RHESSI Observations of Particle Acceleration and Energy Release in an Intense Solar Gamma-Ray Line Flare

Abstract

We summarize Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) hard X-ray (HXR) and γ-ray imaging and spectroscopy observations of the intense (X4.8) γ-ray line flare of 2002 July 23. In the initial rise, a new type of coronal HXR source dominates that has a steep double-power-law X-ray spectrum and no evidence of thermal emission above 10 keV, indicating substantial electron acceleration to tens of keV early in the flare. In the subsequent impulsive phase, three footpoint sources with much flatter double-power-law HXR spectra appear, together with a coronal superhot (T ~ 40 MK) thermal source. The north footpoint and the coronal source both move systematically to the north-northeast at speeds up to ~50 km s-1. This footpoint's HXR flux varies approximately with its speed, consistent with magnetic reconnection models, provided the rate of electron acceleration varies with the reconnection rate. The other footpoints show similar temporal variations but do not move systematically, contrary to simple reconnection models. The γ-ray line and continuum emissions show that ions and electrons are accelerated to tens of MeV during the impulsive phase. The prompt de-excitation γ-ray lines of Fe, Mg, Si, Ne, C, and O—resolved here for the first time—show mass-dependent redshifts of 0.1%-0.8%, implying a downward motion of accelerated protons and α-particles along magnetic field lines that are tilted toward the Earth by ~40°. For the first time, the positron annihilation line is resolved, and the detailed high-resolution measurements are obtained for the neutron-capture line. The first ever solar γ-ray line and continuum imaging shows that the source locations for the relativistic electron bremsstrahlung overlap the 50-100 keV HXR sources, implying that electrons of all energies are accelerated in the same region. The centroid of the ion-produced 2.223 MeV neutron-capture line emission, however, is located ~20'' ± 6'' away, implying that the acceleration and/or propagation of the ions must differ from that of the electrons. Assuming that Coulomb collisions dominate the energetic electron and ion energy losses (thick target), we estimate that a minimum of ~2 × 1031 ergs is released in accelerated >~20 keV electrons during the rise phase, with ~1031 ergs in ions above 2.5 MeV nucleon-1 and about the same in electrons above 30 keV released in the impulsive phase. Much more energy could be in accelerated particles if their spectra extend to lower energies.