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Collisional Plasma Temperature and Betatron Acceleration of Quasi-thermal Electrons in Solar Flares

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Abstract

Based on the model of a collapsing magnetic trap, we consider the influence of the temperature of a Maxwellian flare plasma on the efficiency of the betatron acceleration of quasi-thermal fast electrons in the cusp region of coronal loops. We show that an increase in the temperature causes a sharp growth (by 6–8 orders of magnitude) in the number density of quasi-thermal electrons which are capable of overcoming the ‘‘Coulomb loss barrier.’’ This suggests the necessity of background plasma preheating in the cusp region to \({\gtrsim}10\) MK, for which the betatron mechanism can be responsible. We discuss the connection between the impulsive phase of flare energy release and the X-ray precursors of solar flares.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, 298409, pos. Nauchnyi, Crimea, Russia

    Yu. T. Tsap

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

    V. F. Melnikov

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  1. Yu. T. Tsap
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  2. V. F. Melnikov
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Correspondence to Yu. T. Tsap.

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Translated by V. Astakhov

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Tsap, Y.T., Melnikov, V.F. Collisional Plasma Temperature and Betatron Acceleration of Quasi-thermal Electrons in Solar Flares. Astron. Lett. 49, 200–208 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1134/S1063773723040059

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