Deducing Electron Properties From Hard X-Ray Observations

X-radiation from energetic electrons is the prime diagnostic of flare-accelerated electrons. The observed X-ray flux (and polarization state) is fundamentally a convolution of the cross-section for the hard X-ray emission process(es) in question with the electron distribution function, which is in turn a function of energy, direction, spatial location and time. To address the problems of particle propagation and acceleration one needs to infer as much information as possible on this electron distribution function, through a deconvolution of this fundamental relationship. This review presents recent progress toward this goal using spectroscopic, imaging and polarization measurements, primarily from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). Previous conclusions regarding the energy, angular (pitch angle) and spatial distributions of energetic electrons in solar flares are critically reviewed. We discuss the role and the observational evidence of several radiation processes: free-free electron-ion, free-free electron-electron, free-bound electron-ion bremsstrahlung, photoelectric absorption and Compton back-scatter (albedo), using both spectroscopic and imaging techniques. This unprecedented quality of data allows for the first time inference of the angular distributions of the X-ray-emitting electrons using albedo, improved model-independent inference of electron energy spectra and emission measures of thermal plasma. Moreover, imaging spectroscopy has revealed hitherto unknown details of solar flare morphology and detailed spectroscopy of coronal, footpoint and extended sources in flaring regions. Additional attempts to measure hard X-ray polarization were not sufficient to put constraints on the degree of anisotropy of electrons, but point to the importance of obtaining good quality polarization data.

Mass Loss, Destruction and Detection of Sun-grazing and -impacting Cometary Nuclei

[Abridged] Sun-grazing comets almost never re-emerge, but their sublimative destruction near the sun has only recently been observed directly, while chromospheric impacts have not yet been seen, nor impact theory developed. Employing simple analytic models to describe comet destruction near the Sun and to enable the estimation of observable signatures, we find analytic solutions for the mass as a function of distance from the Sun, for insolation sublimation, impact ablation and explosion. Sun-grazers are found to fall into three regimes based on initial mass and perihelion: sublimation-, ablation-, and explosion-dominated. Most sun-grazers are destroyed sublimatively, and our analytic results are similar to numerical models. Larger masses (>10^11g) with small perihelion (q<1.01Rsun) ablation dominates but results are sensitive to nucleus strength, Pc, and entry angle to the vertical, phi. Nuclei with initial mass >~10^10g (Pc/10^6 (dyne/cm^2) sec (phi))^3 are fully ablated before exploding, though the hot wake itself explodes. For most sun-impactors sec(phi)~1. For small perihelion the ablation regime applies to moderate masses ~10^13-16 g impactors unless Pc is very low. For higher masses, or smaller perihelia, nuclei reach higher densities where ram pressure causes catastrophic explosion. For perihelion < 1.01Rsun, initial mass > 10^11 g nuclei are destroyed by ablation or explosion (depending on phi and Pc) in the chromosphere, producing flare-like events with cometary abundance spectra. For all plausible masses and physical parameters, nuclei are destroyed above the photosphere.

Parallel electric field generation by Alfven wave turbulence

{This work aims to investigate the spectral structure of the parallel electric field generated by strong anisotropic and balanced Alfvenic turbulence in relation with the problem of electron acceleration from the thermal population in solar flare plasma conditions.} {We consider anisotropic Alfvenic fluctuations in the presence of a strong background magnetic field. Exploiting this anisotropy, a set of reduced equations governing non-linear, two-fluid plasma dynamics is derived. The low-$beta$ limit of this model is used to follow the turbulent cascade of the energy resulting from the non-linear interaction between kinetic Alfven waves, from the large magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) scales with $k_{perp}rho_{s}ll 1$ down to the small kinetic scales with $k_{perp}rho_{s} gg 1$, $rho_{s}$ being the ion sound gyroradius.} {Scaling relations are obtained for the magnitude of the turbulent electromagnetic fluctuations, as a function of $k_{perp}$ and $k_{parallel}$, showing that the electric field develops a component parallel to the magnetic field at large MHD scales.} {The spectrum we derive for the parallel electric field fluctuations can be effectively used to model stochastic resonant acceleration and heating of electrons by Alfven waves in solar flare plasma conditions}

Rotation Measures of Extragalactic Sources Behind the Southern Galactic Plane: New Insights into the Large-Scale Magnetic Field of the Inner Milky Way

We present new Faraday rotation measures (RMs) for 148 extragalactic radio sources behind the southern Galactic plane (253o < l < 356o, |b| < 1.5o), and use these data in combination with published data to probe the large-scale structure of the Milky Ways magnetic field. We show that the magnitudes of these RMs oscillate with longitude in a manner that correlates with the locations of the Galactic spiral arms. The observed pattern in RMs requries the presence of at least one large-scale magnetic reversal in the fourth Galactic quadrant, located between the Sagittarius- Carina and Scutum-Crux spiral arms. To quantitatively compare our measurements to other recent studies, we consider all available extragalactic and pulsar RMs in the region we have surveyed, and jointly fit these data to simple models in which the large-scale field follows the spiral arms. In the best-fitting model, the magnetic field in the fourth Galactic quadrant is directed clockwise in the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm (as viewed from the North Galactic pole), but is oriented counter- clockwise in the Scutum-Crux arm. This contrasts with recent analyses of pulsar RMs alone, in which the fourth-quadrant field was presumed to be directed counter-clockwise in the Sagittarius- Carina arm. Also in contrast to recent pulsar RM studies, our joint modeling of pulsar and extragalactic RMs demonstrates that large numbers of large-scale magnetic field reversals are not required to account for observations.