SHINE: Observational Constraints on Wave Heating of the Corona

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This 3-year SHINE project aims to investigate the wave-induced heating of the solar corona by extending the research analysis to include quiet Sun regions and coronal hole plumes. Currently, there is a dearth of observational results to resolve the debate over whether waves can heat the entire solar corona, or other heating mechanisms need to be invoked. The project team will use spectroscopic line-profile measurements to infer the wave energy within various structures and determine if it is sufficient for heating of the solar corona. The project will enable several educational broader impacts. The project team will take part in the Columbia University Summer Research Program, in which middle and high school science teachers participate in scientific research. This program has a substantial positive impact on the teachers and their students. After teachers participate in the program, data show a 10.1% increase in the pass rate of their students on the New York State Regents science exam. Given the diverse population of New York City, this program has a high impact on the education of underrepresented groups. Most of the analysis during the project will be conducted by a postdoctoral research scientist who will develop experience in diverse areas of solar physics and related techniques. Undergraduate research participation is also expected, for which the students will receive course credit through the Columbia Astronomy Department. The research and EPO agenda of this project supports the Strategic Goals of the AGS Division in discovery, learning, diversity, and interdisciplinary research.This SHINE project aims to infer the wave amplitudes in the solar corona and determine how the damping rate varies with plasma properties, inhomogeneity, and magnetic geometry, thereby constraining the damping mechanism for the waves. Some of the dissipated wave energy appears to heat the minor ions in the solar corona. Numerous numerical models have been developed to describe processes that could transfer energy to the ions via turbulence or wave-particle interactions. The predicted ion heating rate depends on both the specific energy transfer mechanism as well as the frequency distribution of wave power. Thus, the ion temperature data constrain theories of the ion heating and also provide insight into the wave spectrum. The project team will measure the ion temperatures in the quiet Sun corona and in plumes, building on the novel techniques developed during previous NSF-funded projects. The results of this project are expected to provide critical tests of the existing ion-heating theories. Accurate ion temperatures are also needed for the analysis of wave amplitudes. By determining the temperature and wave amplitudes self-consistently, the project team will obtain accurate measurements of both quantities. These are crucial for proving, or disproving, the existing wave-heating mechanisms of the solar corona.