Irish medical journal · 2005 · 50 citations · 0 references
Natural SciencesAstronomyPhysicsAstrophysicsGravitationInterstellar MediumAstroparticle PhysicsCoronal Mass EjectionsSolar Active RegionsSolar CoronaSolar PhysicsCme ShocksCme Trigger MechanismsGround Level EnhancementsHeliospheric PhysicsHeliospheric PlasmasParticle AccelerationParticle Acceleration MechanismsSolar Particle Acceleration
We study the relation between ground level enhancements (GLEs) and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft has observed CMEs during 13 of the 14 GLEs recorded in cycle 23 (as of August 2005). The GLE-associated CMEs represent the fastest known population of CMEs. All the GLEs were also associated with metric type II bursts. Comparison between GLE and metric type II onsets suggests that coronal shocks are formed before GLEs are released at the Sun. These results are consistent with particle acceleration by CME-driven shocks.