Deconvolution of directly precipitating and trap-precipitating electrons in solar flare hard X-rays. III. Yohkoh hard X-Ray Telescope data analysis

We analyze the footpoint separation d and flux asymmetry A of magnetically conjugate double footpoint sources in hard X-ray images from the Yohkoh Har d X-Ray Telescope (HXT). The data set of 54 solar flares includes all event s simultaneously observed with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) in high time resolution mode. From the CGRO data we deconvolved the direct-pre cipitation and trap-precipitation components previously (in Paper II). Usin g the combined measurements from CGRO and HXT, we develop an asymmetric tra p model that allows us to quantify the relative fractions of four different electron components, i.e., the ratios of direct-precipitating (q(P1), q(P2 )) and trap-precipitating electrons (q(T1), q(T2)) at both magnetically con jugate footpoints. We find mean ratios of q(P1) = 0.14 +/- 0.06, q(P2) = 0. 26 +/- 0.10, and q(T) = q(T1) + q(T2) = 0.60 +/- 0.13. We assume an isotrop ic pitch-angle distribution at the acceleration site and double-sided trap precipitation (q(T2)/q(T1) = q(P2)/q(P1)) to determine the conjugate loss-c one angles (alpha(1) = 42 degrees +/- 11 degrees and alpha(2) = 52 degrees +/- 10 degrees) and magnetic mirror ratios at both footpoints (R-1 = 1.6, . .., 4.0 and R-2 = 1.3, ..., 2.5). From the relative displacement of footpoi nt sources we also measure altitude differences of hard X-ray emission at d ifferent energies, which are found to decrease systematically with higher e nergies, with a statistical height difference of h(Lo) - h(M1) = 980 +/- 25 0 km and h(M1) - h(M2) = 310 +/- 300 km between the three lower HXT energy channels (Lo, M1, M2).