SHINE: Exploring Time-Dependent Ionization in Magnetic Reconnection During Solar Eruptions

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

Magnetic reconnection is a fundamental process that governs multiple aspects of space weather between the Sun and Earth. This process governs the solar eruptive events as well has their effects at earth. The proposed research will enhance infrastructure for research and education by making new capabilities available for improving global models. This capability will benefit society by improving the ability to validate space weather models and can easily be applied to the study of other astrophysical systems. Members of the proposal team will mentor undergraduate summer interns, and organize a session on diversity, equity, and inclusion at a scientific meeting.This proposed program explores the question: What is the thermodynamic history and evolution of plasma during reconnection in the solar environment? The magnetic reconnection that drives solar flares and coronal mass ejections is much faster than predicted by classical mechanisms, and explanations generally rely on either turbulence or on a Petschek-like configuration with exhaust bounded by slow mode shocks. In either case, the rapid heating leaves the plasma drastically underionized. As plasma expands and cools, it can become severely overionized. Departures from ionization equilibrium will lead to inaccurate interpretation of UV spectra and EUV images if equilibrium is assumed, and they can affect the radiative cooling rate at the order of magnitude level. However, these departures also offer a powerful means of exploring the thermal history of the plasma. The proposed research has the potential to advance knowledge on thermodynamic evolution in magnetic reconnection regions during solar eruption, where the ionization state can be far from equilibrium and methods based on the assumption of ionization equilibrium can provide incomplete or misleading information about the temperature structure. The in-line ionization calculation within MHD simulations can significantly extend the capability of MHD models and improve observational predictions from MHD simulations.