Solar cycle variation in energetic particle emissivity of the sun

Abstract

Long-term variation in energetic particle emissivity of the sun was examined by the use of PCA, solar proton flux, and geomagnetic data from 1941 to 1973. A solar cycle may be divided into three periods in terms of the Sun's particle emissivity. The first period with a peak of emissivity coinciding with the maximum of Zurich sunspot numbers is characterized by the random occurrence of proton flares along the heliographic longitude. On the other hand, active centers were restricted in certain longitude regions and had a tendency to produce a series of major flares in a week or two during the second period. The peak of particle emissivity in this period occurred a few years after the first. Relativistic proton events were observed during both the periods of enhanced particle emissivity. In the third period near the end of the solar cycle, MeV proton events of 27-days recurrency became predominating, though particle emissivity of the Sun itself was relatively low.