Particle Acceleration and Transport in Solar Flares

Modeling Electron Acceleration and Transport in the Early Impulsive Phase of the 2017 September 10th Solar Flare. Two cases with different Lundquist numbers are shown here. (Li et al., 2022)

Solar flares are among the most remarkable phenomenon of energy release and particle acceleration in our solar system. A large amount of magnetic energy in the solar corona can be released and converted into non-thermal particles within a few minutes. These high-energy particles produce impulsive non-thermal emissions that are commonly observed, and they can be released into interplanetary space and produce impulsive solar energetic particle events. The non-thermal emissions provide critical diagnostics of the non-thermal particles. Modeling particle acceleration during solar flares is particularly challenging due to the enormous scale separation (kinetic scales < m and global scales >1E8 m) in solar flares.

A framework to bridge simulations and observations.

We have been building a framework for studying particle acceleration during solar flares. Besides the kinetic studies, we are actively working on

building a numerical model solving the energetic particle transport equations
studying electron acceleration in the whole flare region (e.g., reconnection and termination shocks)
producing hard X-ray and microwave emissions from the MHD simulations and the energetic electron maps generated from the model and comparing them with the flare observations
studying the large-scale transport of energetic electrons in the whole solar eruption regions (SEPs project)

Publications

2024

ApJ

Compression Acceleration of Protons and Heavier Ions at the Heliospheric Current Sheet

Giulia Murtas, Xiaocan Li, and Fan Guo

The Astrophysical Journal, Oct 2024

DOI Bib PDF

@article{2024ApJ...974...28M,
  author = {{Murtas}, Giulia and {Li}, Xiaocan and {Guo}, Fan},
  title = {{Compression Acceleration of Protons and Heavier Ions at the Heliospheric Current Sheet}},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
  keywords = {Heliosphere, Solar magnetic reconnection, Interplanetary particle acceleration, 711, 1504, 826, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Physics - Plasma Physics},
  year = {2024},
  month = oct,
  volume = {974},
  number = {1},
  eid = {28},
  pages = {28},
  doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ad6e80},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2408.10445},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.SR},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...974...28M},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare,SEPs}
}

ApJ

Energetic Electrons Accelerated and Trapped in a Magnetic Bottle above a Solar Flare Arcade

Bin Chen, Xiangliang Kong, Sijie Yu, and 6 more authors

The Astrophysical Journal, Aug 2024

DOI Bib PDF

@article{2024ApJ...971...85C,
  author = {{Chen}, Bin and {Kong}, Xiangliang and {Yu}, Sijie and {Shen}, Chengcai and {Li}, Xiaocan and {Guo}, Fan and {Zhang}, Yixian and {Glesener}, Lindsay and {Krucker}, S{\"a}m},
  title = {{Energetic Electrons Accelerated and Trapped in a Magnetic Bottle above a Solar Flare Arcade}},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
  keywords = {Solar flares, Solar energetic particles, Magnetohydrodynamical simulations, Non-thermal radiation sources, Solar radio emission, Solar x-ray emission, Solar extreme ultraviolet emission, 1496, 1491, 1966, 1119, 1522, 1536, 1493, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Physics - Space Physics},
  year = {2024},
  month = aug,
  volume = {971},
  number = {1},
  eid = {85},
  pages = {85},
  doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ad531a},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2406.00109},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.SR},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024ApJ...971...85C},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare}
}

arXiv

A New Computational Method for Energetic Particle Acceleration and Transport with its Feedback

Jeongbhin Seo, Fan Guo, Xiaocan Li, and 1 more author

arXiv e-prints, Apr 2024

DOI Bib

@article{2024arXiv240412276S,
  author = {{Seo}, Jeongbhin and {Guo}, Fan and {Li}, Xiaocan and {Li}, Hui},
  title = {{A New Computational Method for Energetic Particle Acceleration and Transport with its Feedback}},
  journal = {arXiv e-prints},
  keywords = {Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Astrophysics - Astrophysics of Galaxies, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Physics - Plasma Physics},
  year = {2024},
  month = apr,
  eid = {arXiv:2404.12276},
  pages = {arXiv:2404.12276},
  doi = {10.48550/arXiv.2404.12276},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2404.12276},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.HE},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2024arXiv240412276S},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare}
}

2023

Whitepaper

Particle acceleration in solar flares with imaging-spectroscopy in soft X-rays

Mitsuo Oka, Amir Caspi, Bin Chen, and 15 more authors

In Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Jul 2023

DOI Bib

@inproceedings{2023BAAS...55c.302O,
  author = {{Oka}, Mitsuo and {Caspi}, Amir and {Chen}, Bin and {Cheung}, Mark and {Drake}, James and {Gary}, Dale and {Glesener}, Lindsay and {Guo}, Fan and {Ji}, Hantao and {Li}, Xiaocan and {Nakamura}, Takuma and {Narukage}, Noriyuki and {Reeves}, Katharine K. and {Saint-Hilaire}, Pascal and {Sakao}, Taro and {Shen}, Chengcai and {WInebarger}, Amy and {Woods}, Thomas},
  title = {{Particle acceleration in solar flares with imaging-spectroscopy in soft X-rays}},
  keywords = {Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Physics - Plasma Physics, Physics - Space Physics},
  booktitle = {Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society},
  year = {2023},
  volume = {55},
  month = jul,
  eid = {302},
  pages = {302},
  doi = {10.3847/25c2cfeb.c1b1eb07},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2306.04909},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.SR},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023BAAS...55c.302O},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare}
}

Whitepaper

Quantifying Energy Release in Solar Flares and Solar Eruptive Events: New Frontiers with a Next-Generation Solar Radio Facility

Bin Chen, Dale Gary, Sijie Yu, and 38 more authors

In Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Jul 2023

DOI Bib

@inproceedings{2023BAAS...55c.060C,
  author = {{Chen}, Bin and {Gary}, Dale and {Yu}, Sijie and {Mondal}, Surajit and {Fleishman}, Gregory and {Li}, Xiaocan and {Shen}, Chengcai and {Guo}, Fan and {White}, Stephen and {Bastian}, Timothy and {Saint-Hilaire}, Pascal and {Veronig}, Astrid and {Drake}, James and {Dahlin}, Joel and {Glesener}, Lindsay and {Ji}, Hantao and {Oka}, Mitsuo and {Asai}, Ayumi and {Karpen}, Judith and {Klimchuk}, James and {Antiochos}, Spiro and {Buitrago-Casas}, Juan Camilo and {Cheung}, Mark and {Shaik}, Shaheda Begum and {Chhabra}, Sherry and {Chen}, Thomas Y. and {Hayes}, Laura and {Kobelski}, Adam and {West}, Matthew and {Wang}, Haimin and {Kumar}, Pankaj and {Reeves}, Katharine K. and {Kooi}, Jason and {Hudson}, Hugh and {Caspi}, Amir and {Fan}, Yuhong and {Nita}, Gelu and {McTiernan}, James and {Kuroda}, Natsuha and {Musset}, Sophie and {Allred}, Joel C.},
  title = {{Quantifying Energy Release in Solar Flares and Solar Eruptive Events: New Frontiers with a Next-Generation Solar Radio Facility}},
  keywords = {Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Physics - Space Physics},
  booktitle = {Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society},
  year = {2023},
  volume = {55},
  month = jul,
  eid = {060},
  pages = {060},
  doi = {10.3847/25c2cfeb.aa2ad1d0},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2301.12192},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.IM},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023BAAS...55c.060C},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare}
}

Whitepaper

Advancing Theory and Modeling Efforts in Heliophysics

Fan Guo, Spiro Antiochos, Paul Cassak, and 15 more authors

In Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Jul 2023

DOI Bib

@inproceedings{2023BAAS...55c.144G,
  author = {{Guo}, Fan and {Antiochos}, Spiro and {Cassak}, Paul and {Chen}, Bin and {Chen}, Xiaohang and {Dong}, Chuanfei and {Downs}, Cooper and {Giacalone}, Joe and {Haggerty}, Colby and {Ji}, Hantao and {Karpen}, Judith and {Klimchuk}, James and {Li}, Wen and {Li}, Xiaocan and {Oka}, Mitsuo and {Reeves}, Katharine and {Swisdak}, Marc and {Tu}, Weichao},
  title = {{Advancing Theory and Modeling Efforts in Heliophysics}},
  keywords = {Astrophysics - Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Physics - Plasma Physics, Physics - Space Physics},
  booktitle = {Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society},
  year = {2023},
  volume = {55},
  month = jul,
  eid = {144},
  pages = {144},
  doi = {10.3847/25c2cfeb.d8579f9b},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2209.03611},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.IM},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2023BAAS...55c.144G},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare,SEPs}
}

2022

ApJL

Numerical Modeling of Energetic Electron Acceleration, Transport, and Emission in Solar Flares: Connecting Loop-top and Footpoint Hard X-Ray Sources

Xiangliang Kong, Bin Chen, Fan Guo, and 8 more authors

The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Dec 2022

DOI Bib PDF

@article{2022ApJ...941L..22K,
  author = {{Kong}, Xiangliang and {Chen}, Bin and {Guo}, Fan and {Shen}, Chengcai and {Li}, Xiaocan and {Ye}, Jing and {Zhao}, Lulu and {Jiang}, Zelong and {Yu}, Sijie and {Chen}, Yao and {Giacalone}, Joe},
  title = {{Numerical Modeling of Energetic Electron Acceleration, Transport, and Emission in Solar Flares: Connecting Loop-top and Footpoint Hard X-Ray Sources}},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal Letters},
  keywords = {Solar flares, Non-thermal radiation sources, Solar magnetic reconnection, Solar particle emission, Solar energetic particles, Shocks, 1496, 1119, 1504, 1517, 1491, 2086, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Physics - Plasma Physics, Physics - Space Physics},
  year = {2022},
  month = dec,
  volume = {941},
  number = {2},
  eid = {L22},
  pages = {L22},
  doi = {10.3847/2041-8213/aca65c},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2211.15333},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.SR},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022ApJ...941L..22K},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare}
}

ApJ

A Model of Double Coronal Hard X-Ray Sources in Solar Flares

Xiangliang Kong, Jing Ye, Bin Chen, and 6 more authors

The Astrophysical Journal, Jul 2022

DOI Bib PDF

@article{2022ApJ...933...93K,
  author = {Kong, Xiangliang and {Ye}, Jing and {Chen}, Bin and {Guo}, Fan and {Shen}, Chengcai and {Li}, Xiaocan and {Yu}, Sijie and {Chen}, Yao and {Giacalone}, Joe},
  title = {{A Model of Double Coronal Hard X-Ray Sources in Solar Flares}},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
  keywords = {Solar flares, Non-thermal radiation sources, Solar magnetic reconnection, Solar particle emission, Shocks, Solar x-ray emission, 1496, 1119, 1504, 1517, 2086, 1536, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Physics - Plasma Physics},
  year = {2022},
  month = jul,
  volume = {933},
  number = {1},
  eid = {93},
  pages = {93},
  doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ac731b},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2201.02293},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.SR},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022ApJ...933...93K},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare}
}

ApJ

Modeling Electron Acceleration and Transport in the Early Impulsive Phase of the 2017 September 10th Solar Flare

Xiaocan Li, Fan Guo, Bin Chen, and 2 more authors

The Astrophysical Journal, Jun 2022

DOI Bib PDF

@article{2022ApJ...932...92L,
  author = {Li, Xiaocan and {Guo}, Fan and {Chen}, Bin and {Shen}, Chengcai and {Glesener}, Lindsay},
  title = {{Modeling Electron Acceleration and Transport in the Early Impulsive Phase of the 2017 September 10th Solar Flare}},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
  keywords = {Interplanetary particle acceleration, Solar magnetic reconnection, Solar flares, Solar corona, Space plasmas, 826, 1504, 1496, 1483, 1544, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Physics - Plasma Physics, Physics - Space Physics},
  year = {2022},
  month = jun,
  volume = {932},
  number = {2},
  eid = {92},
  pages = {92},
  doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/ac6efe},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2205.04946},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.SR},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2022ApJ...932...92L},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare}
}

2021

PhPl

The relation between the energy conversion rate and reconnection rate in Petschek-type reconnection—Implications for solar flares

Matthew Goodbred, Yi-Hsin Liu, Bin Chen, and 1 more author

Physics of Plasmas, Aug 2021

DOI Bib PDF

@article{Goodbred2021Relation,
  author = {Goodbred, Matthew and {Liu}, Yi-Hsin and {Chen}, Bin and {Li}, Xiaocan},
  title = {{The relation between the energy conversion rate and reconnection rate in Petschek-type reconnection{\textemdash}Implications for solar flares}},
  journal = {Physics of Plasmas},
  year = {2021},
  month = aug,
  volume = {28},
  number = {8},
  eid = {082103},
  pages = {082103},
  doi = {10.1063/5.0050557},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2021PhPl...28h2103G},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {reconnection:rate,flare}
}

2018

ApJ

Large-scale Compression Acceleration during Magnetic Reconnection in a Low-\ensuremathβ Plasma

Xiaocan Li, Fan Guo, Hui Li, and 1 more author

The Astrophysical Journal, Oct 2018

DOI Bib PDF

@article{2018ApJ...866....4L,
  author = {Li, Xiaocan and {Guo}, Fan and {Li}, Hui and {Li}, Shengtai},
  title = {{Large-scale Compression Acceleration during Magnetic Reconnection in a Low-{\ensuremath{\beta}} Plasma}},
  journal = {The Astrophysical Journal},
  keywords = {acceleration of particles, magnetic reconnection, Sun: corona, Sun: flares, Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics, Astrophysics - High Energy Astrophysical Phenomena, Physics - Plasma Physics, Physics - Space Physics},
  year = {2018},
  month = oct,
  volume = {866},
  number = {1},
  eid = {4},
  pages = {4},
  doi = {10.3847/1538-4357/aae07b},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {1807.03427},
  primaryclass = {astro-ph.SR},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2018ApJ...866....4L},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {reconnection:nonrel,flare}
}

2014

ASR

Energization of charged particle in a time-dependent chaotic magnetic field with an implication of the production of seed particles in solar energetic particle events

Xiaocan Li, Brahmananda Dasgupta, and Gang Li

Advances in Space Research, Apr 2014

DOI Bib PDF

@article{2014AdSpR..53.1153L,
  author = {Li, Xiaocan and {Dasgupta}, Brahmananda and {Li}, Gang},
  title = {{Energization of charged particle in a time-dependent chaotic magnetic field with an implication of the production of seed particles in solar energetic particle events}},
  journal = {Advances in Space Research},
  year = {2014},
  month = apr,
  volume = {53},
  number = {8},
  pages = {1153-1161},
  doi = {10.1016/j.asr.2014.01.008},
  adsurl = {https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2014AdSpR..53.1153L},
  adsnote = {Provided by the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System},
  projects = {flare}
}