Paper: astro-ph/0601353
Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 23:08:20 GMT (229kb)
Title: Relativistic Proton Production During the 14 July 2000 Solar Event: The
Case for Multiple Source Mechanisms
Authors: D. J. Bombardieri, M. L. Duldig, K. J. Michael, and J. E. Humble
Comments: 38 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journal, January, 2006
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Protons accelerated to relativistic energies by transient solar and
interplanetary phenomena caused a ground-level cosmic ray enhancement on 14
July 2000, Bastille Day. Near-Earth spacecraft measured the proton flux
directly and ground-based observatories measured the secondary responses to
higher energy protons. We have modelled the arrival of these relativistic
protons at Earth using a technique which deduces the spectrum, arrival
direction and anisotropy of the high-energy protons that produce increased
responses in neutron monitors. To investigate the acceleration processes
involved we have employed theoretical shock and stochastic acceleration
spectral forms in our fits to spacecraft and neutron monitor data. During the
rising phase of the event (10:45 UT and 10:50 UT) we find that the spectrum
between 140 MeV and 4 GeV is best fitted by a shock acceleration spectrum. In
contrast, the spectrum at the peak (10:55 UT and 11:00 UT) and in the declining
phase (11:40 UT) is best fitted with a stochastic acceleration spectrum. We
propose that at least two acceleration processes were responsible for the
production of relativistic protons during the Bastille Day solar event: (1)
protons were accelerated to relativistic energies by a shock, presumably a
coronal mass ejection (CME). (2) protons were also accelerated to relativistic
energies by stochastic processes initiated by magnetohydrodynamic (MHD)
turbulence.
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http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0601353 , 229kb)