Vestnik Otdelenia nauk o Zemle RAN, VOL. 8, NZ5001, doi:10.2206/2016NZ000126, 2016

Solar flare super events: the conditions of the origin and the implementation of energy limits

V. N. Ishkov

IZMIRAN, Moscow, Russia

GC RAS, Moscow, Russia

Abstract

The solar flare events are the main factors affecting the interplanetary environment, which determines nearly all the spheres of biological and technological conditions of our civilization. Therefore, the quantification of the maximum of potential energy of these events is the key issue for the solar physics at this stage of Sun evolution. During the period of scientific observations, the most powerful solar flares had energies grater than 10³² erg, up to 10³³ erg, while the active Sun-like stars had 10³⁶ erg. Taking into account, that the solar flare events are the consequences of the newly emerging magnetic fluxes interacting with the already existing magnetic fields of active regions, knowing the largest observed sunspot group area (magnetic flux) and suggesting the possibility of the floating-up of the secondary magnetic flux of similar magnitude within this sunspot group, and, as a result, the implementation of the single solar flare, which has summarized all the received energy, we can estimate the maximum energy output from such a flare event. The result shows, that the energy of this fantastic event will exceed already observed solar super-events only by several times and will not have a disastrous impact on our civilization.

Received 4 May 2016; published 16 May 2016.

Copyright 2016 by the Geophysical Center RAS