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Neutron propagation and 2.2 MeV gamma-ray line production in the solar atmosphere

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Abstract

We have calculated the 2.2 MeV gamma-ray line intensity from the Sun using a Monte Carlo method for neutron propagation in the solar atmosphere. We provide detailed results on the total gamma-ray yield per neutron and on the time profile of the 2.2 MeV line from an instantaneous and monoenergetic neutron source. The parameters which have the most significant effects on the line intensity are the energies of the neutrons, the position of the neutron source on the Sun, and the abundance of He3 in the photosphere. For an isotropic neutron source which is not too close to the limb of the Sun, the gamma-ray yield is between about 0.02 to 0.2 photons per neutron, provided that the neutron energies are in the range 1 to 100 MeV and the ratio He3/H is less than about 5 × 10−5.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, University of Maryland, College Park, Md., U.S.A.

    H. T. Wang

  2. Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., U.S.A.

    R. Ramaty

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  1. H. T. Wang
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  2. R. Ramaty
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Wang, H.T., Ramaty, R. Neutron propagation and 2.2 MeV gamma-ray line production in the solar atmosphere. Sol Phys 36, 129–137 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00151553

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00151553

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