SHINE: Observationally Constraining the Physical Processes that Generate the Solar Wind

提出者将研究阿尔芬波和磁重联作为太阳风加热和加速的主要来源。这个研究小组将分析日诺号航天器上的“极端紫外线成像光谱仪”的新光谱数据，以解决目前关于阿尔芬波是否携带足够的能量来加热和加速太阳风的争论。提出者指出，这些结果将提供急需的经验数据，以约束相互竞争的太阳风的波浪驱动和湍流驱动的模型，并最终有助于确定真正的太阳风加速机制。通过每年夏天为哥伦比亚大学的教师个人提供实践研究经验，该团队将帮助来自纽约市大都市区的初中和高中科学教师提高承诺和科学理解。这项活动将带来深远的好处，因为对哥伦比亚大学已有21年历史的外展项目的分析显示，在接下来的10年里，参与该项目的教师每人将教授约1000名学生，他们的学生在纽约州议会理科考试中的通过率也将提高10%。提倡者还将参观初中和高中的科学课堂，解释他们的研究并直接回答学生的问题。鉴于纽约市有一个多元化的学生群体，代表不足的群体和少数族裔的比例很高，这些教育和外展努力构成了一个影响很大的计划。

The proposers will investigate Alfven waves and magnetic reconnection as primary sources for the heating and acceleration of the solar wind. This research team will analyze new spectroscopic data from the "Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer" onboard the Hinode spacecraft in order to resolve the current debate as to whether Alfven waves carry sufficient energy to heat and accelerate the solar wind. The proposers note that these results will provide much needed empirical data to constrain the competing wave-driven and turbulence-driven models of the solar wind, and ultimately help to determine the true solar wind acceleration mechanism.By providing hands-on research experiences for individual teachers each summer at Columbia University's "Summer Research Program for Science Teachers," this team will help improve the commitment and scientific understanding of middle and high school science teachers from the New York City metropolitan area. This activity will have far reaching benefits, since analysis of Columbia's 21-year-old outreach program shows that the teachers who have participated go on to teach about 1,000 students each over the next ten years and also see a 10% increase in the pass rate of their students on the New York State Regents science exam. The proposers will also visit middle and high school science classes to explain their research and answer questions directly from students. Given the fact that New York City has a diverse student population with a high percentage of underrepresented groups and minorities, these education and outreach efforts constitute a high impact program.