The relativistic solar particle event of 2005 January 20: origin of delayed particle acceleration

The highest energies of solar energetic nucleons detected in space or through gamma-ray emission in the solar atmosphere are in the GeV range. Where and how the particles are accelerated is still controversial. We search for observational information on the location and nature of the acceleration region(s) by comparing the timing of relativistic protons detected on Earth and radiative signatures in the solar atmosphere during the particularly well-observed 2005 Jan. 20 event. This investigation focuses on the post-impulsive flare phase, where a second peak was observed in the relativistic proton time profile by neutron monitors. This time profile is compared in detail with UV imaging and radio spectrography over a broad frequency band from the low corona to interplanetary space. It is shown that the late relativistic proton release to interplanetary space was accompanied by a distinct new episode of energy release and electron acceleration in the corona traced by the radio emission and by brightenings of UV kernels. These signatures are interpreted in terms of magnetic restructuring in the corona after the coronal mass ejection passage. We attribute the delayed relativistic proton acceleration to magnetic reconnection and possibly to turbulence in large-scale coronal loops. While Type II radio emission was observed in the high corona, no evidence of a temporal relationship with the relativistic proton acceleration was found

Ten Years of the Solar Radiospectrograph ARTEMIS-IV

The Solar Radiospectrograph of the University of Athens (ARTEMIS-IV) is in operation at the Thermopylae Satellite Communication Station since 1996. The observations extend from the base of the Solar Corona (650 MHz) to about 2 Solar Radii (20 MHz) with time resolution 1/10-1/100 sec. The instruments recordings, being in the form of dynamic spectra, measure radio flux as a function of height in the corona; our observations are combined with spatial data from the Nancay Radioheliograph whenever the need for 3D positional information arises. The ARTEMIS-IV contribution in the study of solar radio bursts is two fold- Firstly, in investigating new spectral characteristics since its high sampling rate facilitates the study of fine structures in radio events. On the other hand it is used in studying the association of solar bursts with interplanetary phenomena because of its extended frequency range which is, furthermore, complementary to the range of the WIND/WAVES receivers and the observations may be readily combined. This reports serves as a brief account of this operation. Joint observations with STEREO/WAVES and LOFAR low frequency receivers are envisaged in the future

Radio Bursts in the Active Period January 2005

We present complex radio bursts recorded by the radiospectrograph ARTEMIS-IV in the active period of January 2005. The wide spectral coverage of this recorder, in the 650-20 MHz range, permits an analysis of the radio bursts from the base of the Solar Corona to 2 Solar Radii; it thus facilitates the association of radio activity with other types of solar energetic phenomena. Furthermore the ARTEMIS-IV1, high time resolution (1/100 sec) in the 450-270 MHz range, makes possible the detection and analysis of the fine structure which most of the major radio events exhibit.Comment: Recent Advances in Astronomy and Astrophysics: 7th International Conference of the Hellenic Astronomical Society. AIP Conference Proceedings, Volume 848, pp. 213-217 (2006