GLOBAL ENERGETICS OF THIRTY-EIGHT LARGE SOLAR ERUPTIVE EVENTS

Abstract

We have evaluated the energetics of 38 solar eruptive events observed by a\nvariety of spacecraft instruments between February 2002 and December 2006, as\naccurately as the observations allow. The measured energetic components\ninclude: (1) the radiated energy in the GOES 1 - 8 A band; (2) the total energy\nradiated from the soft X-ray (SXR) emitting plasma; (3) the peak energy in the\nSXR-emitting plasma; (4) the bolometric radiated energy over the full duration\nof the event; (5) the energy in flare-accelerated electrons above 20 keV and in\nflare-accelerated ions above 1 MeV; (6) the kinetic and potential energies of\nthe coronal mass ejection (CME); (7) the energy in solar energetic particles\n(SEPs) observed in interplanetary space; and (8) the amount of free\n(nonpotential) magnetic energy estimated to be available in the pertinent\nactive region. Major conclusions include: (1) the energy radiated by the\nSXR-emitting plasma exceeds, by about half an order of magnitude, the peak\nenergy content of the thermal plasma that produces this radiation; (2) the\nenergy content in flare-accelerated electrons and ions is sufficient to supply\nthe bolometric energy radiated across all wavelengths throughout the event; (3)\nthe energy contents of flare-accelerated electrons and ions are comparable; (4)\nthe energy in SEPs is typically a few percent of the CME kinetic energy\n(measured in the rest frame of the solar wind); and (5) the available magnetic\nenergy is sufficient to power the CME, the flare-accelerated particles, and the\nhot thermal plasma.\n