Detection of Solar Neutrons and Solar Neutron Decay Protons

Abstract

Solar flares are broadly classified as impulsive or gradual. Ions accelerated in a gradual flare are thought to be accelerated through a shock acceleration mechanism, but the particle acceleration process in an impulsive flare is still largely unexplored. To understand the acceleration process, it is necessary to measure the high-energy gamma rays and neutrons produced by the impulsive flare. Under such circumstances, on 7 November 2004, a huge X2.0 flare occurred on the solar surface, where ions were accelerated to energies greater than 10 GeV. The accelerated primary protons collided with the solar atmosphere and produced line gamma rays and neutrons. These particles were received as neutrons and line gamma rays, respectively. Neutrons of a few GeV, on the other hand, decay to produce secondary protons while traveling 0.06 au in the solar–terrestrial space. These secondary protons arrive at the magnetopause. Although the flux of secondary protons is very low, the effect of collecting secondary protons arriving in a wide region of the magnetosphere (the Funnel or Horn effect) has resulted in significant signals being received by the solar neutron telescope at Mt. Sierra Negra (4600 m). This information suggests that ions on the solar surface are accelerated to over 10 GeV with an impulsive flare.