A. S. Glyanenko

The Solar Flare Catalog in the Low-Energy Gamma-Ray Range Based on the AVS-F Instrument Data Onboard the CORONAS-F Satellite in 2001-2005

The AVS-F apparatus onboard the CORONAS-F satellite (operated from July 31, 2001, to December 6, 2005) was intended for investigation of solar hard X-ray and gamma-ray radiation and for registration of gamma-ray bursts. The AVS-F apparatus constitutes a system for processing the data from two detectors: SONG-D (a CsI(Tl) scintillation detector 200 mm in diameter and 100 mm in height, fully surrounded by plastic anticoincidence shield) and RPS-1 (a solid state CdTe detector 4.9 mm × 4.9 mm in size). Over 60 solar flares stronger than M1.0 class by GOES classification were registered during the period from August 2001 to February 2005. Most flares showed gamma-ray emission during the periods when a rise in the X-ray flux was observed by the GOES instruments. Some flares produced gamma-rays only at maximum X-ray emission; for some flares, the durations of gamma-ray and X-ray emissions were the same. Up to six complexes of spectral lines were detected in some solar flares. The AVS-F instrument analyzes temporal profiles of low-energy gamma-ray emission with a temporal resolution of 1 ms within the first 4.096 seconds of solar flares. The preliminary analysis of such temporal profiles for seven solar flares revealed time regularities with scales from 7 to 35 ms in the 0.1-to 20-MeV energy range only for the flare of January 20, 2005, at a confidence level of 99%.

Experimental study of parameters of X-ray radiation from solar flares using the PENGUIN-M instrument aboard the CORONAS-PHOTON spacecraft

The main characteristics of the PENGUIN-M instrument are given. The instrument has been operating aboard the CORONAS-PHOTON spacecraft (SC) launched into orbit on January 30, 2009. The instrument includes the PENGUIN-MD detector unit (PMD) and the PENGUIN-ME electronic unit (PMD). The purpose of the experiment is to measure the degree of linear polarization of X-ray radiation from solar flares in the energy range of 20–150 keV and to obtain energy spectra of X-ray radiation from solar flares in the energy range of 2–500 keV. The paper describes the instrument, calibration procedure, and in-flight adjustment, and contains the first results of measurements.

X-RAY SEMICONDUCTOR (CdTe) SPECTROMETER FOR SOLAR FLARE AND PREFLARE STUDIES

This paper describes the main parameters of an instrument for X-ray flux measurement and solar flare and preflare spectrum registration. The nontraditional CdTe semiconductor detector was space qualified and has sensitivity 0.5 cm2, energy region 3–30 keV, and energy resolutions ∼ 1.3 keV for 5.9 keV and ∼ 10% for 22.1 keV.

Gamma-ray radiation of solar flares in October-November 2003 according to the data obtained with the AVS-F instrument onboard the CORONAS-F satellite

Thirty active regions were observed on the Sun during the period from October 19 to November 20, 2003. Hard X-ray and gamma-ray radiation was detected from four active regions (10484, 10486, 10488, and 10490): 14 solar flares stronger than M5.0 according to the GOES classification were recorded during this period by detectors onboard the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES), Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), and other satellites. Five of these flares (and also the M2.7 flare of October 27, 2003) were also observed by the AVS-F apparatus onboard the CORONAS-F satellite. This paper discusses the time profiles and energy spectra of the solar flares of October 26, 2003 (M7.6), and October 29, 2003 (X10), and of the initial phase of the flare of November 4, 2003 (X18), obtained by the AVS-F instrument during the passage of the satellite over the regions near the geomagnetic equator. The spectra of the M7.6 flare of October 26, 2003, and of the initial phase of the X18 flare of November 4, 2003, in the energy band from 0.1 to 17 MeV contain no lines, whereas the spectrum of the flare of October 29, 2003, exhibits nuclear lines and the 2.2-MeV line during the entire flare gamma-ray emission registration. We also report the time profiles of the flare of October 29, 2003, in the energy bands corresponding to the continuum in the energy band 0.3–0.6 MeV, the nuclear lines of 56Fe, 24Mg, 20Ne, 28Si, 12C, and 16O, and the 2.2-MeV neutron-capture line. The analysis of these temporal profile periodograms shows the presence of a thin structure with characteristic scales from 34 to 158 s at the 99% confidence level. The AVS-F apparatus analyzes temporal profiles of low-energy gamma-ray emission with a temporal resolution of 1 ms within the first 4.096 seconds of solar flares. The analysis of the data reveals no regularities in the time series on time scales ranging from 2 to 100 ms at a confidence level of 99% for these three solar flares.

Hard X-ray compton polarimetry with the PENGUIN-M instrument in the spaceborne experiment CORONAS-PHOTON

We describe the main parameters of the PENGUIN-MD detector unit of the PENGUIN-M instrument designed to measure the degree of linear polarization of X-ray radiation from solar flares in the energy range 20–150 keV and the X-ray spectra of solar flares in the energy range 2–500 keV. The method for measuring the X-ray polarization employed in the PENGUIN-MD unit is based on registration of coincidences in an active scatterer and scattered-radiation detectors. This method makes it possible to substantially reduce the background and to increase the sensitivity and reliability of the measurements.