Deduced spectrum of interacting protons accelerated after the impulsive phase of the 15 June 1991 solar flare
Abstract
In June 1991 the Sun produced a famous series of six powerful flares. For the solar eruption on 15 June 1991 there exists a rich set of measurements, including in particular -ray and neutron observations of the COMPTEL instrument on board the COMPTON Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) satellite. The -ray and neutron emissions indicate prolonged acceleration of protons well after the impulsive phase of the flare. Some accelerated particles interact with solar matter and produce -rays and neutrons at the Sun, others escape into the interplanetary medium. Here we present the deduced energy spectrum of the interacting protons for a nearly one hour period in the gradual phase of the flare. From the low-energy -ray and neutron results of COMPTEL we determine the energy spectrum of the interacting protons in the 10-200 MeV range. We find that the COMPTEL data are consistent with a proton power law spectrum with index . To simultaneously fit the high-energy -ray measurements on board the GAMMA-1 satellite, the spectrum must steepen at a few hundred MeV and then become harder again to produce a detectable amount of GeV photons. Although the degree of steepening is composition dependent, the deduced spectrum of interacting protons is qualitatively invariant in the entire parameter region .
Department
Space Science Center, Physics
Publication Date
1998
Journal Title
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Publisher
Springer Netherlands
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Kocharov, L; Debrunner, H; Kovaltsov, G; Lockwood, J; McConnell, Mark L.; Nieminen, P; Rank, G; Ryan, James M.; and Schonfelder, V, "Deduced spectrum of interacting protons accelerated after the impulsive phase of the 15 June 1991 solar flare" (1998). Astronomy and Astrophysics. 46.
https://scholars.unh.edu/ssc/46
Rights
© European Southern Observatory (ESO) 1998