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

首席研究员将在等离子体室中利用实验室实验研究日冕现象。该室将创建相关的太阳能环境等离子体制度，这些等离子体配置将经历复杂的形态变化，取决于所施加的边界条件，如正常的磁场，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回路，例如单个回路，与外部产生的磁场相互作用的单个回路，或经历局部三维磁场重联的两个回路。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、多元磁探针和针孔X射线相机，在实验过程中观察和记录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，以改进、修改或挑战它们。这是可能的，因为他的实验等离子体是由类似的物理学日冕的情况下，特别是等离子体从光球脚点和准直等离子体填充，扭曲的磁通量管像那些在太阳上看到的物理上行。PI将通过直接与太阳物理学社区沟通，通过讲座，出版物和参加年度研讨会来传播他的研究成果。他的实验可能会为最近和无法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彩色图形和电影提供丰富的教育材料。PI在物理学方面有指导年轻女性的记录，并计划通过增加通过这些实验在等离子体物理学方面培训的女性博士科学家的数量来继续这一点。

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.