Solar Energetic Particle Events At the Start of Solar Cycle 24
Abstract
Solar cycle 24 brings the opportunity to study SEP events from multiple vantage points at a level of detail not before possible. The twin STEREO spacecraft are drifting away from L1-based spacecraft at a rate of 22 degrees/year and reached 180 degree separation in February 2011. The SEP instrumentation on STEREO is very complementary to that on ACE, allowing H-Fe ions to be measured from a few hundred keV/nuc to over 100 MeV/nuc and electrons from tens to hundreds of keV. Although the onset of solar cycle 24 has been slow in terms of solar energetic particle (SEP) events, a number of small SEP events have been detected by multiple spacecraft, even when the spacecraft were separated by more than 80 degrees. The solar context of these events also has unprecedented multi-point coverage through the combination of remote sensing instruments on STEREO, SDO, SOHO, and Wind. We will present the new multi-point measurements of cycle 24 SEP events and their solar context as well as discuss the implications these observations have for our understanding of interplanetary transport, seed particle populations, and the role of flare material in large SEP events.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AGUFMSH31D..03C
- Keywords:
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- 2114 INTERPLANETARY PHYSICS / Energetic particles;
- 7514 SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMY / Energetic particles;
- 7845 SPACE PLASMA PHYSICS / Particle acceleration