SHINE: Sources of Shock-Associated Energetic Particles in the Inner Heliosphere

University Of Arizona, Tucson AZ

Investigators

Abstract

Numerical and analytic models will be used to study the sources of shock-accelerated energetic particles in the near-Earth region. A critical component of this investigation is the interpretation of data obtained from a variety of spacecraft such as ACE, WIND, and ULYSSES. The first task will address the recent popular idea that remnant material from impulsive solar flares may provide a source of seed particles for injection into large CME-associated events. These particles can be recycled, or further accelerated by propagating transient shocks, or perhaps those associated with corotating interaction regions. The validation of this concept hinges upon a demonstration that the seed particles can be effectively transported from the compact flare site to the extended shock fronts. The second task is to look at how low-energy ions are accelerated by shocks, and to determine what fraction of the thermal particles swept into the shock can be injected into the acceleration process.