Welcome to the new version of CaltechAUTHORS. Login is currently restricted to library staff. If you notice any issues, please email coda@library.caltech.edu
Published April 12, 2021 | public
Book Section - Chapter

Solar Energetic Particles

Abstract

Solar energetic particles (SEPs) have been studied for over seven decades, initially from ground-based instrumentation and now routinely from spacecraft throughout the heliosphere. Our knowledge of the acceleration and transport of these particles from close to the Sun througzh the interplanetary medium has advanced dramatically in the last 40 years as the instrumentation and modeling capabilities have become more sophisticated. However, a full understanding of the conditions and processes that cause variability in SEP event characteristics remains elusive due to the scarcity of in situ measurements well inside 1 AU. This chapter reviews our current understanding of the properties of SEP events, how they are accelerated and transported, and the impact of those processes on event variability. It is not an exhaustive review, but provides a snapshot of the state of our understanding before the near-Sun observations from the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter missions reveal surprises that challenge this understanding.

Additional Information

Portions of this work have been supported at JHU/APL by NASA grant NNX17AC05G/125225 and L. W. thanks NSFC for support under grants 41861134033 and 41774183.

Additional details

Created:
August 20, 2023
Modified:
January 15, 2024