Wave Generation by Flare-Accelerated Ions and Implications for 3He Acceleration

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Fitzmaurice, A., Drake, J. F., Swisdak, M.
Format: Preprint
Published: 2023
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author Fitzmaurice, A.
Drake, J. F.
Swisdak, M.
author_facet Fitzmaurice, A.
Drake, J. F.
Swisdak, M.
contents The waves generated by high-energy proton and alpha particles streaming from solar flares into regions of colder plasma are explored using particle-in-cell simulations. Initial distribution functions for the protons and alphas consist of two populations: an energetic, streaming population represented by an anisotropic ($T_{\parallel} > T_{\perp}$), one-sided kappa function and a cold, Maxwellian background population. The anisotropies and non-zero heat fluxes of these distributions destabilize oblique waves with a range of frequencies below the proton cyclotron frequency. These waves scatter particles out of the tails of the initial distributions along constant energy surfaces in the wave frame. Overlap of the nonlinear resonance widths allows particles to scatter into near isotropic distributions by the end of the simulations. The dynamics of $^3$He are explored using test particles. Their temperatures can increase by a factor of nearly 20. Propagation of such waves into regions above and below the flare site can lead to heating and transport of $^3$He into the flare acceleration region. The amount of heated $^3$He that will be driven into the flare site is proportional to the wave energy. Using values from our simulations, we show that the abundance of $^3$He driven into the acceleration region should approach that of $^4$He in the corona. Therefore, waves driven by energetic ions produced in flares are a strong candidate to drive the enhancements of $^3$He observed in impulsive flares.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2311_12149
institution arXiv
publishDate 2023
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Wave Generation by Flare-Accelerated Ions and Implications for 3He Acceleration
Fitzmaurice, A.
Drake, J. F.
Swisdak, M.
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Plasma Physics
Space Physics
The waves generated by high-energy proton and alpha particles streaming from solar flares into regions of colder plasma are explored using particle-in-cell simulations. Initial distribution functions for the protons and alphas consist of two populations: an energetic, streaming population represented by an anisotropic ($T_{\parallel} > T_{\perp}$), one-sided kappa function and a cold, Maxwellian background population. The anisotropies and non-zero heat fluxes of these distributions destabilize oblique waves with a range of frequencies below the proton cyclotron frequency. These waves scatter particles out of the tails of the initial distributions along constant energy surfaces in the wave frame. Overlap of the nonlinear resonance widths allows particles to scatter into near isotropic distributions by the end of the simulations. The dynamics of $^3$He are explored using test particles. Their temperatures can increase by a factor of nearly 20. Propagation of such waves into regions above and below the flare site can lead to heating and transport of $^3$He into the flare acceleration region. The amount of heated $^3$He that will be driven into the flare site is proportional to the wave energy. Using values from our simulations, we show that the abundance of $^3$He driven into the acceleration region should approach that of $^4$He in the corona. Therefore, waves driven by energetic ions produced in flares are a strong candidate to drive the enhancements of $^3$He observed in impulsive flares.
title Wave Generation by Flare-Accelerated Ions and Implications for 3He Acceleration
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena
Plasma Physics
Space Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.12149