Forward Fitting Methods for Radio Spectral Diagnostics of Solar Flares

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The PI will develop new methods for the analysis of imaging radio spectroscopy data. These methods will provide reliable tools for diagnosing fast particle and plasma parameters in solar flares, one of the key objectives of imaging radio spectroscopy. The project will develop theoretical models involving particle acceleration, energy-dependent and angle-dependent particle losses, and pitch-angle anisotropy modifications (due to both angular diffusion and anisotropic transport effects). Models of nonthermal radio emission will be constructed to include relevant emission and absorption processes (primarily gyrosynchrotron and free-free emission/absorption), as well as other coherent and incoherent processes. These models will be tested for self-consistency and applied to high-resolution data as available. In particular, the PI will carefully examine high spatial resolution solar flare observations from the Nobeyama Radioheliograph in Japan and high spectral resolution data from the Owens Valley Solar Array in California. This effort will provide reliable forward-fitting models needed to analyze currently available radio data and to maximize the scientific return from new radio instruments in development, such as the Frequency-Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR) and the Expanded Very Large Array (EVLA). The broader impacts of this work will include dissemination of new knowledge concerning the processes of astrophysical energy release and charged particle acceleration. The studies will be performed at the Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR) at the New Jersey Institute of Technology, advancing discovery and understanding while promoting teaching, training, and learning in a diverse university setting.