Long-duration hectometric type III radio bursts and their association with solar energetic particle (SEP) events

[1] It has recently been suggested by Cane et al. [2002] that a class of type III solar radio bursts, called type III-l, is reliably associated with intense solar energetic particle (SEP) events. They proposed that the causative electrons for these bursts are accelerated in regions of reconnecting magnetic field in the wakes of coronal mass ejections (CMEs). In this paper, we examine the durations, intensities, and other characteristics of such radio bursts in the hectometric frequency range and compare them to several groups of control events. We conclude that simple criteria, based on hectometric data alone, can identify the majority (similar to80%) of type III-l radio bursts, which are associated with >20 MeV SEP proton events, while excluding almost 100% of the control events. Detailed study of these type III-l bursts may play a significant role in a better understanding of the acceleration of SEPs and of the magnetic field evolution in the vicinity of CMEs.