Studies of White-Light and Black-Light Flares Using the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope (NST) at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO)

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This 3-year project is aimed at advancing present understanding of the origin of solar flares by taking unprecedented high-resolution observations from the newly commissioned 1.6m New Solar Telescope (NST) at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) and numerical simulations using radiative hydrodynamic codes. The new observations by the NST are expected to extend the frontier of existing knowledge on the energy release process of flares and its impact on the deep solar atmosphere in terms of both positive and negative contrasts. The observational results will also be compared with numerical simulations in order to have a more complete physical understanding of the observed phenomena. NSF has made significant investment in supporting the BBSO's facilities in the past, in particular the NST, which has been transited from commissioning phase to operations, thus enabling routine high-quality observations of the Sun.This comparative investigation in solar flare phenomena will enable a quantitative analysis of the energy release processes that occur not only on the Sun, but also elsewhere in the solar system and stars. Solar flares are one of the key sources of space weather, which causes adverse impacts on the Earth and its environment. Advanced understanding of the solar flare phenomenon helps improve forecasts of space weather events at their onset.This research project has a strong educational component; it will support a female Ph.D. student and a junior researcher at the NJIT. The studies will provide a comprehensive training for the student in taking observations at the BBSO, data processing and understanding the principals of flare heating models. Therefore, the project supports the Strategic Goals of the AGS Division in discovery, learning, diversity, and interdisciplinary research.