Predicting the Heliosphere

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The proposer plans to complete a model for the acceleration of the solar wind and the acceleration of solar energetic particles (SEPs) in various heliospheric settings. Ultimately, the PI seeks to first provide a quantitative description of the behavior of the magnetic field of the Sun that opens into the heliosphere (open magnetic flux") and then, based on this, develop a quantitative description of the heating and acceleration of particles. This is one of the key problems in heliospheric physics today.Among other tasks, the PI intends to develop models for stochastic acceleration in a diffusing magnetic field and in coronal loops (in order to explain the certain systematic enhancements observed in the composition of energetic particles in small solar flares). In addition, he will model the stochastic acceleration of energetic particles in the quiet-time solar wind, for application to other settings (such as the solar corona). The PI also plans to develop a model for the origin of the energetic particles in the solar corona that serve as seed particles for further acceleration by Coronal Mass Ejection (CME)-driven shocks in large SEP events. Finally, he intends to extend the theory of energetic particle acceleration at the heliopause termination shock, to determine whether it is applicable to other shocks in the heliosphere.