Summer 2018 REU Projects

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Project type and supervisor
  Project title and brief description
(Click title for details)

shock
Modeling with 
Dana Longcope 
  Simulating A Solar Flare
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 as 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, which then retract rapidly. The fluid in these 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 we will run numerical simulations to model this process.
reconnection
Data analysis with 
Marika McCarthy
and
Dana Longcope
  Magnetic Reconnection in the Sun's Corona
When viewed in X-rays or extreme ultraviolet (EUV) the Sun's outer atmosphere, the corona, consists of many thin strands called loops. These loops are believed to trace out the magnetic fields, and are formed by a process called magnetic reconnection. Magnetic reconnection exchanges magnetic flux between neighbouring systems and releases magnetic energy. To understand this crucial physical process, we will analyze X-ray and EUV images and make quantitative measurements of magnetic flux involved in reconnection, using a technique pioneered by the team at MSU.
reconnection
Data analysis with 
Jiong Qiu
  Heating and Cooling of Solar Flare Plasmas
Solar flares are energetic events in the solar atmosphere. During a flare, a physical process called magnetic reconnection restructures magnetic fields in the solar corona, forming closed magnetic loops and releasing free magnetic energy in these structures. In this project, we will analyze radiation signatures of solar flares observed in multiple wavelengths to investigate how plasmas are heated by free magnetic energy.
xrt
Data Analysis with  
Aki Takeda
  Solar Soft X-ray irradiance with Hinode/XRT
Radiations of the Sun in different wavelengths vary in a 11-yr cycle, which is the solar activity cycle. Montana State University is home of Hinode/XRT Synoptic Composite Image Archive with soft X-ray observations of the Sun taken from 2006 to present. In this project, we will analyze these observations to derive long term variations of solar soft X-ray irradiance, and study its spatial distribution. Student will also have opportunities to learn operation of an international satellite like Hinode.
flare
Data Analysis with  
Chunming Zhu
and
Jiong Qiu
  Statistical Study of Energy Partition between Solar Flares and CMEs
Solar flares and Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are frequently observed to occur together. During the eruption, the free magnetic energy is converted into thermal and kinetic energies released in flares and CMEs. In this project, we will analyze observations from multiple spacecraft viewing the Sun from different angles, and calculate the energy released in flares and CMEs.
Optical instrumentation with
Joe Shaw
  Analysis of Optical Aurora Detector Data
Auroras, the beautiful light shows in the sky, are caused by solar storms. In this project, we will calibrate an optical instrument that is designed to measure auroras ("northern lights") and send information that can be used to notify interested observers. We will apply the calibration to data collected in Alaska, and explore different aurora-identification algorithms.
SSEL Activities
Hardware development with 
John Sample
  Space Hardware Development: Space Flight Systems for Space Science
Join our Small Satellite Team for Summer 2018! MSU's Space Science and Engineering Laboratory (SSEL) involves science and engineering students in highly responsible roles associated with the development of space flight systems for scientific applications. The student(s) will develop spaceflight hardware through design, development, and testing as a member of an interdisciplinary project student team.