Abstract The sustained gamma-ray emission (SGRE) from the Sun is a prolonged enhancement of >100 MeV gamma-ray emission that extends beyond the flare impulsive phase. The origin of the >300 MeV protons resulting in SGRE is debated, with both flares and shocks driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs) being the suggested sites of proton acceleration. We compared the near-Sun acceleration and space speed of CMEs with “Prompt” and “Delayed” (SGRE) gamma-ray components. We found that “Delayed”-component-associated CMEs have higher initial accelerations and space speeds than “Prompt Only”-component-associated CMEs. We selected halo CMEs (HCMEs) associated with type II radio bursts (shock-driving HCMEs) and compared the average acceleration and space speed between HCME populations with or without SGRE events, major solar energetic particle (SEP) events, metric, or decameter-hectometric (DH) type II radio bursts. We found that the SGRE-producing HCMEs associated with a DH type II radio burst and/or a major SEP event have higher space speeds and especially initial accelerations than those without an SGRE event. We estimated the radial distances and speeds of the CME-driven shocks at the end time of the 2012 January 23 and March 7 SGRE events using white-light images of STEREO Heliospheric Imagers and radio dynamic spectra of Wind WAVES. The shocks were at the radial distances of 0.6–0.8 au and their speeds were high enough (≈975 km s−1and ≈750 km s−1, respectively) for high-energy particle acceleration. Therefore, we conclude that our findings support the CME-driven shock as the source of >300 MeV protons.
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Imaging and Radio Signatures of Shock–Plasmoid Interaction
Understanding how shocks interact with coronal structures is crucial for understanding the mechanisms of particle acceleration in the solar corona and inner heliosphere. Using simultaneous radio and white-light observations, we investigate the interaction between a coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven shock and a plasmoid. LASCO and STEREO-A COR-2 white-light images are analyzed to track the evolution of the plasmoid, CME, and its associated shock, while the Wind/WAVES and STEREO/WAVES dynamic spectra provide complementary radio signatures of the shock–plasmoid interaction at ≈7R⊙. An interplanetary type II radio burst was detected as the shock propagated through the plasmoid. The merging of the plasmoid into the CME was accompanied by interplanetary type III radio bursts, suggesting escaping electron beams during the reconnection process. These observations clearly demonstrate that shock–plasmoid interactions can enhance the efficiency of particle acceleration associated with CMEs, with implications for electron acceleration in flare and heliospheric current sheets as well.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2229336
- PAR ID:
- 10674071
- Publisher / Repository:
- AAS
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Volume:
- 991
- Issue:
- 1
- ISSN:
- 2041-8205
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- L3
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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