Anisotropic bremsstrahlung emission and the form of regularized electron flux spectra in solar flares.

Description

The cross-section for bremsstrahlung photon emission in solar flares is in general a function of the angle θ between the incoming electron and the outgoing photon directions. Thus the electron spectrum required to produce a given pho- ton spectrum is a function of this angle, which is related to the position of the flare on the solar disk and the direction(s) of the pre-collision electrons relative to the local solar vertical. We compare mean electron flux spectra for the flare of August 21, 2002, using cross-sections for parameterized ranges of the angle θ. Implications for the shape of the mean source electron spectrum, and for the injected power in nonthermal electrons, are discussed.

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