Probing Solar Flares Using Radio Imaging Spectroscopy And Advanced Modeling

The main thrust of this 3-year project is to develop theoretical models of radio emission from solar flares and electron transport in coronal magnetic structures. This project will also develop tools for direct and forward fitting of radio observations of solar flares. The forward fitting combined with high-resolution imaging spectropolarimetry from the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA) will enable members of the solar-heliospheric community to derive physical parameters of flares on dynamic time scales with unprecedented spatial resolution. This will advance present understanding of fundamental physical processes, such as magnetic reconnection and particle acceleration, in the context of solar and stellar physics as well as astrophysics.

The project activities will advance scientific discovery and learning while promoting teaching and training at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT)'s Center for Solar-Terrestrial Research (CSTR). In particular, the tools to be developed as part of this project will be widely used in graduate-level courses at the CSTR, such as Radio Astronomy, Solar Physics, and Plasma Physics. The research and EPO agenda of this project supports the Strategic Goals of the AGS Division in discovery, learning, diversity, and interdisciplinary research.