Micro-type III radio bursts

We present a detailed description of the features of solar "micro-type III" radio bursts, which are elements of the so-called type III storms, using long-term observations made by the Geotail and Akebono satellites. Micro-type III bursts are characterized by short-lived, continuous, and weak emission. Their average power is estimated to be well below that of the largest type III bursts, by 6 orders of magnitude. When they occur, these bursts have a distribution of emitted power flux that is different from that of ordinary type III bursts, indicating that they are not just weaker versions of the ordinary bursts. Micro-type III burst activity is not accompanied by significant solar soft X-ray activity. We identify the active regions responsible for micro-type III bursts by examining the concurrence of their development and decay with the bursts. It is found that both micro and ordinary type III bursts can emanate from the same active region without interference, indicating the coexistence of independent electron acceleration processes. It is suggested that the active regions responsible for micro-type III bursts generally border on coronal holes.