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Solar flares are eruptions of electromagnetic radiation originating in the Sun's atmosphere.[1] They affect all layers of the solar atmosphere (photosphere, chromosphere, and corona).[2] The plasma medium is heated to >107 kelvin, while electrons, protons, and heavier ions are accelerated to near the speed of light.[citation needed] Flares emit electromagnetic radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum at all wavelengths, from radio waves to gamma rays.[2] Flares occur in active regions, often around sunspots, where intense magnetic fields penetrate the photosphere to link the corona to the solar interior. Flares are powered by the sudden (timescales of minutes to tens of minutes) release of magnetic energy stored in the corona. The same energy releases may also produce coronal mass ejections (CMEs), although the relationship between CMEs and flares is still not well understood.[3] Associated with solar flares are flare sprays.[4] They involve faster ejections of material than eruptive prominences,[5] and reach velocities of 20 to 2000 kilometers per second.[6] Frequency The frequency of occurrence of solar flares varies with the 11-year solar cycle. It can range from several per day during solar maximum to less than one every week during solar minimum. Additionally, more powerful flares are less frequent than weaker ones. For example, X10-class (severe) flares occur on average about eight times per cycle, whereas M1-class (minor) flares occur on average about 2000 times per cycle.[7] Erich Rieger discovered with coworkers in 1984 an approximately 154 day period in the occurrence of gamma-ray emitting solar flares at least since the solar cycle 19.[8] The period has since been confirmed in most heliophysics data and the interplanetary magnetic field and is commonly known as the Rieger period. The period's resonance harmonics also have been reported from most data types in the heliosphere. The frequency distributions of various flare phenomena can be characterized by power-law distributions. For example, the peak fluxes of radio, extreme ultraviolet, and hard and soft X-ray emissions; total energies; and flare durations (see § Duration) have been found to follow power-law distributions.[9][10][11][12]: 23–28 Could this be the Linkey?