First high-resolution studies of photospheric bright points as heating drivers: early DKIST science

该项目致力于解决日冕加热问题--太阳大气层在远离太阳表面时温度升高的现象。在这项研究中，美国国家科学基金会的丹尼尔·K·井上太阳望远镜对光球亮点的观测将与模拟进行比较。光球亮点是太阳上最小且短暂的特征，出现在强磁场区域。这项研究的更广泛影响包括对太阳大气的了解，地球和所有行星都存在于其中，它支持一位早期职业科学家作为项目负责人。具体地说，这个项目将识别和跟踪光球亮点，这些亮点将被用来限制几种日冕加热模型。最近开发的一种将亮点形状变化与单个波模联系起来的技术将被用来计算相应的能量通量，从而为驱动波模提供洞察，这可能会将能量输送到日冕。将测量亮点在以前不可能达到的细节水平上的数密度和运动，以及亮点旋转的程度，从而能够更逼真地模拟纳米耀斑驱动的加热。将测量属性的分布和相关性，特别是与亮点形状和相应磁通量增强相关的属性，从而在最小的尺度上加强对亮点属性的理解。最后，该团队将进行计算机模拟，这将扩展之前在亮点上的工作，并增强我们对波浪驱动的理解。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project seeks to address the coronal heating problem – the phenomena in which the Sun’s atmosphere increases in temperature as one moves away from the surface of the Sun. In this study, observations with NSF’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope of photospheric bright points, which are the smallest and short-lived features on the Sun and appear in regions of strong magnetic field, will be compared with simulations. The broader impacts of this study include understanding of the solar atmosphere, in which the Earth and all planets exist, and it supports an early career scientist as project lead. Specifically, this project will identify and track photospheric bright points, which will be used to constrain several models of coronal heating. A recently developed technique to connect bright-point shape changes to individual wave modes will be used compute corresponding energy fluxes, providing insights into driving of wave-modes, which could carry energy to the corona. The number density and motions of bright points at a level of detail previously impossible, and the degree of bright-point rotation will be measured, enabling more realistic simulations of nanoflare-driven heating. Distributions and correlations of properties, particularly those relating to the shapes of bright points and of the corresponding magnetic flux enhancements, will be measured, enhancing understanding of bright-point properties on the smallest scales. Finally, the team will carry out computer simulations, which will extend previous work on bright points and enhance our understanding of wave-driving.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.