Tracking of an electron beam through the solar corona with LOFAR

Mann G, Breitling F, Vocks C, Aurass H, Steinmetz M, Strassmeier KG, Bisi MM, Fallows RA, Gallagher P, Kerdraon A, Mackinnon A, Magdalenic J, Rucker H, Anderson J, Asgekar A, Avruch IM, Bell ME, Bentum MJ, Bernardi G, Best P, Bîrzan L, Bonafede A, Broderick JW, Brüggen M, Butcher HR, Ciardi B, Corstanje A, Gasperin FD, Geus ED, Deller A, Duscha S, Eislöffel J, Engels D, Falcke H, Fender R, Ferrari C, Frieswijk W, Garrett MA, Grießmeier J, Gunst AW, Haarlem MV, Hassall TE, Heald G, Hessels JW, Hoeft M, Hörandel J, Horneffer A, Juette E, Karastergiou A, Klijn WF, Kondratiev VI, Kramer M, Kuniyoshi M, Kuper G, Maat P, Markoff S, McFadden R, McKay-Bukowski D, McKean JP, Mulcahy DD, Munk H, Nelles A, Norden MJ, Orru E, Paas H, Pandey-Pommier M, Pandey VN, Pizzo R, Polatidis AG, Rafferty D, Reich W, Röttgering H, Scaife AM, Schwarz DJ, Serylak M, Sluman J, Smirnov O, Stappers BW, Tagger M, Tang Y, Tasse C, Veen ST, Thoudam S, Toribio MC, Vermeulen R, Weeren RJ, Wise MW, Wucknitz O, Yatawatta S, Zarka P, Zensus JA (2018)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2018

Journal

Book Volume: 611

Article Number: A57

DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/201629017

Abstract

The Sun's activity leads to bursts of radio emission, among other phenomena. An example is type-III radio bursts. They occur frequently and appear as short-lived structures rapidly drifting from high to low frequencies in dynamic radio spectra. They are usually interpreted as signatures of beams of energetic electrons propagating along coronal magnetic field lines. Here we present novel interferometric LOFAR (LOw Frequency ARray) observations of three solar type-III radio bursts and their reverse bursts with high spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution. They are consistent with a propagation of the radio sources along the coronal magnetic field lines with nonuniform speed. Hence, the type-III radio bursts cannot be generated by a monoenergetic electron beam, but by an ensemble of energetic electrons with a spread distribution in velocity and energy. Additionally, the density profile along the propagation path is derived in the corona. It agrees well with three-fold coronal density model by (1961, ApJ, 133, 983).

Authors with CRIS profile

Involved external institutions

University of Oxford United Kingdom (GB) Royal Observatory of Belgium / Koninklijke Sterrenwacht van België / Observatoire royal de Belgique Belgium (BE) Astron Netherlands (NL) Radboud University Nijmegen Netherlands (NL) Max-Planck-Institut für Radioastronomie / Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy Germany (DE) University of Amsterdam Netherlands (NL) Sodankylä Geophysical Observatory Finland (FI) University of Southampton United Kingdom (GB) University of Groningen / Rijksuniversiteit Groningen Netherlands (NL) Centre de Recherche Astrophysique de Lyon (CRAL) France (FR) Leiden University Netherlands (NL) National Center for Scientific Research / Centre national de la recherche scientifique (CNRS) France (FR) Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam / Leibniz-Institut für Astrophysik Potsdam Germany (DE) Rutherford Appleton Laboratory United Kingdom (GB) Trinity College Dublin Ireland (IE) University of Glasgow United Kingdom (GB) Institut für Weltraumforschung (IWF) / Space Research Institute Austria (AT) Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum - GFZ Germany (DE) Netherlands Institute for Space Research / Stichting Ruimteonderzoek Nederland (SRON) Netherlands (NL) Australia Telescope National Facility (ATNF) Australia (AU) Smithsonian Institution United States (USA) (US) University of Edinburgh United Kingdom (GB) Universität Hamburg (UHH) Germany (DE) Australian National University (ANU) Australia (AU) Max-Planck-Institut für Astrophysik / Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics Germany (DE) Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg (TLS) - Karl-Schwarzschild-Observatorium Germany (DE) Lagrange Laboratory France (FR) University of Orléans / Université d'Orléans France (FR) Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) Germany (DE) Universität Bielefeld Germany (DE) Rhodes University South Africa (ZA) University of Manchester United Kingdom (GB)

How to cite

APA:

Mann, G., Breitling, F., Vocks, C., Aurass, H., Steinmetz, M., Strassmeier, K.G.,... Zensus, J.A. (2018). Tracking of an electron beam through the solar corona with LOFAR. Astronomy & Astrophysics, 611. https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201629017

MLA:

Mann, G., et al. "Tracking of an electron beam through the solar corona with LOFAR." Astronomy & Astrophysics 611 (2018).

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