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，以绘制内日冕中的离子丰度，电子温度和日冕磁场方向。该团队计划研究太阳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性质。 数据将在离子化的铁，硫和硅，以及中性氦和氢的光谱线。这些观测与实验室实验相结合，将能够探测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偏振的补充诊断技术，跟踪日冕中离子和中性粒子的演变。内日冕中的重离子和较轻的中性原子（如氢和氦）的痕迹可以作为物理过程的局部探测器，将太阳大气加热到100多万度并加速太阳风。虽然离子与日冕磁场有关，但中性粒子反映了来自太阳和星际起源的较冷物质的命运。当离子和中性粒子远离太阳时，它们在局部磁场、局部电子温度的影响下相互作用并通过碰撞而演化。在以往的日食考察中，研究小组的成员已成功地提高了公众对一般科学研究，特别是太阳物理学的认识。他们先前的努力已被证明是从事的想象力和智力的年轻学生特别。该研究小组代表了由一名资深女科学家领导的小型和大型大学之间富有成果的合作。日食探险将涉及研究生，博士后研究员和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.