Time Profiles of Narrow and Broad Gamma-ray Lines Expected from trap-plus-precipitation Models of Energetic Ions

N. Vilmer and G. Trottet

DASOP/LPSH , Observatoire de Paris, section d, Astrophysique de Meudon, 92195-Meudon Cedex, France

Gamma-ray line emission (GRL) provides a unique information on ions accelerated during flares. While the bombardment of ambient nuclei by accelerated protons or alpha particles produce narrow GRL deexcitation lines, the inverse reactions in which accelerated C or heavier nuclei collide with ambient H or He produce broad lines. Both types of GRL emission have been observed in flares, but the analysis of broad lines has been performed so far on less events. Such a study was done for the behind the limb flare of 1 June 1991 observed by PHEBUS/GRANAT in which the thick target chromospheric part of the emission usually predominant in other flares was occulted. A strong coronal contribution was deduced (Barat et al, 1994) and effects due to the partial trapping of energetic particles are expected due to the different energy loss rates encountered by the different ion species (see Ramaty et al., 1997) and by the bremsstrahlung radiating electrons. Trap plus precipitation models in which the emission is a combination of radiation from trapped particles and particles precipitating into denser regions of the atmosphere have been previously developed for electrons and protons and applied to a few hard X-ray (HXR) and GRL line flares (e.g. Hulot et al, 1992). In this contribution, we extend the previous model to include the heavy ions and investigate the relative timing expected for narrow and broad GRL lines. We examine the conditions on the particle injection and radiation allowing to observe such an effect and evaluate the expected time dependence of the different GRL fluence ratio. The results of the model are discussed in the context of the 1 June 1991 event. Finally, we shall briefly discuss the potential application of such a model to the HESSI observations.

References:

Barat C., Trottet G., Vilmer N., et al., 1994 ApJ(Letters) 425, L109

Hulot E., Vilmer N., Chupp E.L., Dennis, B.R. Kane, S.R. 1992, Astronomy Astrophysics 256, 273

Ramaty R., Mandzhavidze N., Barat C., Trottet G., 1997 ApJ 479, 458