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Kinetic description of electron beams in the solar chromosphereWe formulate the relativistic Fokker-Plank equation for a beam of accelerated electrons interacting with a partially ionized plasma. In our derivation we conserved those terms contributing to velocity diffusion and found that this effect cannot be neglected a priori. We compute the terms accounting for elastic and inelastic collisions with neutral hydrogen and helium. Collisions with neutral hydrogen are found to be dominant throughout the chromosphere, except at the uppermost layers close to the transition region. As an application, we compute the loss of energy and momentum for a power-law beam impinging on the solar chromosphere, for a particular case in which the Fokker-Planck equation can be integrated analytically. We find that most of the beam energy is deposited in a relatively thin region of the chromosphere, a result which is largely insensitive to the theoretical method employed to compute the energy deposition rate.
Document ID
19930027906
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
External Source(s)
Authors
Gomez, Daniel O.
(Hawaii Univ. Honolulu, United States)
Mauas, Pablo J.
(Arcetri Osservatorio Astrofisico, Florence, Italy)
Date Acquired
August 15, 2013
Publication Date
October 20, 1992
Publication Information
Publication: Astrophysical Journal, Part 1
Volume: 398
Issue: 2
ISSN: 0004-637X
Subject Category
Solar Physics
Accession Number
93A11903
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NSG-7054
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-864
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-2969
CONTRACT_GRANT: NAGW-112
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Other

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