How do solar flares produce X-rays, gamma rays, and radio bursts?

Solar flares are explosive releases of magnetic energy that accelerate charged particles, primarily electrons and protons, to high energies. These particles are the drivers behind the emission of X-rays, gamma rays, and radio bursts.1

• X-rays: These are produced through two primary mechanisms. First, high-energy electrons accelerated during the flare travel down magnetic field lines and heat the solar atmosphere, creating a dense, superhot cloud of coronal gas that emits X-rays. Additionally, X-rays can be generated via bremsstrahlung, a process where fast-moving electrons are suddenly decelerated or deflected by the electric fields of atomic nuclei in the solar chromosphere.213
• Gamma rays: These are produced by high-energy protons that collide with and excite or split atomic nuclei on the Sun's surface. These nuclear reactions result in the emission of gamma-ray lines, such as those from positron-electron annihilation and neutron-proton capture.1
• Radio bursts: These emissions are generated by the high-energy electrons accelerated during the flare. As these electrons move through the solar environment, they produce radio radiation, often through processes similar to synchrotron emission, where charged particles spiral within magnetic fields.14