Gamma-Ray Emission from the Solar Disk

Ms. Guanying Zhu

Ohio State University

The Sun is shining in gamma rays, not on its own, but due to interactions with cosmic rays. We simulate gamma-ray emission from the solar disk in the scenarios of with and without surface magnetic field, respectively. We find that a new component – backsplash gammas – which was not appreciated before is important for the sub-GeV range. With this new component, the sub-GeV data from Fermi-LAT is better explained. In the future, it would be promising for AMEGO to explore the Sun in the MeV range. This is important for understanding solar magnetic fields and cosmic-ray propagation, as well as improving searches for new physics.