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Additional Stochastic Acceleration of Nonthermal Electrons during Their Interaction with Whistler Turbulence in Flare Loops

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Abstract

The process of additional acceleration of nonthermal electrons during their stochastic interaction with the turbulence of whistlers propagating along a flare loop is studied. The degree of influence of the effect on the pitch-angle scattering, energy, and spatial distributions of electrons has been estimated. It is shown that at a certain energy density, whistler turbulence can strongly affect not only pitch-angle scattering, but also electron acceleration in a flare loop, which results in a rapid and significant (by orders of magnitude) increase in the concentration of high-energy (E = 100–5000 keV) electrons that is also accompanied by a significant flattening of their energy spectrum.

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Funding

The work was supported by the Russian Science Foundation, grant no. 22-12-00308 (VFM) and the Russian Foundation for Basic Research, grant no. 20-52-26 006 (LVF).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Nizhny Novgorod State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, 603950, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia

    L. V. Filatov

  2. Pulkovo Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, 196140, Pulkovo, St. Petersburg, Russia

    V. F. Melnikov

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  1. L. V. Filatov
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  2. V. F. Melnikov
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Correspondence to L. V. Filatov.

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Translated by O. Ponomareva

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Filatov, L.V., Melnikov, V.F. Additional Stochastic Acceleration of Nonthermal Electrons during Their Interaction with Whistler Turbulence in Flare Loops. Geomagn. Aeron. 62, 1059–1065 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1134/S0016793222080102

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