Scaling Dynamics of Photospheric Fields and the Problem of Energy Release in the Upper Solar Atmosphere

The University Corporation, Northridge, Northridge CA

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract: ATM 99-87305 Proposal Title: Scaling Dynamics of Photospheric Fields and the Problem of Energy Release in the Upper Solar Atmosphere Principal Investigator: Ana C. Cadavid The investigators will work to understand the evolution in space and time of magnetic flux, intensity and free energy at scales below the resolution of observations. The main effort is to fit sophisticated mathematical spectral functions to the observations of the larger scales and then extrapolate to the small scales below the limit of observational resolution to see what can be learned about heating the solar corona. The corona that provides both the solar wind and the X-ray emission of the Sun and, so far, the energy input that maintains the temperature is not firmly established. Specifically, the investigators will separate the cellular and turbulent components of the motion in the photosphere, which is of prime interest in the basic problem of coronal heating. Occasional mysterious rapid motion of magnetic footpoints has to date received little attention, in spite of its potential contribution to coronal heating. The investigation is intended to quantify the energy contribution that the sudden motions make.