15 research outputs found
Solar parameters for modeling interplanetary background
The goal of the Fully Online Datacenter of Ultraviolet Emissions (FONDUE)
Working Team of the International Space Science Institute in Bern, Switzerland,
was to establish a common calibration of various UV and EUV heliospheric
observations, both spectroscopic and photometric. Realization of this goal
required an up-to-date model of spatial distribution of neutral interstellar
hydrogen in the heliosphere, and to that end, a credible model of the radiation
pressure and ionization processes was needed. This chapter describes the solar
factors shaping the distribution of neutral interstellar H in the heliosphere.
Presented are the solar Lyman-alpha flux and the solar Lyman-alpha resonant
radiation pressure force acting on neutral H atoms in the heliosphere, solar
EUV radiation and the photoionization of heliospheric hydrogen, and their
evolution in time and the still hypothetical variation with heliolatitude.
Further, solar wind and its evolution with solar activity is presented in the
context of the charge exchange ionization of heliospheric hydrogen, and in the
context of dynamic pressure variations. Also the electron ionization and its
variation with time, heliolatitude, and solar distance is presented. After a
review of all of those topics, we present an interim model of solar wind and
the other solar factors based on up-to-date in situ and remote sensing
observations of solar wind. Results of this effort will further be utilised to
improve on the model of solar wind evolution, which will be an invaluable asset
in all heliospheric measurements, including, among others, the observations of
Energetic Neutral Atoms by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX).Comment: Chapter 2 in the planned "Cross-Calibration of Past and Present Far
UV Spectra of Solar System Objects and the Heliosphere", ISSI Scientific
Report No 12, ed. R.M. Bonnet, E. Quemerais, M. Snow, Springe
An Observational Overview of Solar Flares
We present an overview of solar flares and associated phenomena, drawing upon
a wide range of observational data primarily from the RHESSI era. Following an
introductory discussion and overview of the status of observational
capabilities, the article is split into topical sections which deal with
different areas of flare phenomena (footpoints and ribbons, coronal sources,
relationship to coronal mass ejections) and their interconnections. We also
discuss flare soft X-ray spectroscopy and the energetics of the process. The
emphasis is to describe the observations from multiple points of view, while
bearing in mind the models that link them to each other and to theory. The
present theoretical and observational understanding of solar flares is far from
complete, so we conclude with a brief discussion of models, and a list of
missing but important observations.Comment: This is an article for a monograph on the physics of solar flares,
inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in
Space Science Reviews (2011