太阳纯电子事件和质子-电子事件的电子能谱的机制

本文计算、分析了太阳耀斑加速电子在日冕中传输时激发的等离子体尾场的效应,认为耀斑电子的高能成份激发的尾场,能够加速低能耀斑电子,低能耀斑电子的能量增值可达几十keV至上百keV,这种尾场加速将软化约100keV以下的能量范围内(探测阈之上)的耀斑电子能谱。结合考虑尾场效应,本文提出了太阳耀斑加速电子从加速区到形成电子事件之间的能谱演化模式,说明了太阳纯电子事件的双幂律电子能谱和太阳质子-电子事件的单幂律电子能谱的形成,认为两类事件的电子能谱差异为耀斑电子日冕传输中不同程度的尾场效应所致,前者尾场效应弱,电子能谱呈双幂律,后者尾场效应较强,电子能谱为单幂律谱。      

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.     

Unexpected burst of solar activity recorded by neutron monitors during October–November 2003

During the extreme burst of solar activity in October–November 2003, a series of outstanding events distinguished by their magnitude and peculiarities were recorded by the ground based neutron monitor network. The biggest and most productive in 23rd solar cycle active region 486 generated the most significant series of solar flares among of which the flare X28/3B on November 4, 2003 was the mostly powerful over the history of X-ray solar observations. The fastest arrival of the interplanetary disturbance from the Sun after the flare event in August 1972 and the highest solar wind velocity and IMF intensity were observed during these events. In one-week period three ground level enhancements (GLEs) of solar cosmic rays were recorded by neutron monitor network (28, 29 October and 2 November 2003). Maximum proton energy in these events seems to be ranged from 5 to 10 GeV. Joint analysis of data from ground level stations (neutron monitors) and satellite measurements allows the estimation of the particle path length, the onset time of the injection on the Sun and some other proton flux characteristics.     

Decay rate of the second radiation belt.

Variations in the Earth's trapped (Van Allen) belts produced by solar flare particle events are not well understood. Few observations of increases in particle populations have been reported. This is particularly true for effects in low Earth orbit, where manned spaceflights are conducted. This paper reports the existence of a second proton belt and it's subsequent decay as measured by a tissue-equivalent proportional counter and a particle spectrometer on five Space Shuttle flights covering an eighteen-month period. The creation of this second belt is attributed to the injection of particles from a solar particle event which occurred at 2246 UT, March 22, 1991. Comparisons with observations onboard the Russian Mir space station and other unmanned satellites are made. Shuttle measurements and data from other spacecraft are used to determine that the e-folding time of the peak of the second proton belt. It was ten months. Proton populations in the second belt returned to values of quiescent times within eighteen months. The increase in absorbed dose attributed to protons in the second belt was approximately 20%. Passive dosimeter measurements were in good agreement with this value.     

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.     

Near-Earth radiation model deficiencies as seen on CRRES.

The Space Radiation (SPACERAD) experiments on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES) gathered 14 months of radiation particle data in an 18 degrees inclination orbit between 350 km and 36000 km from July 1990 to October 1991. When compared to the NASA radiation belt models AP8 and AE8, the data show the proton model (AP8) does not take into account a second belt formed after major solar flare/shock injection events, and the electron model (AE8) is misleading, at best, in calculating dose in near-Earth orbits. The second proton belt, although softer in energy than the main proton belt, can produce upsets in proton sensitive chips and would produce significant dose in satellites orbiting in it. The MeV electrons observed on CRRES show a significant particle population above 5 MeV (not in the AE8 model) which must be included in any meaningful dose predictions for satellites operating between L-shells of 1.7 and 3.0 RE.     

On the early phase of relativistic solar particle events: Are there signatures of acceleration mechanism?

Many physical processes precede and accompany the solar energetic particles (SEP) occurrence on the Earth’s orbit. Explosive energy release on the Sun gives rise to a flare and a coronal mass ejection (CME). X-ray and gamma emissions are believed to be connected with flares. Radio emission is signature of disturbances traveling through the corona and interplanetary space. Particles can gain energy both in the flare and the accompanying wave processes. The beginning of the SEP events has the advantage of being the phase most close to the time of acceleration. Influence of interplanetary transport is minimal in the case of first arriving relativistic solar protons recorded by ground based neutron monitors in so called ground-level enhancements (GLE). The early phase of the SEP events attracts attention of many scientists searching for the understanding of particle acceleration. However, they come to the opposite conclusions. While some authors find arguments for coronal mass ejections as a sole accelerator of SEPs, others prove a flare to be the SEP origin. Here, the circumstances of SEP generation for several GLEs of the 23rd solar cycle are considered. Timing of X-ray, CME, and radio emissions shows a great variety from event to event. However, the time of particle ejection from the Sun is closer to maximum of X-ray emission than to any other phenomena considered. No correlation is found between the particle fluxes and the CME characteristics.     

Electron acceleration and relativistic nucleon production in the 2003 October 28 solar event

A flare east of central meridian on 2003 October 28 produced a relativistic particle event at Earth, although it was located far from the footpoint of the nominal interplanetary Parker spiral. From a study of the onset times of the event at different neutron monitors we conclude that the earliest arriving solar particles may be neutrons. The first relativistic protons (prompt component) arrived a few minutes later. Metre wave imaging suggests that electrons are not only accelerated in the flaring active regions, but at several places far away, including the western hemisphere. Simultaneous Type III emission and associated Langmuir waves demonstrates that these regions are connected to the Earth. We suggest that, like in a few other nominally poorly connected particle events, promptly escaping relativistic protons were not accelerated in the flaring active region, but at remote places in relationship with the global magnetic restructuring in the course of a huge coronal mass ejection.     

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.     

A model of radiation conditions during spacecraft flights in the interplanetary space and in the Earth's magnetosphere.

Based on the available measurement data, simulations of radiation conditions during spacecraft flights in the interplanetary space and in the Earth's and Jupiter's radiation belts has been carried out. The > or = 10 MeV and > or = 30 MeV solar flare proton fluence forecast has been proposed for Cycle 22. Radiation conditions due to both magnetospheric electrons and protons and to solar flare protons, magnetic rigidity cutoff being taken into account, have been evaluated on spacecraft trajectories in the Earth's and Jupiter's magnetospheres.     

PPS-87: a new event oriented solar proton prediction model.

A new event-oriented solar proton prediction model has been developed and implemented at the USAF Space Environment forecast facility. This new model generates predicted solar proton time-intensity profiles for a number of user adjustable energy ranges and is also capable of making predictions for the heavy ion flux. The computer program is designed so a forecaster can select inputs based on the data available in near real-time at the forecast center as the solar flare is occurring. The predicted event amplitude is based on the electromagnetic emission parameters of the solar flare (either microwave or soft X-ray emission) and the solar flare position on the sun. The model also has an update capability where the forecaster can normalize the prediction to actual spacecraft observations of spectral slope and particle flux as the event is occurring in order to more accurately predict the future time-intensity profile of the solar particle flux. Besides containing improvements in the accuracy of the predicted energetic particle event onset time and magnitude, the new model converts the predicted solar particle flux into an expected radiation dose that might be experienced by an astronaut during EVA activities or inside the space shuttle.     

质子事件上升时间及峰值强度的统计研究

在耀斑已基本确定为质子耀斑的情况下, 为了对即将到达地球的太阳质子作出半定量的粗略预报(警报), 即估计从观测到光学耀斑开始, 需经多长时间质子通量将到达峰值;峰值强度有多大。为此, 我们收集了1967年5月—1972年12月约五年半期间国外发表的比较系统的质子事件资料, 以及相应的太阳耀斑和太阳射电资料。      

Angular distributions of energetic charged particles observed with HELIOS-1 and -2 between 0.3 amd 1 AU and their relevance to manned interplanetary space missions.

The University of Kiel Cosmic Ray Instrument on board the solar probes HELIOS-1 and -2 measured angular distributions of electrons, protons, and heavier nuclei between 0.3 and 1 AU over one complete solar cycle between 1974 and 1986. Anisotropies are observed mainly during the rising phase of solar particle events or close to the passage of certain interplanetary shocks. The anisotropies are presented as proton data of energies between 27 and 37 MeV. The dependence of the anisotropies on particle energy and distance from the sun is provided based on diffusive propagation in interplanetary space. Strong anisotropies could provide a chance of efficient shielding of the passenger compartment by moving heavier parts of the spacecraft structure into the direction of the highest flux. A reduction of the total radiation dose by less than a factor of 2 might be achievable, however, selection of quiet times for the mission reduces the radiation hazard much more.     

“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。     

Relativistic solar protons in the ground level event of 23 February 1956: New study

In this study we applied again to the outstanding solar particle event of 23 February 1956, the largest one in the entire history of observations of solar cosmic rays. Due to significant improvement of the analysis/modeling techniques and new understanding of physical processes in the solar atmosphere and interplanetary space, a possibility arises to interpret the old data in the light of modern concept of multiple particle acceleration at/near the Sun. In our new analysis the data of available then neutron monitors and muon telescopes are used. The technique of the analysis includes: (a) calculation of asymptotic cones of ground-based detectors; (b) modeling of cosmic ray detector responses at variable parameters of the flux of solar relativistic protons; (c) determination of primary solar proton parameters outside magnetosphere by comparison of computed responses with observations. Certain evidence was obtained that the flux of relativistic solar protons consisted of two distinct components: prompt and delayed ones. The prompt component with exponential energy spectrum caused a giant impulse-like increase at a number of European cosmic ray stations. The delayed component had a power-law spectrum and was a cause of gradual increase at cosmic ray stations in the North American region. A numerical simulation of the proton acceleration in the vicinity of the magnetic reconnection region brings to the proton spectrum with exponential dependence on energy. This agrees with observational data for the prompt component. It is also shown that the huge increase in ∼5000% on neutron monitors was due to the prompt component only with the exponential proton spectrum. The power-law spectrum of comparable intensity gave considerably smaller effect.     

Hard X-ray and high-frequency decimetric radio observations of the 4 April 2002 solar flare

Hard X-ray and high frequency decimetric type III radio bursts have been observed in association with the soft X-raysolar flare (GOES class M 6.1) on 4 April 2002 (1532 UT). The flare apparently occurred 6 degrees behind the east limb of the Sun in the active region NOAA 9898. Hard X-ray spectra and images were obtained by the X-ray imager on RHESSI during the impulsive phase of the flare. The Brazilian Solar Spectroscope and Ondrejov Radio Telescopes recorded type III bursts in 800–1400 MHz range in association with the flare. The images of the 3–6, 6–12, 12–25, and 25–50 keV X-ray sources, obtained simultaneously by RHESSI during the early impulsive phase of the flare, show that all the four X-ray sources were essentially at the same location well above the limb of the Sun. During the early impulsive phase, the X-ray spectrum over 8–30 keV range was consistent with a power law with a negative exponent of 6. The radio spectra show drifting radio structures with emission in a relatively narrow (Δf ≤ 200 MHz) frequency range indicating injection of energetic electrons into a plasmoid which is slowly drifting upwards in the corona.     

亚暴偶极化中近地磁尾质子的非绝热加速

亚暴偶极化过程中离子加速是亚暴粒子注入的重要产生机制. 通过试验粒子的方法模拟研究了亚暴偶极化期间磁尾等离子体片-8R_e～-5R_e处超低频电磁波对质子的加速过程. 研究表明, 质子在大尺度偶极化电磁场的作用下向内磁层注入, 与质子回旋频率相近的超低频电磁波能够引起低能质子发生非绝热加速. 质子在偶极化前后的能量变化与质子的初始能量密切相关, 初始能量远小于截止能量的质子, 末能量要比初始能量显著增加, 其值与扰动波频率相关, 且量级与偶极化造成的低能氧离子能量增加量级基本相当; 初始能量在截止能量以上的质子受超低频电磁波影响不大, 注入过程能量基本保持不变.      

FEM code simulation of the magnetospheric proton fluxes

We report a study of the numeric solution to the diffusive transport equation for energetic protons magnetically trapped in the Earth's equatorial magnetosphere. The analysis takes into account the pertinent physical processes in this region, including deceleration of protons by Coulomb collisional interactions with free and bound electrons, the charge exchange process, cosmic ray albedo neutron decay source, and electric and magnetic radial diffusion. These results were obtained using the Finite Element Method with magnetic moment and geomagnetic L-shell as free variables. Steady state boundary conditions were imposed at L=1 as zero distribution function and at L=7 with proton distribution function extracted from ATS 6 satellite observations. The FEM-code yields unidirectional proton flux in the energy range of 0.1–1000 MeV at the equatorial top of the geomagnetic lines, and the results are found to be in satisfactorily agreement with the empirical NASA AP-8 model proton flux within the energy range of 0.5–100 MeV. Below 500 keV, the empirical AP-8 model proton fluxes are several orders of magnitude greater than those computed with the FEM-code at L<3. This discrepancy is difficult to explain by uncertainties of boundary spectrum parameters or transport coefficients.     

On compositional variations of heavy ions during solar particle events

Intensity-time profiles of protons, alpha particles, and heavy ions (C, O, Fe) in the MeV/nucleon energy range have been analyzed for one solar particle event following the solar flare on September 23, 1978. The data have been obtained with the wide angle double dE/dx-E sensor of the Max-Planck-Institut/University of Maryland experiment onboard ISEE-3. We found time variations in the iron to helium ratio of up to 2 orders of magnitude and a significant variation of the O/He ratio during this event, whereas the C/O-ratio at the same energy/nucleon appears to be time independent. We investigated the influence of a rigidity dependent mean free path in interplanetary space and of rigidity dependent coronal propagation on heavy ion ratios during solar particle events. We found that both the magnitude and time scale of the ratio changes during the September 23 event cannot be explained by rigidity dependent interplanetary or coronal propagation alone. These ratio changes are probably caused by multiple injection at the sun.     

2010年4月地球同步轨道相对论电子增强事件分析

为研究2010年4月地球同步轨道相对论电子通量异常增强事件的原因, 选取了2004-2010年之间高速太阳风下7个类似事件进行对比分析. 探讨了多种可能导致此次异常事件的太阳风和地磁条件. 结果表明, 较弱的磁暴使得相对论电子高通量区域更接近同步轨道, 此外, 哨声波加速很可能在2010年4月地球同步轨道相对论电子通量异常增强事件中起到重要作用. 磁暴强度与种子电子的注入深度密切相关, 表现为Dst指数曲线的形态与能量为30～100keV的电子高通量区域的下边缘高度吻合. 能量为30～100keV电子的注入深度影响了能量大于300keV的电子出现的磁层区域. 此事件中, 由于磁暴相对较弱, 种子电子向内磁层注入的深度较浅, 更靠近同步轨道区域, 这使得相对论电子大量出现的区域也靠近同步轨道, 最终导致同步轨道相对论电子通量异常增强. 另外, 2010年4月地球同步轨道相对论电子通量异常增强事件中, 高强度的亚暴提供了充足的种子电子并加强了波粒相互作用, 这也是相对论电子增强的必要条件.