10s。利用这些X射线暴的特征参数, 对第21周峰年大质子事件作警报检验, 结果是:报准率为94％, 虚报率为40％。      

太阳高能粒子事件强度与相关双CME事件关系的两个事例

太阳高能粒子事件常伴随太阳耀斑和日冕物质抛射事件(Coronal Mass Ejections,CME)出现,由于太阳高能粒子事件的关键因素是双CME的相互作用,利用SOHO卫星观测的高能粒子强度、耀斑强度以及CME的相对高度与时间,通过高度与时间拟合得到的速度,分析了2001年4月15日和2005年1月20日的太阳高能粒子事件强度与相关双CME事件的关系,发现这两个太阳高能粒子事件中E ≥ 10MeV质子的强度与双CME事件无关.因此在这两次太阳高能粒子事件早期,E ≥ 10MeV质子的强度只与相关太阳耀斑和CME有关.      

Enhancement in low-energy region ofa proton flux associated with interplanetary shock waves

We study time evolution of an energy spectrum of a proton flux in the range of 47 – 4750 keV for the energeticparticle event occurred on 255 DOY in 1999, which we consider as one of typical diffusive acceleration events associated with interplanetary shocks and irrespective of large X-ray solar flares. Fast enhancement during evolution is found in the range of less than about 0.5 MeV. Our previous numerical simulations using Stochastic Differential Equation method could not show this behavior, although we obtained results showing a power law energy spectrum, which suggesting that energetic particles are accelerated diffusively by shock waves, the first-order Fermi acceleration. We consider that less than 0.5 MeV protons need to exist to explain behavior of the observational energy spectrum and perform numerical simulations in order to investigate proper injection models for this event.     

The Neupert effect and new RHESSI measures of thetotal energy in electrons accelerated in solar flares

It is believed that a large fraction of the total energy released in a solar flare goes initially into acceleratedelectrons. These electrons generate the observed hard X-ray bremsstrahlung as they lose most of their energy by coulomb collisions in the lower corona and chromosphere. Results from the Solar Maximum Mission showed that there may be even more energy in accelerated electrons with energies above 25 keV than in the soft X-ray emitting thermal plasma. If this is the case, it is difficult to understand why the Neupert Effect — the empirical result that for many flares the time integral of the hard X-ray emission closely matches the temporal variation of the soft X-ray emission — is not more clearly observed in many flares. From recent studies, it appears that the fraction of the released energy going into accelerated electrons is lower, on average, for smaller flares than for larger flares. Also, from relative timing differences, about 25% of all flares are inconsistent with the Neupert Effect. The Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) is uniquely capable of investigating the Neupert Effec since it covers soft X-rays down to 3 keV (when both attenuators are out of the field of view) and hard X-rays with keV energy resolution, arcsecond-class angular resolution, and sub-second time resolution. When combined with the anticipated observations from the Soft X-ray Imager on the next GOES satellite, these observations will provide us with the ability to track the Neupert Effect in space and time and learn more about the relation between plasma heating and particle acceleration. The early results from RHESSI show that the electron spectrum extends down to as low as 10 keV in many flares, thus increasing the total energy estimates of the accelerated electrons by an order of magnitude or more compared with the SMM values. This combined with the possible effects of filling factors smaller than unity for the soft X-ray plasma suggest that there is significantly more energy in nonthermal electrons than in the soft X-ray emitting plasma in many flares.     

Energetic electrons in solar flares as viewed in X-rays

Hard X-ray observations provide the most direct diagnostic we have of the suprathermal electrons and the hottest thermal plasma present in solar flares. The Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) is obtaining the most comprehensive observations of individual solar flares ever available in hard X-rays. For the first time, high-resolution spectra are available for a large number of flares that accurately display the spectral shape and its evolution and, in many cases, allow us to identify the transition from the bremsstrahlung X-rays produced by suprathermal electrons to the bremsstrahlung at lower energies emitted by thermal plasma. Also, for the first time, images can be produced in arbitrary energy bands above 3–4 keV, and spectra of distinct imaged components can be obtained.I review what we have learned from RHESSI observations about flare suprathermal electron distributions and their evolution. Next, I present computations of the energy deposited by these suprathermal electrons in individual flares and compare this with the energy contained in the hot thermal plasma. I point out unsolved problems in deducing both suprathermal electron distributions and the energy content of the thermal plasma, and discuss possible solutions. Finally, I present evidence that electron acceleration is associated with magnetic reconnection in the corona.     

Interplanetary acceleration of low energy protons in association with shock waves: The 11 February 1979 event

The problem of interplanetary acceleration of low energy protons in association with shock waves is examined in the context of the specific event observed on 11 February 1979 on board the ISEE-3 spacecraft. This event has been selected for special study as it apparently was not associated with a solar flare event. The low energy proton telescope system on ISEE-3 measures the proton distribution function with good spectral, directional and temporal resolution from E_p = 35 keV. The evolution of the anisotropies and of the energy spectrum during the event are consistent with particle acceleration taking place in the vicinity of the shock wave.     

Solar flare electron acceleration: Comparing theories and observations

A popular scenario for electron acceleration in solar flares is transit-time damping of low-frequency MHD waves excited by reconnection and its outflows. The scenario requires several processes in sequence to yield energetic electrons of the observed large number. Until now there was very little evidence for this scenario, as it is even not clear where the flare energy is released. RHESSI measurements of bremsstrahlung by non-thermal flare electrons yield energy estimates as well as the position where the energy is deposited. Thus quantitative measurements can be put into the frame of the global magnetic field configuration as seen in coronal EUV line observations. We present RHESSI observations combined with TRACE data that suggest primary energy inputs mostly into electron acceleration and to a minor fraction into coronal heating and primary motion. The more sensitive and lower energy X-ray observations by RHESSI have found also small events (C class) at the time of the acceleration of electron beams exciting meter wave Type III bursts. However, not all RHESSI flares involve Type III radio emissions. The association of other decimeter radio emissions, such as narrowband spikes and pulsations, with X-rays is summarized in view of electron acceleration.     

倒V电子沉降通量能谱的理论计算

沿极光区磁力线大约在2000公里到8000公里的高度范围内,存在着一个等离子体湍流和大尺度平行电场的加速区。沿磁力线运动的等离子体片中的电子通过此加速区时,受到等离子体湍流和平行电场的共同作用,形成电子沉降的倒V结构。从一维准线性的动力学方程出发,导出了沉降电子通量的能谱方程,得出了电子通量能谱的理论公式。对等离子体湍流和平行电场对沉降电子能谱的影响作了分析和讨论。本文所提出的理论可以解释目前观测到的某些基本现象。      

Solar origin of near-relativistic impulsiveelectron events

There is increasing evidence suggesting that coronal acceleration supplies at least part of the particles observed during solar energetic particle events, yet coronal processes tend to be mostly disregarded in these studies. This is often due to the fact that the coronal restructuring in the early development of the associated flare and/or coronal mass ejection event is extremely fast (on the order of a few minutes) and can encompass most of the solar disk, thus requiring a full disk solar imager with very high time-cadence, and wide spectral coverage. An important subset of the energetic particle events are the near-relativistic impulsive electron events detected near Earth: their onsets can be traced back to a release time in the low corona with accuracies on the order of a couple of minutes. We investigate a series of impulsive electron events from 1998 to 2001 using energetic electron data measured in situ by the Electron, Proton, and Alpha Monitor (EPAM) experiment on the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE) spacecraft, and radio coronal observations from the Nanqay Radioheliograph, the Decametric Array from Nanqay and the WAVES experiment on the WIND spacecraft. EPAM measures electrons in the energy range from 40 to 300 keV over a wide range of look directions and with better than 1 minute time resolution, while the Nançay radioheliograph provides images of the solar corona at 5 different frequencies with time cadence of 8 images per second and per frequency. This study focuses on the events which correspond to a delay, between the inferred injection times of the electrons at the Sun, and the electromagnetic emissions from flares, of at least 5 minutes. Radio signatures are found near the estimated time of the electron release for each of the events. The timing and spectral characteristics of the radio emissions, when compared with the properties of the particles seen at EPAM, strongly support an acceleration process in the corona but at highly variable heights from one event to the other.     

Energy content of accelerated electrons and ions in intense solar flares

The energy content of nonthermal particles in solar flares is shared between accelerated electrons and ions. It isimportant for understanding the particle acceleration mechanism in solar flares. Yohkoh observed a few intense flares which produced both strong gamma-ray lines and electron bremsstrahlung continuum. We analyze energy spectra of X-class solar flares on October 27, 1991(X6.1), November 6, 1997 (X9.4), July 14, 2000 (X5.7) and November 24, 2000 (X2.3). The accelerated electron and proton spectra are derived from a spectral analysis of their high-energy photon emission and the energy contents in >1 MeV electrons and >10 MeV protons are estimated to be 6×l0²⁸ – 4×10³⁰ and 2×10²⁸ – 5×10²⁹ erg, respectively. We study the flare to flare variation in the energy content of >1 MeV electrons and >10 MeV protons for the four Yohkoh gamma-ray flares. Ratios of >1 MeV electron energy content to >10 MeV proton energy content are roughly within an order of magnitude.     

“风云一号（B）”卫星探测到的太阳质子事件

我国“风云一号(B)”气象卫星于1990年9月3日发射入轨,该星载有粒子成分监测器,用来探测空间粒子辐射环境,其中包括测量太阳耀斑时产生的太阳质子事件及其重粒子丰度;银河宇宙线异常成分与强度;内辐射带磁异常区的粒子通量及重粒子成分,“风云一号(B)”卫星运行半年来,我们已获取了上述有关的粒子辐射资料,在卫星上获得这些资料在我国尚属首次,本文主要分析观测到的太阳质子事件。