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The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite observed ..gamma..-ray lines during the 0312 UT solar flare on 1980 June 7. The impulsive X- and ..gamma..-ray event lasted for or approx. =50 MeV, produced during a approx.40 s interval overlapping the impulsive photon emission time interval. A total production of 4 x 10/sup 29/ neutrons is required, if they were produced isotropically.

The statistical reliability of reported positive observations of solar and cosmic gamma-ray lines has been evaluated. The relative probability that each measurement is due to a real source rather than to an accidental fluctuation in the background has been determined, and it is found that the results are statistically compelling in only a small fraction of the reported observations. At present, extreme caution must be exercised in drawing astrophysical conclusions from reports of the detection of cosmic gamma-ray lines.

Results are presented for the flare of July 1, 1980, which started at approximately 1627 UT and in which simultaneous measurements were made of X-ray, gamma-ray, and optical continuum emission for the entire duration of the flare. The X-ray and gamma-ray observations were made by the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite. The optical measurements were taken at the Sacramento Peak Observatory and the Big Bear Solar Observatory (Zirin and Neidig, 1981). It is found that the major white-light emission that occurs in the late phase of the flare could not have been due to heating by electron or ion precipitation. This conclusion derives from the fact that the X-ray and gamma-ray flux peaks approximately 1 minute before the maximum of the optical continuum mission emission. It is also found that approximately 73 percent of the optical continuum emission, representing a spatially and temporally distinct bright point, follows this maximum with little or no X-ray or gamma-ray emission in the same period.

The Gamma Ray Spectrometer on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite has observed energetic solar neutrons (greater than 50 MeV) at the earth following a solar flare that occurred on the west limb on June 21, 1980 at 01:18:20 UT. Impulsive photon emission from 10 keV to greater than 65 MeV lasting over a period of about 66 s was followed by a transient flux of 50-600 MeV neutrons incident over a 17 minute period. The peak counting rate corresponds to an average flux at the earth of (3.8 + or - 0.6) x 10 to the -2nd neutrons/sq cm s at 130 MeV. These observations indicate the emission of 3 x 10 to the 28th neutrons/sr with energies greater than 50 MeV, requiring the rapid acceleration (much less than 60 s) of protons to GeV energies during the impulsive phase of the flare.

A global time-dependent model is presented for the coronal and interplanetary shock acceleration and propagation of energetic solar flare particles. The calculations are carried out to help prove that coronal shock acceleration of solar flare particles is responsible for energetic solar flare event data gathered in interplanetary space. The model is based on the theory of diffusive shock acceleration, and requires particle speeds to be much greater than bulk velocities. Also, sufficient scattering must occur upstream and downstream of the shock for the particle scattering mean free path to be smaller than the characteristic scale lengths, which causes the same particles to encounter the shock repeatedly. A spherically symmetric shock wave is assumed, which leads to the same emission configuration for impulsively and monoenergetically emitted particles. Consideration is given to acceleration by compression at the shock front, adiabatic deceleration in the divergent downstream flow, the temporal evolution of the shock and the three-dimensional geometry of the corona. The model is used to generate normalized proton omnidirectional distributions at 1 AU and at the shock front. The spectral exhibit trends similar to those in observational data, especially proton acceleration times and the proton distribution profiles at 1 AU.

Differential fluxes of gamma rays were calculated for energies of 2-25 MeV, zenith angles of 0-50 deg and 180-130 deg, and atmospheric depths from nominal sea level, 1000 g/sq cm, to float altitude, 3.5 g/sq cm residual atmosphere. Above 100 g/sq cm growth curves were constructed to estimate the contribution of the extraterrestrial gamma ray flux to the total downward-moving flux, while the upward-moving gamma rays were taken to be strictly of atmospheric origin. Below 100 g/sq cm, all gamma rays originate in the atmosphere. The downward atmospheric flux increases by almost two orders of magnitude between float altitude and the Pfotzer maximum, while the extraterrestrial flux is attenuated exponentially. Gamma rays produced by neutron interactions with the carbon in the scintillator liquid are eliminated by constructing growth curves for downward-moving gamma rays at high altitudes and are negligible compared with downward-moving gamma rays at lower altitudes and upward-moving gamma rays at all altitudes.