The debate on protons and electrons in solar flares

Abstract

The series of articles in Eos (September 10, 1996) on particles in solar flares caught my eye. As I am not directly working in, but certainly am interested in, the field of particle acceleration in solar flares, I expected comprehensive, easy to understand summaries of two conflicting points of view I had read about before. The introduction by Peter Cargill set the stage perfectly for such a discussion.Too bad the debate did not fulfill my expectations. It became very clear as I read the articles that [the authors of the debate] were not dealing with the subject on an equal basis. Clearly, the article by George M. Simnett about protons had been written without prior insight into the opposing view. Unfortunately, the case for the electrons by A. Gordon Emslie was basically a reply to the proton case, sometimes specifically citing parts of the article. This would have been appropriate if Simnett had had the chance to reply, but unfortunately no such reply was added to the series.