Abstract
Our current understanding of the acceleration of solar-energetic particles is reviewed. The emphasis in this paper is on analytic theory and numerical modeling of the physics of diffusive shock acceleration. This mechanism naturally produces an energy spectrum that is a power law over a given energy interval that is below a characteristic energy where the spectrum has a break, or a rollover. This power law is a common feature in the observations of all types of solar-energetic particles, and not necessarily just those associated with shock waves (e.g. events associated with impulsive solar flares which are often described in terms of resonant stochastic acceleration). Moreover, the spectral index is observed to have remarkably little variability from one event to the next (about 50%). Any successful acceleration mechanism must be able to produce this feature naturally and have a resulting power-law index that does not depend on physical parameters that are expected to vary considerably. Currently, only diffusive shock acceleration does this.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 277-288 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Space Science Reviews |
| Volume | 124 |
| Issue number | 1-4 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 2006 |
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Keywords
- Coronal mass ejections
- Particle acceleration
- Solar energetic particles
- Solar magnetic fields
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Astronomy and Astrophysics
- Space and Planetary Science
- Physics and Astronomy (miscellaneous)
Cite this
Acceleration of solar-energetic particles by shocks. / Giacalone, Joe; Kóta, József.
In: Space Science Reviews, Vol. 124, No. 1-4, 06.2006, p. 277-288.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Acceleration of solar-energetic particles by shocks
AU - Giacalone, Joe
AU - Kóta, József
PY - 2006/6
Y1 - 2006/6
N2 - Our current understanding of the acceleration of solar-energetic particles is reviewed. The emphasis in this paper is on analytic theory and numerical modeling of the physics of diffusive shock acceleration. This mechanism naturally produces an energy spectrum that is a power law over a given energy interval that is below a characteristic energy where the spectrum has a break, or a rollover. This power law is a common feature in the observations of all types of solar-energetic particles, and not necessarily just those associated with shock waves (e.g. events associated with impulsive solar flares which are often described in terms of resonant stochastic acceleration). Moreover, the spectral index is observed to have remarkably little variability from one event to the next (about 50%). Any successful acceleration mechanism must be able to produce this feature naturally and have a resulting power-law index that does not depend on physical parameters that are expected to vary considerably. Currently, only diffusive shock acceleration does this.
AB - Our current understanding of the acceleration of solar-energetic particles is reviewed. The emphasis in this paper is on analytic theory and numerical modeling of the physics of diffusive shock acceleration. This mechanism naturally produces an energy spectrum that is a power law over a given energy interval that is below a characteristic energy where the spectrum has a break, or a rollover. This power law is a common feature in the observations of all types of solar-energetic particles, and not necessarily just those associated with shock waves (e.g. events associated with impulsive solar flares which are often described in terms of resonant stochastic acceleration). Moreover, the spectral index is observed to have remarkably little variability from one event to the next (about 50%). Any successful acceleration mechanism must be able to produce this feature naturally and have a resulting power-law index that does not depend on physical parameters that are expected to vary considerably. Currently, only diffusive shock acceleration does this.
KW - Coronal mass ejections
KW - Particle acceleration
KW - Solar energetic particles
KW - Solar magnetic fields
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=33847199010&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=33847199010&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s11214-006-9110-1
DO - 10.1007/s11214-006-9110-1
M3 - Article
VL - 124
SP - 277
EP - 288
JO - Space Science Reviews
JF - Space Science Reviews
SN - 0038-6308
IS - 1-4
ER -