Observing Solar Activity with the Owens Valley Solar Arrays

Solar phenomena such as solar flares, active regions, and solar coronal holes, are very important for understanding causes of the solar activity. Disturbances in the near-Earth space known as Space Weather originate from these solar sources and cause disruptions to communication networks. Radio measurements provide unique diagnostics both before and during solar eruptions. This project will provide routine radio observations of the solar activity using two modern radio solar arrays located at the Owens Valley Radio Observatory as an integrated facility to serve the solar physics and Space Weather communities. The two arrays, the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array and the Long Wavelength Array, are both world-class solar radio telescopes. They are also the only instruments in the U.S. that provide continuous radio imaging observations of the Sun. This project will support their operations as well as investigations of the wide range of solar phenomena which is important for protecting national assets such as satellite communication networks from harmful Space Weather effects. The project will advance our understanding of solar activity in four key areas: (1) the magnetic energy release as well as the associated particle acceleration and transport processes, (2) the Coronal Mass Ejections, shocks, and solar energetic particles as drivers of Space Weather, (3) the plasma, magnetic structures, and dynamics of solar active regions, and (4) the quiescent solar atmosphere and small-scale transients. The project will provide open-access, science-ready data to the community along with a user-friendly interface as well as near-real-time data products of use in operational forecasting and nowcasting of solar and Space Weather events. The project will also support a science workshop and data camp each year to provide training for analyzing and interpreting the solar array data. 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.