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Particles are accelerated to very high, non-thermal energies during explosive
energy-release phenomena in space, solar, and astrophysical plasma
environments. In the case of solar flares, it has been established that
magnetic reconnection plays an important role for releasing the magnetic
energy, but it remains unclear if or how magnetic reconnection can further
explain particle acceleration during flares. Here we argue that the key issue
is the lack of understanding of the precise context of particle acceleration
but it can be overcome, in the near future, by performing imaging-spectroscopy
in soft X-rays (SXRs). Such observations should be complemented by observations
in other wavelengths such as extreme-ultraviolets (EUVs), microwaves, hard
X-rays (HXRs), and gamma-rays. Also, numerical simulations will be crucial for
further narrowing down the particle acceleration mechanism in the context
revealed by the observations. Of all these efforts, imaging-spectroscopy in
SXRs, if successfully applied to large limb flares, will be a milestone in our
challenge of understanding electron acceleration in solar flares and beyond,
i.e. the Plasma Universe.
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