[Previous] | [Session 22] | [Next]
W. P. Abbett (Space Sciences Laboratory, UC Berkeley)
The results from a non-LTE radiative-hydrodynamic model of a flare loop, from its apex in the corona to its footpoints in the photosphere, are presented. The effects of non-thermal heating of the lower solar atmosphere by accelerated electrons during the impulsive phase, and the subsequent effects of soft X-ray irradiation of the chromosphere from the flare-heated transition region and corona during the beginning of the gradual phase are investigated.
During the impulsive phase, the models show a significant continuum (or ``white light'') brightening resulting from increased hydrogen recombination radiation in the upper chromosphere at the point where the accelerated electrons deposit the bulk of their energy. Additionally, the models produce a measurable time lag between the brightening of the near wings of H-alpha and the brightening of the Paschen continuum.
This work was funded in part by NSF grants AST 96-16886 and AST 94-57455. The computations were partially supported by the National Computational Science Alliance, and utilized the NCSA SGI/CRAY Power Challenge Array.
If the author provided an email address or URL for general inquiries, it is a
s follows: