Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Feb 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007apj...656.1187f&link_type=abstract
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 656, Issue 2, pp. 1187-1196.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
45
X-Rays: General, Radio Continuum: General
Scientific paper
In this paper we investigate the formation of the white-light (WL) continuum during solar flares and its relationship to energy deposition by electron beams inferred from hard X-ray emission. We analyze nine flares spanning GOES classifications from C4.8 to M9.1, seven of which show clear cospatial RHESSI hard X-ray and TRACE WL footpoints. We characterize the TRACE WL/UV continuum energy under two simplifying assumptions: (1) a blackbody function, or (2) a Paschen-Balmer continuum model. These set limits on the energy in the continuum, which we compare with that provided by flare electrons under the usual collisional thick-target assumptions. We find that the power required by the white-light luminosity enhancement is comparable to the electron beam power required to produce the HXR emission only if the low-energy cutoff to the spectrum is less than 25 keV. The bulk of the energy required to power the white-light flare (WLF) therefore resides at these low energies. Since such low-energy electrons cannot penetrate deep into a collisional thick target, this implies that the continuum enhancement is due to processes occurring at moderate depths in the chromosphere.
Fletcher Lauren
Hannah Iain G.
Hudson Hugh S.
Metcalf Thomas R.
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