11/09/2023
By Lynne Schaufenbil
Title: Small-Scale Magnetic Fields are Critical to Shaping Solar Gamma-Ray Emission
Abstract:
The Sun is a bright gamma-ray source due to hadronic cosmic-ray interactions with solar gas. While it is known that incoming cosmic rays must generally first be reflected by solar magnetic fields to produce outgoing gamma rays, theoretical models have yet to reproduce the observed spectra. In this talk, I will highlight past solar gamma-ray data from Fermi-LAT and HAWC. I will then introduce a simplified model of the solar magnetic fields that captures the main elements relevant to solar gamma-ray production in the quiet photosphere. Despite having no tuning to match gamma-ray data, our model produces a gamma-ray spectrum that reasonably matches Fermi-LAT data at 1–200GeV and the HAWC data at near 1 TeV. I will conclude by discussing the importance of solar gamma-ray searches in probing solar-surface magnetic fields.
Please RSVP to Lynne_Schaufenbil@uml.edu if you would like to attend. Thank you!