Unveiling Dynamics of Coronal Magnetic Field and Nonthermal Electrons in Solar Flares With Microwave Imaging Spectroscopy and 3D Modeling

This project will analyze data at multiple wavelengths to analyze the movement, acceleration, heating, and magnetic properties of particles near solar flares. The investigators will use data obtained from radio and X-ray telescopes that are sensitive to the magnetic and plasma structure above solar flares to develop sophisticated modeling tools for further analysis.

The computational models and datasets will be provided with open access to the community and train other scientists to test models of solar flare eruptions and aid forecasting of flares and coronal mass ejections, which may be disruptive to society if aimed toward Earth. The data visualization and modeling tools will also be incorporated in graduate courses and with undergraduate research projects.

The team will analyze four-dimensional imaging spectra obtained at 1-18 GHz with the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA) that record information in two spatial dimensions, time, and frequency. They will also use the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) instrument on Solar Orbital, which records data over the energy range of 4-150 keV.

Together these datasets will provide constraints for the modeling tools of highly energetic particles near solar flares. The project will measure the coronal magnetic field in solar flares along with the thermal and nonthermal electron distributions with high spatial and temporal resolution to quantify the dynamics of the coronal magnetic field and nonthermal particles in solar flares.

They will then use these results to obtain new fundamental knowledge on universal physical processes occurring in solar flares such as magnetic reconnection, particle acceleration and transport, and plasma heating.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.