Author ORCID Identifier
James McAteer:
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1493-101X
Jeffrey Reep:
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4739-1152
Document Type
Journal Article
Journal Article Version
Final Version / Publisher's PDF (peer-reviewed)
Publication Date
11-20-2013
Abstract
The collisional thick-target model, wherein a large number of electrons are accelerated down a flaring loop, can be used to explain many observed properties of solar flares. In this study, we focus on the sensitivity of (GOES) flare classification to the properties of the thick-target model. Using a hydrodynamic model with RHESSI-derived electron beam parameters, we explore the effects of the beam energy flux (or total non-thermal energy), the cut-off energy, and the spectral index of the electron distribution on the soft X-rays observed by GOES. We conclude that (1) the GOES class is proportional to the non-thermal energy E-alpha for alpha approximate to 1.7 in the low-energy passband (1-8 angstrom) and approximate to 1.6 in the high-energy passband (0.5-4 angstrom); (2) the GOES class is only weakly dependent on the spectral index in both passbands; (3) increases in the cut-off will increase the flux in the 0.5-4 angstrom passband but decrease the flux in the 1-8 angstrom passband, while decreases in the cut-off will cause a decrease in the 0.5-4 angstrom passband and a slight increase in the 1-8 angstrom passband.
Published in
Astrophysical Journal
DOI
10.1088/0004-637X/778/1/76
Keywords
Sun: flares
Department / Organizational Unit
Astronomy
Copyright Notice
© 2013 J. Reep, S. Bradshaw, & R. McAteer, reuse allowed according to Creative Commons license.
License for Reuse
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Reep, J. W., Bradshaw, S. J., & McAteer, R. T. J. (2013). On the sensitivity of the GOES flare classification to properties of the electron beam in the thick-target model. Astrophysical Journal, 778(1). https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/778/1/76