AGS-PRF: Novel Analyses of Total Solar Eclipse Data as a Tool for Coronal Physics

日全食是一种罕见的现象，月球的阴影挡住了地球上的太阳表面。这使得科学家们能够研究太阳非常热、脆弱的外层，即日冕。该项目将使博士后研究人员能够研究TSE观测以了解太阳风和日冕，这对预测空间天气影响非常重要。该项目还通过一个高中学者项目和额外的外联和指导活动，支持与夏威夷当地社区的外联活动。这项工作包括关于日冕物理的四个不同的子项目，这些子项目基于TSE观测的现有白光和窄带发射线数据：(i)利用冻结距离和温度诊断对日冕中的太阳风源区域进行调查；（ii）利用多条铁线进行差分发射测量（DEM）分析；绝对校准成像数据，以确定K日冕（电子散射）、F日冕（尘埃散射）和绝对线发射的密度和结构；（iv）将TSE的结果与尖端的日冕和太阳风模式进行比较，这些模式作出了明确的预测，可以用TSE的观测加以验证。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

A total solar eclipse (TSE) is a rare event where the shadow of the moon blocks out the surface of the Sun on the Earth. This enables scientists to study the very hot, tenuous outer layer of the Sun, known as the corona. This project will enable a postdoctoral research fellow to study TSE observations to understand the solar wind and corona – which is important in predicting space weather effects. The project also supports outreach activities with the local Hawaiian community, through a high school scholars’ program and additional outreach and mentoring activities.The work includes four distinct sub-projects on coronal physics based on existing white-light and narrowband emission line data from TSE observations: (i) An investigation of solar wind source regions in the corona using freeze-in distance and temperature diagnostics; (ii) A Differential Emission Measure (DEM) analysis using multiple Fe lines; (iii) Absolute calibrations of the imaging data to determine the density and structure of both the K corona (electron scattering), F corona (dust scattering) and absolute line emission; and (iv) Compare the TSE results with cutting edge coronal and solar wind models which make explicit predictions that can be tested with TSE observations.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.