The collisional thick target model , wherein a large number of electrons are accelerated down a flaring loop , can be used to explain many observed properties of solar flares .
In this study , we focus on the sensitivity of GOES flare classification to the properties of the thick target model .
Using a hydrodynamic model with RHESSI-derived electron beam parameters , we explore the effects of the beam energy flux ( or total non-thermal energy ) , the cut-off energy , and the spectral index of the electron distribution on the soft X-rays ( SXRs ) observed by GOES .
We conclude that ( 1 ) the GOES class is proportional to the non-thermal energy E ^ { \alpha } for \alpha \approx 1.7 in the low energy passband ( 1-8 Å ) and \approx 1.6 in the high energy passband ( 0.5-4 Å ) ; ( 2 ) the GOES class is only weakly dependent on the spectral index in both passbands ; ( 3 ) increases in the cut-off will increase the flux in the 0.5-4 Å passband , but decrease the flux in the 1-8 Å passband , while decreases in the cut-off will cause a decrease in the 0.5-4 Å passband and a slight increase in the 1-8 Å passband .