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Session 26 - Solar Flares II.
Oral session, Monday, June 10
Wisconsin Center,
We consider the stochastic acceleration of electrons by fast mode waves in impulsive solar flares. Low-frequency (MHD) fast mode waves have a compressive magnetic field component that is able to interact resonantly with particles and accelerate them from thermal to relativistic energies on very short time scales. Moreover, since there is a threshold for resonance that is satisfied almost exclusively by electrons, these particles are preferentially accelerated. We present electron spectra obtained from a quasilinear code that takes into account both wave cascading and Coulomb collisions, and show that this mechanism is able to account easily for electron acceleration in energy release fragments. We also present test particle simulations that verify the quasilinear results and remove the doubt that was cast on the viability of the process by an earlier study.
