SHINE: Improving Understanding of Solar Corona Dynamics Using Laboratory Simulations of Coronal Loops

首席研究员(PI)将通过在等离子体室内进行实验室实验来研究日冕现象。小室将产生与太阳环境相关的等离子体体系，这些等离子体结构将经历复杂的形态变化，这取决于施加的边界条件，如法向磁场、电流密度和等离子体质量通量。通过控制这些边界条件，PI将创建模拟太阳上实际现象的等离子体环，例如单环、与外部产生的磁场相互作用的单环或经历局部三维磁重联的两个环。PI的设备使用先进的诊断技术，包括高速数字成像、光谱学、激光干涉测量、多元素磁性探头和针孔X射线相机，来观察和记录他实验期间的各种等离子体状态和物理参数。PI将把他的测量结果与理论日冕模型的预测进行比较，以便改进、修改或挑战它们。这是可能的，因为他的实验等离子体受类似于太阳日冕情况的物理支配，特别是来自光球点的等离子体上行的物理，以及像太阳上看到的那样的充斥着等离子体的扭曲磁通量管的准直。国际和平研究所将通过讲座、出版物和参加年度研讨会直接与太阳物理界交流，从而传播他的研究成果。他的实验可能会为最近和未解释的航天器观测提供新的解释，并通过来自他的等离子体室诊断测量的五颜六色的图形和电影提供丰富的教育材料。PI有在物理学方面指导年轻女性的记录，并计划通过这些实验增加接受等离子体物理培训的女性博士科学家的数量，从而继续在这里做到这一点。

The Principal Investigator (PI) will study solar coronal phenomena using laboratory experiments in a plasma chamber. The chamber will create plasma regimes relevant to the solar environment, and these plasma configurations will undergo complex morphological changes that depend on imposed boundary conditions, such as the normal magnetic field, current density, and plasma mass flux. By controlling these boundary conditions, the PI will create plasma loops that simulate actual phenomena on the Sun, such as single loops, a single loop interacting with an externally produced magnetic field, or two loops undergoing localized three dimensional magnetic reconnection. The PI's apparatus uses advanced diagnostics, including high speed digital imaging, spectroscopy, laser interferometry, multi-element magnetic probes, and a pinhole x-ray camera, to observe and record various plasma states and physical parameters during his experiments. The PI will compare his measurements to the predictions of theoretical solar coronal models in order to improve, modify, or challenge them. This is possible because his experimental plasmas are governed by similar physics to the solar corona case, and in particular, to the physics of plasma upflows from photospheric footpoints and of the collimation of plasma-filled, twisted magnetic flux tubes like those seen on the Sun. The PI will disseminate his research results by communicating directly with the solar physics community via talks, publications, and participation in the annual workshops. His experiments may provide new interpretations of recent and unexplained spacecraft observations, and provide rich educational material through colorful graphics and movies derived from his plasma chamber's diagnostic measurements. The PI has a record of mentorship of young women in physics, and plans to continue that here by increasing the number of female PhD scientists trained in plasma physics through these experiments.