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Observation of an impulsive solar electron event extending down to ∼0.5 keV energy
Author(s) -
Lin R. P.,
Larson D.,
McFadden J.,
Carlson C. W.,
Ergun R. E.,
Anderson K. A.,
Ashford S.,
McCarthy M.,
Parks G. K.,
Rème H.,
Bosqued J. M.,
d'Uston C.,
Sanderson T. R.,
Wenzel K.P.
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/96gl00710
Subject(s) - physics , solar wind , corona (planetary geology) , electron , range (aeronautics) , plasma , atomic physics , coronal mass ejection , solar flare , solar radius , solar energetic particles , computational physics , ionization , radius , coronal hole , astrophysics , ion , nuclear physics , materials science , computer security , quantum mechanics , astrobiology , venus , computer science , composite material
We present the first observation of a solar impulsive electron event spanning the entire solar wind‐suprathermal particle energy range (few eV to hundreds of keV), obtained with the 3‐D Plasma and Energetic Particle experiment on the WIND spacecraft. The electron energy spectrum fits to a power‐law ∼ E −3 from ∼40 keV down to a peak at ≲ 1 keV, with significant flux detected down to ∼0.5 keV. Since the range of such low energy electrons in ionized hydrogen is much less than the column density of the corona, they must be accelerated high, ∼1 R ⊙ (solar radius) above the photosphere, for typical active coronal density models.