Solar Radio Spikes and Type IIIb Striae Manifestations of Subsecond Electron Acceleration Triggered by a Coronal Mass Ejection

Abstract

Understanding electron acceleration associated with magnetic energy release at subsecond scales presents major challenges in solar physics. Solar radio spikes observed as subsecond, narrow-bandwidth bursts with Δ f / f ∼ 10 ^−3 –10 ^−2 are indicative of a subsecond evolution of the electron distribution. We present a statistical analysis of frequency- and time-resolved imaging of individual spikes and Type IIIb striae associated with a coronal mass ejection (CME). LOFAR imaging reveals that the cotemporal (<2 s) spike and striae intensity contours almost completely overlap. On average, both burst types have a similar source size with a fast expansion at millisecond scales. The radio source centroid velocities are often superluminal and independent of frequency over 30–45 MHz. The CME perturbs the field geometry, leading to increased spike emission likely due to frequent magnetic reconnection. As the field restores itself toward the prior configuration, the observed sky-plane emission locations drift to increased heights over tens of minutes. Combined with previous observations above 1 GHz, the average decay time and source size estimates follow a ∼1/ f dependence over three decades in frequency, similar to radio-wave scattering predictions. Both time and spatial characteristics of the bursts between 30 and 70 MHz are consistent with radio-wave scattering with a strong anisotropy of the density fluctuation spectrum. Consequently, the site of the radio-wave emission does not correspond to the observed burst locations and implies acceleration and emission near the CME flank. The bandwidths suggest intrinsic emission source sizes <1″ at 30 MHz and magnetic field strengths a factor of two larger than average in events that produce decameter spikes.

Keywords

• Solar corona
• Solar radio emission