Overview
- Self-contained, introductory presentation aimed primarily at a non-specialist readership
- Authored by a leading expert in the field
- Contains many colour figures
Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Physics (LNP, volume 932)
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About this book
This concise primer introduces the non-specialist reader to the physics of solar energetic particles (SEP) and systematically reviews the evidence for the two main mechanisms which lead to the so-called impulsive and gradual SEP events.
More specifically, the timing of the onsets, the longitude distributions, the high-energy spectral shapes, the correlations with other solar phenomena (e.g. coronal mass ejections), as well as the all-important elemental and isotopic abundances of SEPs are investigated. Impulsive SEP events are related to magnetic reconnection in solar flares and jets. The concept of shock acceleration by scattering on self-amplified Alfvén waves is introduced, as is the evidence of reacceleration of impulsive-SEP material in the seed population accessed by the shocks in gradual events. The text then develops processes of transport of ions out to an observer. Finally, a new technique to determine the source plasma temperature in both impulsive and gradualevents is demonstrated.
Last but not least the role of SEP events as a radiation hazard in space is mentioned and a short discussion of the nature of the main particle telescope designs that have contributed to most of the SEP measurements is given.
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Table of contents (8 chapters)
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Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Solar Energetic Particles
Book Subtitle: A Modern Primer on Understanding Sources, Acceleration and Propagation
Authors: Donald V. Reames
Series Title: Lecture Notes in Physics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50871-9
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing AG 2017
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-50871-9Published: 10 March 2017
Series ISSN: 0075-8450
Series E-ISSN: 1616-6361
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVI, 127
Number of Illustrations: 18 b/w illustrations, 61 illustrations in colour
Topics: Space Sciences (including Extraterrestrial Physics, Space Exploration and Astronautics), Plasma Physics, Geophysics/Geodesy, Astronomy, Observations and Techniques