An Interpretation of Solar Flare Microwave Spikes as Gyrosynchrotron Masering

Abstract

Repeated bursts of microwave emission were observed by Slottje (1978) during the solar flares of April 11 and April 28, 1978. The high brightness temperatures which are inferred for these bursts indicate that a coherent mechanism must be responsible for the observed radiation. Slottje suggests that the emission is plasma radiation at the fundamental plasma frequency. We consider here the alternative possibility that the emission is coherent gyrosynchrotron radiation.