Optical signatures of beam-plasma interactions in the solar atmosphere: simulation results
Abstract
On the Sun acceleration processes occurring in flaring regions during reconnection can originate particle beams. Driven by the magnetic topology of the site, such beams can travel both upwards to the corona, where electron beams are known to produce observable radio emission through beam instability, and downwards to the chromosphere, where electron beams interact with the ambient plasma to procedure radio waves and X-rays depending on their energy spectrum and proton beams trigger nuclear reactions which results in gamma-ray lines formation. In reality no clear diagnostics for proton (or neutral) beams generation has been identified yet. A theoretical model, not yet confirmed by experimental evidences, provides the appearance of a non-thermal emission in the red wing of the Ly-alpha line due to the process a proton beam undergoes after impacting upon the chromospheric plasma. If detectable, this emission could be a good indicator for proton beams formation. In the present work we performed some simulations of such a process with different parameters for the impacting proton beams in order to define a detectability threshold of the non-thermal effect. Parameters' range is discussed in the frame of possible observations from space and the extension of the simulations to the neutral beam case is considered.
- Publication:
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Proceeedings of the 2st Symposium on Plasma Dynamics: Theory and Applications. Consorzio di Magnetofluidodinamica
- Pub Date:
- 1992
- Bibcode:
- 1992pdta.proc...77M