Monday, February 07, 2022 at 3:35pm

Online only https://cuboulder.zoom.us/j/96468671083

Mark Cheung, LMSAL

"Testing the Physics of Solar and Stellar Flares with Extreme UV Observations and Radiative MHD Simulations"

Abstract:

Solar and stellar flares are the most intense emitters of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation in planetary systems. On the Sun, strong flares are usually found in newly emerging sunspot regions. The emergence of these magnetic sunspot groups leads to the accumulation of magnetic energy in the corona. Following magnetic reconnection, the energy released powers coronal mass ejections and heats plasma to temperatures beyond tens of millions of Kelvins. In part one of this talk, we show how extreme UV images (EUV) of the solar corona taken by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory are used to quantify the thermal structure and evolution of magnetically active regions on the Sun. Lessons learned from such studies guide the development of models of flares and eruptions. In the second part of this talk, we present radiative magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) simulations of flares and eruptions that cover the life cycle of a solar flare. In part three of this talk, we introduce the Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE), a proposed mission for performing EUV integral field spectroscopy to address outstanding questions of coronal physics.

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