OUR OVERARCHING SCIENTIFIC GOAL IS A PHYSICAL UNDERSTANDING OF THE EVOLUTION OF A FLARING ATMOSPHERE AS IT RESPONDS TO A POWERFUL ENERGY RELEASE. THIS STUDY ADDRESSES FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES OF PLASMA PHYSICS AND ATOMIC PHYSICS AT THE HEART OF MODERN SOLAR FLARE RESEARCH. OUR APPROACH COMBINES SPECTROSCOPIC AND IMAGING DATA WITH SOPHISTICATED NUMERICAL AND FORWARD MODELS TO ANSWER TWO SCIENTIFIC QUESTIONS: A. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE MASS AND ENERGY TRANSPORT THROUGH THE SOLAR ATMOSPHERE THAT LEADS TO THE CREATION OF THE BRIGHT POST-FLARE ARCADE LOOPS? B. HOW DO TRANSPORT PROCESSES CHANGE AS FLARES PROGRESS AND NEW ARCADE LOOPS ARE CREATED?

William Marsh Rice University, Houston TX

Investigators