Simulating Shocks in Solar Flares

Advisor: Dana Longcope

Solar flares occur when a large amount of energy is converted into X-rays, heat and supersonic fluid motion. Prior to the flare this energy is stored in a magnetic field filling the atmosphere above sunspots and related features called active regions. The energy is released suddenly when an electric field changes the connectivity of several coronal magnetic field lines. A single change of this kind permits the newly configured magnetic field line to retract rapidly, releasing energy exactly as would an elastic under tension. The physics governing the retraction of the reconnected field line is almost exactly the same as those of an elastic string. One novel feature is that the fluid in field line moves faster than the speed of sound and therefore creates shocks, which are believed to heat the plasma to tens of millions of Kelvins.

In this project the student will run a computer program which solves the dynamical equations for the retracting field line. The aim is to study how the shape of the initial field line influences the density and temperature of the shocked fluid. Knowledge of electricity and magnetism is important, and some experience with fluid mechanics and computer programing would be helpful.

You can read about related REU projects here: http://solar.physics.montana.edu/home/www/reu/2014/jbrewer/