Fundamental astroplasma physics of the sun and heliosphere: Warwick Centre for Fusion Space and Astrophysics Rolling Grant Application

定量了解太阳日冕和太阳风的基本物理过程不仅对太阳的物理学及其与地球环境的联系至关重要，而且还增强了我们对天体物理等离子体过程的总体认识。例如，色球层是研究部分电离等离子体MHD的天然实验室。日冕磁流体动力学（MHD）波与许多动力学直接相关，如太阳耀斑和喷发；日冕波能够将能量和机械动量从对流区传递到日冕和日球层，并与等离子体不稳定性的发展有关。太阳风被加速到这样的程度，原则上它是一个MHD湍流实验室，因此量化它的波动对我们理解MHD湍流有直接的意义。最近，太阳风也被发现是一个实验室，在离子回旋频率以下的尺度上湍流的动力学范围，MHD不再持有。了解这一动力学范围的物理学与我们对日冕如何被加热的理解也高度相关。量化和理解太阳风的波动为宇宙射线在日球层中的传播模型和以太阳风为驱动因素的磁层动力学模型提供了重要的输入。热致密物质的物理学是我们与天体物理学相关的等离子体物理学知识的一个极端边界。对这些过程的定量理解，与观测密切相关，可以被视为理解观测到的现象（如宇宙射线和气体巨星的结构）的手段，或者将观测到的现象作为理解新的基本等离子体物理学的强大动力。因此，支撑这个项目的这些想法、技术和专业知识的影响超出了等离子体天体物理学。

A quantitative understanding of the fundamental physical processes acting in the Sun's corona and solar wind is essential not only to the physics of the Sun and its connection to the Earth's environment, but it also enhances our knowledge of astrophysical plasma processes in general. For instance, the chromosphere is a natural laboratory for studying the MHD of partially ionised plasmas. Coronal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves are of direct relevance to much of the dynamics such as solar flares and eruptions; coronal waves are capable of transferring energy and mechanical momentum from the convection zone into the corona and heliosphere and are associated with the development of plasma instabilities. The solar wind is accelerated to such an extent that it is in principle an MHD turbulence laboratory so that quantifying its fluctuations has direct implications for our understanding of MHD turbulence. Recently, the solar wind has also been found to be a laboratory for a kinetic range of turbulence on scales below the ion gyrofrequency on which MHD no longer holds. Understanding this kinetic range physics is also highly relevant to our understanding of how the corona is heated. Quantifying and understanding the fluctuating solar wind provides an important input into models for the propagation of cosmic rays in the heliosphere, and for magnetospheric dynamics for which the solar wind is the driver. The physics of warm dense matter is at an extreme boundary of our knowledge of plasma physics relevant to astrophysics. A quantitative understanding of these processes, closely coupled to observations, can be seen as either the means to understanding observed phenomena, such as cosmic rays, and the structure of gas giants, or as using the observed phenomena as a strong drive to understanding new fundamental plasma physics. These ideas, techniques and expertise that underpin this programme are thus of impact beyond plasma astrophysics.