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Project type and supervisor
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Project title and brief description
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Data analysis with
Charles Kankelborg
and
Sarah Jaeggli
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Explosive Events with IRIS
Solar explosive events (EEs) are line broadenings observed in transition region emission lines, at
temperatures of 20,000K - 250,000K. It is widely believed that EEs are signatures of magnetic
reconnection in the solar atmosphere. In this project, we will analyze far-ultraviolet spectra and
images from the recently launched Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) to study
reconnection in the solar transition region. |
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Modeling with
Dana
Longcope
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Simulating Shocks in Solar Flares
Solar flares occur when a large amount of magnetic energy is released through magnetic
reconnection and converted into thermal and kinetic energy of plasmas.
Post-reconnection magnetic field lines retract like an elastic string, and
create shocks that can heat plasma to tens of millions of Kelvins. In this project
the student will run a computer program to solve the dynamical equations for the retracting
field line, and study how the shape of the initial field line influences the density
and temperature of the shocked fluid.
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Data analysis with
Piet Martens
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Heating of Coronal Loops using EIS and AIA data
Coronal loops are one of the more distinctive features of the million-degree atmosphere of the Sun, its
corona. These filamentary structures resemble 'one-dimensional atmospheres' constrained by the solar magnetic
field. The objective of this project is to identify and analyze a large number of coronal loops
using Hinode and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) to determine where the loops are heated.
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Data analysis with
David McKenzie
and
Michael Freed
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Dynamics of Magneto-convection in Solar Prominences
Recent high-resolution observations of solar prominences have revealed the presence
of simultaneous flows upwards and downwards, which appear as convections motions.
We will measure these convection motions in a few solar prominences
to determine dynamic properties of magnetized plasmas and predict whether these structures
will become unstable and evolve into corona mass ejections.
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