Study of Flare Energetics Using X-ray, Radio, and EUV Observations

In studying solar flare energetics, the following questions are usually considered: What is the number of accelerated electrons? What are their energies? Where are they located and where do they ultimately end up? Multiwavelength studies are useful for answering these questions. Information on the instantaneous number of electrons and their energies can be inferred from the nonthermal bremsstrahlung spectrum in the hard X-ray (HXR) regime. HXR images can also identify locations of energetic electrons. Thermal bremsstrahlung emission in soft X-rays provides an estimate of the energy that goes into heating ambient electrons, as well as temperature and density diagnostics. UV and EUV observations provide more detailed temperature estimates, show the dynamics of plasma structures, and help to locate emitting volumes. Radio emissions offer information on the energy lost to escaping electrons (which emit Type III bursts) and the energies of gyrosynchrotron-emitting electrons in flare loops. Here, we combine X-ray data from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectrometer (RHESSI), EUV data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and radio data from various solar radio spectrographs. Several case studies of flare electron energetics will be presented. The time profiles of HXR and radio emission will be compared, along with the electron energies derived from each. EUV and UV data will be used to image flare loops and investigate temperature evolution.