Comparing Post-Reconnection Energetic Electron and Ion Signatures in Earth’s Inner

Magnetosphere and Near the Sun

Harlan E. Spenceand

Nathan A. Schwadron

Boston UniversityCenter for Space Physics

• RHESSI observations (2003) spatially-resolve for first time the locations of electron and ion acceleration in solar flares

• Comparison of ion (neutron capture) and electron (bremsstrahlung) proxies reveals dislocation of accelerated electron and ion populations near the Sun

Excerpts from Hurford’s discovery paper

Sola

r limb

Ion sites (circles)

Electron sites (contours)

• Initial RHESSI results affirmed in Hurford et al.’s (2006) publication

• Three additional flares possess similar accelerated electron/ion location phenomenology

• Gradient/curvature drift separation explored and rejected

• Displacements still not adequately explained

• Inner magnetosphere substorm injections have similar phenomenology

• Phenomena has been well studies observationally and recently through MHD modeling and test particle simulation

• Birn et al.’s (1997, 1998) simulations reproduce observed features well

Earthward collapsing field

lines

Noon-midnightmeridian

Electrons displaced to east

Ions displaced to west

Substorm Life Cycle