Abstract

The second meeting will take place March 24-28th 2014

During periods of sporadic solar activity, the Sun effectively converts magnetic energy into kinetic energy of accelerated particles in solar flares. While this situation is prototypical for many astrophysical situations (e.g. planetary magnetospheres/ionospheres, accretion disks around stellar and super massive black holes, and possibly supernova remnants), the solar flares are unique by their proximity and hence accessibility for detailed studies of the processes governing particle acceleration, transport and escape into the interplanetary space. In addition, understanding of electron propagation and acceleration is one of the key elements of Sun-Earth connection studies and as such an important element of Space Weather. Radio and hard X-ray emissions both originate from non-thermal electrons; hence a closer comparison could lead to a unified scenario. However, the new observational results are surprising and demonstrate that we are still far from even a general scenario for flares.

The combination of radio and X-ray data makes tests of the current scenarios and the new ideas more constrained and with fewer possible degrees of freedom. In this way, the physics of energetic electrons will get into a faster cycle of comparison between new models and observations than in the past. In the view of the high quality X-ray (RHESSI) and ground-based broadband radio spectrometers and heliographers, we plan to use the combined X-ray and radio observations to gain a new level of understanding of electron acceleration and transport building on numerical simulations as an essential link between radio and X-ray data. This will be accomplished by identifying the scientific questions that can be addressed by linking the existing observations by advanced numerical simulations. This is a particularly timely activity which can help to better plan the future observations with the radio arrays under construction FASR, LOFAR and the planned X-ray telescope on board of Solar Orbiter and radio and in-situ particle detectors on Solar Orbiter and Solar Probe Plus. The team consists of active research scientists with diverse approaches and expertise, but as a team covering all necessary aspects of solar flare energetic electrons.