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| Paper: |
Can a Single Reconnecting Current Sheet Model of a CME or a Flare Accelerate the Required Electron Fluxes Needed to Explain Non-Thermal X-ray Events Accompanying These Events? |
| Volume: |
415, The Second Hinode Science Meeting: Beyond Discovery-Toward Understanding |
| Page: |
435 |
| Authors: |
Spicer, D. S.; Bingham, R. |
| Abstract: |
Non-thermal hard X-ray bursts are a common phenomena during solar flares and CME eruptions (Kane and Donnelly 1971; Lin and Hudson 1971; Brown 1971; Hudson and McKenzie 2001; Hudson 2002; Hudson et al. 2006). However, often overlooked are the number of non-thermal electrons needed to explain the observed hard X-rays and the substantial fraction of flare or CME energy carried by these electrons. Because the non-thermal electrons per sec required to produce the non-thermal hard X-ray bursts represents between ≈ 1.6 × 1026 erg s-1 and 3.2 × 1028 erg s-1 (Brown et al. 1979) such an energy flux is non-negligible relative to the total power released during a flare or a CME event. Given this clear constraint on any flare or CME model, it is our opinion that this constraint should be imposed on all flare and CME models, and in particular the “standard model” (Hirayama 1974; Kopp and Pneuman 1976). Our approach is simple. We know that in the standard model the inflow of power into the reconnecting current sheet is just the maximum energy flux × the area through which the energy flux flows. Using this maximum inflow power and taking account of the fact that electrons will only be accelerated when they become unmagnetized, we compare it to the required electron energy s-1 needed to explain the hard X-ray bursts and find the standard model incapable of producing the needed electron fluxes using reasonable solar parameters. We thus conclude that if the standard model is to maintain its usefulness an alternative mechanism(s) must accelerate the electrons. Various possibilities are considered. |
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