Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions
Determining the relative contribution of solar flares versus coronal mass ejections in large solar energetic particle (SEP) events is a long-standing problem. Flare-accelerated particles may travel through complex magnetic fields in the eruption region and escape into interplanetary space, thereby c...
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IOP Publishing
2025-01-01
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| Series: | The Astrophysical Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adcb42 |
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| author | Xiaocan Li Joel Dahlin Fan Guo Bin Zhuang Sophie Masson Spiro Antiochos |
| author_facet | Xiaocan Li Joel Dahlin Fan Guo Bin Zhuang Sophie Masson Spiro Antiochos |
| author_sort | Xiaocan Li |
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| description | Determining the relative contribution of solar flares versus coronal mass ejections in large solar energetic particle (SEP) events is a long-standing problem. Flare-accelerated particles may travel through complex magnetic fields in the eruption region and escape into interplanetary space, thereby contributing to large SEP events. The process by which flare accelerated particles are released into the heliosphere is poorly understood and yet is critical to advancing our understanding of SEPs. In this work, we address the release problem by solving the focused transport equation in the context of a 2.5D ARMS magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a breakout coronal mass ejection (CME)/flare event. We find that particles accelerated by flare reconnection can be released into interplanetary space through interchange reconnection between closed and open field lines. These particles can contribute directly to SEP events and may become an important seed population for further acceleration by CME-driven shocks. Additionally, we find that the energetic particle fluxes in the inner heliosphere remain elevated for an extended period, allowing them to contribute to SEP acceleration by subsequent CMEs. This study represents the first direct particle modeling of how flare-accelerated particles can contribute to major SEP events. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8eab99a3300a467bba8e18cd313d4e5d |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1538-4357 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
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| series | The Astrophysical Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-8eab99a3300a467bba8e18cd313d4e5d2025-08-20T01:52:19ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01985111810.3847/1538-4357/adcb42Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar EruptionsXiaocan Li0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5278-8029Joel Dahlin1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9493-4730Fan Guo2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4315-3755Bin Zhuang3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5996-0693Sophie Masson4https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6376-1144Spiro Antiochos5https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0176-4312Los Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; xiaocanli@lanl.govHeliophysics Science Division , NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA; Astronomy Department, University of Maryland , College Park, MD 20742, USALos Alamos National Laboratory , Los Alamos, NM 87545, USA ; xiaocanli@lanl.govInstitute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space, University of New Hampshire , Durham, NH, USASorbonne Université , École polytechnique, Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Université Paris Saclay, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, CNRS, Laboratoire de Physique des Plasmas (LPP), Paris, France; Observatoire Radioastronomique de Nançay, Observatoire de Paris, CNRS, PSL, Université d’Orléans , Nançay, FranceDepartment of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, University of Michigan , Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USADetermining the relative contribution of solar flares versus coronal mass ejections in large solar energetic particle (SEP) events is a long-standing problem. Flare-accelerated particles may travel through complex magnetic fields in the eruption region and escape into interplanetary space, thereby contributing to large SEP events. The process by which flare accelerated particles are released into the heliosphere is poorly understood and yet is critical to advancing our understanding of SEPs. In this work, we address the release problem by solving the focused transport equation in the context of a 2.5D ARMS magnetohydrodynamic simulation of a breakout coronal mass ejection (CME)/flare event. We find that particles accelerated by flare reconnection can be released into interplanetary space through interchange reconnection between closed and open field lines. These particles can contribute directly to SEP events and may become an important seed population for further acceleration by CME-driven shocks. Additionally, we find that the energetic particle fluxes in the inner heliosphere remain elevated for an extended period, allowing them to contribute to SEP acceleration by subsequent CMEs. This study represents the first direct particle modeling of how flare-accelerated particles can contribute to major SEP events.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adcb42Interplanetary particle accelerationSolar magnetic reconnectionSolar flaresSolar coronaSpace plasmas |
| spellingShingle | Xiaocan Li Joel Dahlin Fan Guo Bin Zhuang Sophie Masson Spiro Antiochos Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions The Astrophysical Journal Interplanetary particle acceleration Solar magnetic reconnection Solar flares Solar corona Space plasmas |
| title | Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions |
| title_full | Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions |
| title_fullStr | Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions |
| title_short | Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions |
| title_sort | modeling particle acceleration and release from solar eruptions |
| topic | Interplanetary particle acceleration Solar magnetic reconnection Solar flares Solar corona Space plasmas |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/adcb42 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xiaocanli modelingparticleaccelerationandreleasefromsolareruptions AT joeldahlin modelingparticleaccelerationandreleasefromsolareruptions AT fanguo modelingparticleaccelerationandreleasefromsolareruptions AT binzhuang modelingparticleaccelerationandreleasefromsolareruptions AT sophiemasson modelingparticleaccelerationandreleasefromsolareruptions AT spiroantiochos modelingparticleaccelerationandreleasefromsolareruptions |