Properties of the energetic particle distributions during the October 28, 2003 solar flare from INTEGRAL/SPI observations

¹ CSNSM, IN2P3-CNRS et Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Campus Orsay, France e-mail: kiener@csnsm.in2p3.fr
² DSM/DAPNIA/Service d'Astrophysique, CEA Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
³ Centre d'Étude Spatiale des Rayonnements, 9, avenue du Colonel Roche, 31028 Toulouse, France

Received: 20 June 2005
Accepted: 6 September 2005

Abstract

Analysis of spectra obtained with the gamma-ray spectrometer SPI onboard INTEGRAL of the GOES X17-class flare on October 28, 2003 is presented. In the energy range 600 keV–8 MeV three prominent narrow lines at 2.223, 4.4 and 6.1 MeV, resulting from nuclear interactions of accelerated ions within the solar atmosphere could be observed. Time profiles of the three lines and the underlying continuum indicate distinct phases with several emission peaks and varying continuum-to-line ratio for several minutes before a smoother decay phase sets in. Due to the high-resolution Ge detectors of SPI and the exceptional intensity of the flare, detailed studies of the 4.4 and 6.1 MeV line shapes was possible for the first time. Comparison with calculated line shapes using a thick target interaction model and several energetic particle angular distributions indicates that the nuclear interactions were induced by downward-directed particle beams with alpha-to-proton ratios of the order of 0.1. There are also indications that the 4.4 MeV to 6.1 MeV line fluence ratio changed between the beginning and the decay phase of the flare, possibly due to a temporal evolution of the energetic particle alpha-to-proton ratio.