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Session 18 - The Sun.
Display session, Monday, January 13
Metropolitan Ballroom,
Until now, solar \gamma-ray emissions have only been detected during solar flares. However, there are several scenarios (e.g., microflares or cosmic-ray albedo emission) in which \gamma-ray emission might be detectable when there is no significant solar activity. These processes might be related to the general problem of solar coronal heating and would likely vary as a function of solar cycle. We have embarked on a systematic search for quiet-time \gamma-ray emissions using the unique imaging capabilities of the COMPTEL experiment on the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory. With its large (\sim 1 steradian) FoV, the Sun has been observed by COMPTEL on several ocassions since its launch in April 1991. We are using these data to search for both time-integrated and time-resolved \gamma-ray emission, concentrating on those periods when there was negligible solar activity. Our analysis involves a search for both broad-band and narrow line emissions. Here we report on the first results from this effort.
