
%0 Journal Article
%A Wheatland, M. S. 
%T A Test to Confirm the Source of Energy for Solar Flares
%J Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
%D 2002/01/14
%V 18
%N 4
%P 351-354
%K Sun: flares
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/AS01052
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/AS01052 
%X A test of the hypothesis that flares derive their energy from large scale current systems inferred from active region vector magnetograms is proposed. The test involves a statistical comparison of the flarerelated change in coronal magnetic energy (based on the magnetohydrodynamic virial theorem) and an independent measure of the energy of the flare. A simulation suggests that &#8212; assuming the hypothesis is correct&#8212;the test requires around 50 flares with energy greater than 51023 J to return a significant result. Existing archives of vector magnetograms should provide sufficient data for such a study. 
