Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics

The sun is not a stable, passive star but an active, turbulent plasma system that constantly ejects charged particles, magnetic flux, and radiation into the surrounding solar system. Researchers study how energy stored in the sun's magnetic field is released through events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections, how the resulting solar wind propagates through interplanetary space, and how turbulent magnetohydrodynamic processes shape the structure of the heliosphere. Missions like the Solar Dynamics Observatory have sharpened the observational record considerably, yet the mechanisms that heat the solar corona to temperatures far exceeding the surface and the processes that determine when and where major eruptions will occur remain incompletely understood. Answering those questions matters practically as well as scientifically, since energetic solar events can disrupt satellite operations, power grids, and communications on Earth.

Works

472,844

Total citations

2,941,110

Keywords

Solar Dynamics ObservatoryCoronal Mass EjectionsSolar WindMagnetohydrodynamic TurbulenceSolar FlaresHelioseismology