Abstract
Solar flare radiation signatures show evidence of non-thermal distributions pointing to high-energy electron distributions and non-Gaussian plasma turbulence processes. The Kappa function has become an important diagnostic tool in recent years to study these signatures in a quantitative way and connect them to specific physical processes of particle acceleration and transport. In solar flares, the thermal emission of the heated background plasma and the bremsstrahlung from non-thermal electrons are usually superimposed. The Kappa distribution, commonly employed to describe solar wind particle spectra, can also be a useful tool to describe this effect for solar flare electrons with a unified treatment. Here, we discuss the context of solar flare observations and modelling and review the current state of the application of Kappa distributions in solar flare research.
Original language | English |
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Title of host publication | Kappa Distributions |
Subtitle of host publication | From Observational Evidences via Controversial Predictions to a Consistent Theory of Nonequilibrium Plasmas |
Editors | Marian Lazar, Horst Fichtner |
Place of Publication | Cham |
Publisher | Springer |
Pages | 89-103 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9783030826239 |
ISBN (Print) | 9783030826222, 9783030826253 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 28 Jul 2021 |