Acceleration and Transport Modeling of Solar Energetic Particle Charge States for the Event of 1998 September 9

Again, not really a comprehensive flare cartoon, but one intended to illustrate a particular and perplexing physical problem, namely the heliospheric propagation of SEPs It is in particular one that often would not occur to a specialist in solar-flare research, since it deals with the arcane but crucial problem of how solar energetic ions attain their charge states. The charge states (as with the abundances themselves) provide us with really sensitive tools with which to probe the physics, if only we could figure out how to use them. This is not a fringe field: SEPs can have huge energies and must be considered as an integral part of the overall picture of a flare or at least of the process. It is noteworthy here that open field lines need to be in place prior to the event, and this cartoon allows for that (whereas CSHKP does not).

      A technical question here: the reconnection appears to require that the two flux tubes lean affectionately together - why would they do that? Also a comment - the accelerated particles here fill one of the flux tubes, but pretty clearly not directly as a result of the reconnection. The authors refer to the whole cartoon as the "acceleration region."