Collaborative Research: Eclipse Observations of Heavy Ions, Neutrals and Dust Grains in the Solar Corona

首席研究员（PI）和她的合作者将在即将到来的几次日食期间进行多光谱观测，以绘制离子丰度，电子温度和日冕内日冕磁场方向。该团队计划研究日冕中中性氢和氦的分布，以及研究近太阳环境中尘埃颗粒的特性。数据将从离子化铁、硫和硅以及中性氦和氢的光谱线中获得。与实验室实验相结合，这些观测将能够探测到太阳日冕中存在的行星际尘埃颗粒的荧光特征。该项目将利用共振散射和极化的互补诊断技术来跟踪日冕中离子和中性离子的演变。内部日冕中的重离子和微量的较轻的中性原子（如氢和氦）充当了局部物理过程的探测器，这些物理过程将太阳大气加热到100多万度并加速太阳风。当离子与日冕磁场联系在一起时，中性反应了来自太阳和星际起源的较冷物质的命运。随着离子和中性粒子向远离太阳的方向膨胀，它们在局部磁场、局部电子温度和碰撞的影响下相互作用和演化。这项研究将增进我们对这些现象的理解。在以前的日食考察中，研究小组的成员已经成功地提高了公众对科学研究的认识，特别是对太阳物理学的认识。他们之前的努力已经被证明对年轻学生的想象力和智力特别有吸引力。该研究小组代表了由资深女科学家领导的大小大学的富有成效的合作。日食考察将包括研究生、博士后研究员和一名K-12教师，重点是教育。

The Principal Investigator (PI) and her collaborators will take multi-spectral observations during several upcoming solar eclipses in order to map the ion abundance, electron temperature, and direction of the coronal magnetic field in the inner corona. The team plans to study the distribution of neutral hydrogen and helium in the solar corona, as well as to investigate the properties of dust grains in the near-Sun environment. Data will be obtained in the spectral lines of ionized iron, sulfur, and silicon, as well as in neutral helium and hydrogen. Coupled with laboratory experiments, these observations will enable detection of fluorescence signatures of interplanetary dust grains present in the solar corona.This project will exploit the complementary diagnostic techniques of resonant scattering and polarization to follow the evolution of ions and neutrals in the solar corona. Heavy ions and traces of lighter neutral atoms (such as hydrogen and helium) in the inner corona serve as local probes of the physical processes that heat the solar atmosphere to over one million degrees and accelerate the solar wind. While ions are tied to coronal magnetic fields, neutrals reflect the fate of cooler material from solar as well as interstellar origin. As ions and neutrals expand away from the Sun, they interact and evolve under the influence of the local magnetic field, the local electron temperature, and through collisions. This research will enhance our understanding of these phenomena.In previous eclipse expeditions, members of the research team have been successful in raising public awareness of scientific research in general and of solar physics in particular. Their prior efforts have proved to be engaging for the imagination and intellect of younger students specifically. The research team represents a fruitful collaboration involving small and large universities led by a senior female scientist. The eclipse expeditions will involve graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and a K-12 teacher, with an emphasis on education.