CAREER: Exploring New Regimes of Physics to Constrain the Properties of Heating in the Solar Corona

这个为期五年的CAREER项目的主要研究目标是研究太阳大气加热的物理机制。该项目将探索具有挑战性的新物理制度，包括：(1)由于太阳加热事件期间等离子体演化的短时间尺度导致的非平衡电离；(2)大量的热通量限制和去局域化，在能量通过太阳大气的传输中必须考虑整体等离子体结构。提出的研究计划有两个主要目标：(1)了解太阳日冕中几乎完全未被探索的极高温度、低密度等离子体的物理特性；(2)利用所学的知识找到日冕加热性质的强约束条件。这个研究项目提供了一个研究热能传输新体制的机会，在这个体制中必须考虑等离子体的整体结构，并确定它如何影响太阳高层大气的整体能量平衡。这将对空间等离子体物理的其他领域有价值。通过将从热发射中得到的知识与从热发射中得到的知识结合起来，将对日冕加热的性质施加强有力的约束。这个职业项目的更广泛的影响是针对各个层次的学生以及教育工作者。这项研究所基于的物理学主题将被纳入PI教授的太阳天体物理学研究生课程，并将从该课程中专门招募一名研究生参与该项目。该项目还为本科生参与研究提供了机会。该项目的一个主要部分是在休斯敦独立学区为初中生和高年级学生开设的暑期学校项目，该项目在太阳的背景下教授关键的物理科学概念，主要教育少数民族和社会经济弱势的学生。教学模式将通过同伴指导和小组指导。一名高中教师将协助PI，并将根据暑期项目的成果制定课程计划和其他课程材料，分发给其他教师，在教育期刊上发表，在主要会议上发表，并向Connexions网站投稿。该CAREER项目的研究和EPO议程支持AGS部门在发现、学习、多样性和跨学科研究方面的战略目标。

The main research objective of this five-year CAREER project is to investigate the physical mechanisms responsible for the heating of the solar atmosphere. The project will explore challenging new regimes of physics, including: (1) non-equilibrium ionization due to the short timescales of plasma evolution during the heating events on the Sun; and, (2) substantial heat flux limiting and de-localization where the global plasma structure must be considered in the transport of energy through the solar atmosphere. The proposed research program has two primary goals: (1) learn about the physics of the almost entirely unexplored regime of very high temperature, low density plasma in the solar corona; and, (2) use what is learned to find strong constraints on the properties of coronal heating. The program of research presents the opportunity to study a new regime of thermal energy transport, in which the global structure of the plasma must be considered, and to determine how it affects the overall energy balance of the Sun's upper atmosphere. This will be of value to other areas of space plasma physics. By combining what is learned from the hot emission with what is already known from the warm emission, strong constraints will be placed on the properties of coronal heating.The broader impacts of this CAREER project target students at all levels as well as educators. The physics' topics on which this research is based will be incorporated into the solar astrophysics graduate course taught by the PI, from which a graduate student will be recruited specifically to work on this project. The program also provides opportunities for undergraduate participation in research. A major part of this project is a summer school program on key physical science concepts, taught within the context of the Sun, for rising juniors and seniors in the Houston Independent School District, which educates predominantly minority and socioeconomically disadvantaged students. The mode of teaching will be through peer instruction and mentoring in small groups. A high school teacher will assist the PI, and will develop lesson plans and other curriculum material based on the outcomes of the summer program for dissemination to other teachers, publication in educational journals, presentation at major conferences, and contribution to the Connexions website. The research and EPO agenda of this CAREER project supports the Strategic Goals of the AGS Division in discovery, learning, diversity, and interdisciplinary research.