Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope

High-energy Observations of Solar Flares During Solar Cycle 24th with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Nicola Omodei
(Nicola Omodei, Melissa Pesce-Rollins, Alice Allafort, Francesco Longo, on behalf of the Fermi LAT collaboration)

Abstract:

The Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) observations of the active Sun provide the largest sample of detected solar flares with emission greater than 30 MeV to date. These include detections of impulsive and hours-long sustained emission coincident with GOES X-ray flares as well as very fast Coronal Mass Ejections (CME). Of particular interest is the first detection of >100 MeV gamma-ray emission from three solar flares whose positions behind the limb were confirmed by the STEREO spacecrafts and the 2017 September 10 X8.2 flare associated with Ground Level Enhancement 72. Fermi-LAT detections of solar flares at high energy present an unique opportunity to explore the mechanisms of high-energy emission and particle acceleration and transport in solar flares. We will present results from the first Fermi-LAT solar flare catalog covering Solar Cycle 24, including correlation studies with the associated Solar Energetic Particles (SEP) and CMEs.