MOTIONS, RELATIVE POSITIONS, AND SIZES OF CONTINUA AND BURSTS IN SOLAR NOISE STORMS

We present multifrequency radioheliograph observations of solar radio noise storms. The data base consists of observations carried out over 7 different days in the spring months of 1992 and 1993. In all, we pre sent about 82 hours of data with 1 s time resolution at 4 different fr equencies between 164 and 410 MHz. The spatial resolutions in the EW a nd NS directions vary with frequency from 1.2 to 0.8 and 3.7 to 1.5 ar c min, respectively. In order to study the characteristics of bursts a nd continuum, we have developed a method for separating them in the ti me domain at each frequency. Our main results are: (i) there are no sy stematic large-scale motions of the continuum, the position is usually stable to within 2' of arc over durations of 3-4 hours and more; (ii) the positions of the continuum at different frequencies are often clo ser to each other than 1' of arc and have strongly correlated small-sc ale motions; (iii) the bursts have their positions scattered over the continuum extent and are slightly smaller in size than the underlying continuum; and (iv) there is no evidence for bipolar structures. We di scuss the implications of these results for the current models of nois e storm emission and for the trapping of suprathermal electrons.