High-energy solar flare observations at the Y2K maximum

Abstract

Solar flares afford an opportunity to observe processes associated with the acceleration and propagation of high-energy particles at a level of detail not accessible in any other astrophysical source. I will review some key results from previous high-energy solar flare observations, including those from the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, and the problems that they pose for our understanding of energy release and particle acceleration processes in the astrophysical environment. I will then discuss a program of high-energy observations to be carried out during the upcoming 2000–2001 solar maximum that is aimed at addressing and resolving these issues. A key element in this observational program is the High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (HESSI) spacecraft, which will provide imaging spectroscopic observations with spatial, temporal, and energy resolutions commensurate with the physical processes believed to be operating, and will in addition provide the first true gamma-ray spectroscopy of an astrophysical source.