Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence dissipation and stochastic proton acceleration in solar flares

• Published in: The Astrophysical journal Vol. 376; no. 1; pp. 342 - 354
• Main Author: Miller, James A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Legacy CDMS University of Chicago Press 20.07.1991
• Subjects: 640104 - Astrophysics & Cosmology- Solar Phenomena; ACCELERATION; Astronomy; BARYONS; CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; DAMPING; Earth, ocean, space; ELEMENTARY PARTICLES; Exact sciences and technology; FERMIONS; Flares, bursts, and related phenomena; HADRONS; HYDROMAGNETIC WAVES; LANDAU DAMPING; NUCLEONS; PROTONS; RADIATIONS; SOLAR ACTIVITY; SOLAR FLARES; SOLAR PARTICLES; Solar Physics; SOLAR PROTONS; SOLAR RADIATION; Solar system; STELLAR RADIATION; STOCHASTIC PROCESSES; TURBULENCE; WAVE PROPAGATION; Magnetohydrodynamics; Fermi acceleration; Cyclotron resonance; Particle acceleration; Wave damping; Sun; Solar flare; MHD wave; Ultrarelativistic particle; Magnetoacoustic wave; Landau damping; Alfven wave; Particle emission; Proton; Particle wave interaction
• ISSN: 0004-637X; 1538-4357
• DOI: 10.1086/170284

The Alfven and fast magnetosonic wave MHD modes can stochastically accelerate protons from super-Alfvenic to ultrarelativistic energies in solar flares. It is the Landau resonance, however, which generates most of the magnetosonic wave energy being dissipated on electron heating rather than on stochastic proton acceleration. Alfven waves are also subject to a nonlinear wave-particle interaction, and nonlinear Landau damping can selectively and efficiently heat the ambient protons to preaccelerate many to super-Alfvenic speeds. A spectrum of Alfven waves can therefore energize protons from low-temperature thermal to ultrarelativistic energies through a combination of linear and nonlinear particle-wave interactions.