TITLE:
Calculation of 10Be & 14C Production Rates in the Solar Atmosphere: Implications for Solar Flare Spectral Index
AUTHORS:
Glynn E. Bricker
KEYWORDS:
Solar Wind; Radio-Nuclide; 10Be; 14C; Solar Flare Parameter
JOURNAL NAME:
International Journal of Astronomy and Astrophysics,
Vol.3 No.2A,
June
14,
2013
ABSTRACT:
Production rates for the short-lived radionuclides 10Be (T1/2=1.36Myr) and14C(T1/2=5730 yr) in the solar atmosphere
were calculated. As both radionuclides are produced through spallation reaction
of solar energetic particles (SEP) with oxygen as the primary target, the
prevalence of each radionuclide is linked. For the calculations, we assumed
power law distribution for SEP with spectral index, r, ranging from 2.5 to 4. We find the 10Be and14Cflux rate at the surface
of the Sun to range from 0.007 cm﹣2.s﹣1 to 2.55 cm﹣2.s﹣1 for 10Be, and from 0.13 cm﹣2.s﹣1 to 24.13 cm﹣2.s﹣1 for14C. These radio-nuclides are then entrained in
the solar wind. From these flux rate calculations and comparison with experimentally
measured flux rates ,we find the most likely time averaged solar flare spectral
index to be r = ~3.3.