Nuclear processes and accelerated particles in solar flares

Abstract

Nuclear processes and particle acceleration in solar flares are reviewed. The theory of gamma-ray and neutron production is discussed and results of calculations are compared to gamma-ray, neutron, and charged-particle observations from solar flares. The implications of these comparisons on particle energy spectra, total numbers, anisotropies, electron-to-proton ratios, as well as on acceleration mechanisms and the interaction site, are presented. The information on elemental and isotopic abundances derived from gamma-ray observations is compared to abundances obtained from escaping accelerated particles and other sources.