Click on the image above for a larger .gif version.

One of the pioneering observations in the very topical business now of flare-related structure in the low corona and solar wind. To what extent does turbulence erase the clues to its origin? Flares inject fast electrons into interplanetary space via radio type III bursts, and with less understanding, there may also be ions. Both electrons and ions at one AU display sharply-defined structures that tend to defy the turbulent explanation of solar-wind structure. This paper was perhaps the first discovery of this effect. The appeal to a "storage region" seems a bit archaic now.

Note that this cartoon, along with only a very few others, basically ignores the detailed magnetic structure of the flare itself. In fact, the "shock front" does not seem to affect the field lines it is crossing! The magnetic structure is of course the most interesting but least understood aspect of a flare, especially from the point of view of flare-accelerated particles (note that CSHKP really doesn't have any particles).

23 February 2010
31 October 2010