Magnetohydrodynamic and kinetic models of magnetic reconnection applied to solar coronal activity

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The atmosphere of the Sun, the corona, is very dynamic. Solar flares are dramatic events which release large amounts of energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation across the spectrum, resulting both from the creation of hot plasma and from large numbers of high energy non-thermal charged particles. Solar flares can have significant effects on the Earth and its space environment, and can be a very serious issue for humans in space. Also, it is believed that the surprisingly high temperature of coronal plasma (milllions of degrees, compared with a surface temperature of a few thousand degrees) may be the result of heating by many small flare-like events known as nanoflares. Both flares and nanoflares are a release of stored magnetic energy through the process of magnetic reconnection, which results both in heating of the plasma and in the acceleration of charged particles. The aim of our research is to investigate the energy release due to magnetic reconnection, using both fluid and kinetic models of the plasma, and to apply the results to understand both coronal heating and flares. We also aim to determine consequences of reconnection which are directly observable, and to test our models using observations from space borne solar observatories such as TRACE,RHESSI, Hinode and Stereo.