Energy-Containing Electrons in Solar Flares: Improving Hard X-Ray and EUV Diagnostics

TL;DR

This study enhances diagnostics of energy-containing electrons in solar flares by integrating warm-target HXR models with EUV data, improving understanding of electron acceleration, thermalization, and energetics in flare regions.

Contribution

It introduces a combined approach using warm-target HXR models and EUV observations to better constrain the properties of low-energy electrons in solar flares, addressing previous uncertainties.

Findings

Warm-target model reliably constrains flare electron properties.

Kappa distribution allows comparison with EUV-inferred electrons.

Electrons constitute a small fraction of the total electron population.

Abstract

Solar flares effectively accelerate particles to non-thermal energies. These accelerated electrons are responsible for energy transport and subsequent emissions in HXR, radio, and UV/EUV radiation. Due to the steeply decreasing electron spectrum, the electron population and consequently the overall flare energetics, are predominantly influenced by low-energy non-thermal electrons. However, deducing the electron distribution in this energy-containing range remains a significant challenge. In this study, we apply the warm-target HXR emission model with kappa-form injected electrons to two well-observed GOES M-class flares. Moreover, we utilize EUV observations to constrain the flaring plasma properties, which enables us to determine the characteristics of accelerated electrons across a range from a few keV to tens of keV. We demonstrate that the warm-target model reliably constrains the properties of flare-associated electrons, even accounting for the uncertainties that had previously been unaddressed. The application of a kappa distribution for the accelerated electrons allows for meaningful comparisons with electron distributions inferred from EUV observations, specifically for energy ranges below the detection threshold of RHESSI. Our results indicate that the accelerated electrons constitute only a small fraction of the total electron population within the flaring region. Moreover, the physical parameters, such as electron escape time and acceleration time scale, inferred from both the warm-target model and the EUV observations further support the scenario in which electrons undergo thermalization within the corona. This study highlights the effectiveness of integrating the warm-target model with EUV observations to accurately characterize energy-containing electrons and their associated acceleration and transport processes.