Measuring the Mass Flux and Magnetic Evolution of Jets in the Solar Atmosphere

George Mason University, Fairfax VA

Investigators

Abstract

The proposing team will carry out a comprehensive study of the structure and evolution of coronal hole jets in order to discover the connections between the solar wind and magnetic structures at the solar surface. The team will use data from instruments on board the Hinode spacecraft to measure the parameters relevant to the magnetic evolution that leads to explosive events (EEs) and coronal hole jets (CHJs) on the Sun, as well as to measure the mass that is ejected from such events. Explosive events and coronal hole jets are particularly well suited to the spectroscopic analysis and magnetic field studies that this team will perform. The team specifically intends to study how the Sun's magnetic field evolution triggers EEs and CHJs, to determine how often EEs promote a measurable response in the solar chromosphere and/or corona, and to calculate the total mass flux of CHJs. This research will increase our understanding of the variable flow of mass and energy through the lower solar atmosphere. The comprehensive statistics for CHJs collected by this team will provide insight into the possible role of these jets in the mass and energy flux going into the corona and solar wind, and thus aid in the development of improved predictive space weather models that depend on coupling the lower solar atmosphere to the corona. The team will provide a database of all analyzed CHJ events to the public, so that the scientific results of this investigation can be further exploited by the general solar physics community. The co-investigator of this effort is a female scientist employed in industry, so this project will advance the participation of underrepresented groups in science while enhancing an ongoing academic-federal lab-industrial partnership.