REU Projects 2009

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Project Type and Supervisor
  Project title and brief description
(Click title for details)
Erupting Sigmoids
Data analysis with 
Richard Canfield
and
Loren Acton
  Erupting Coronal Sigmoids
What physical processes lead to solar eruptions? Coronal Sigmoids -- sinuous structures seen in X-ray solar images as bright transient S or inverse-S shapes -- herald solar eruptions (Coronal Mass Ejections). In this project, the student will analyze X-ray spacecraft observations of erupting sigmoids that will help distinguish between physical mechanisms.  
Flare Spectroscopy
Data analysis with 
Angela Des Jardins
and
Richard Canfield
  Solar Flare Spectroscopy
How do we predict a solar flare? Most solar physicists agree that a process called "magnetic reconnection" plays a significant role in the initiation and evolution of a flare. The goal of this project is to understand what a flare's spectra can tell us about reconnection with respect to the sun's magnetic field.  
Explosive Flare
Data analysis with 
Angela Des Jardins
and
Richard Canfield
  The Magnetic Nature of the December 13, 2006 Solar Flare
The December 13, 2006 flare, caused 1/2 of the sun-side GPS satellites to temporarily cease opperations. The student will analyze observations of this flare to learn about how X-rays are produced in solar flares and how X-ray images and magnetic topology can help us understand flare initiation and evolution.  
Magnetic field lines
Numerical modeling with 
Charles Kankelborg
  Numerical Modeling of the Magnetic Solar Atmosphere
The Sun stores energy in magnetic fields, often releasing that energy in spectacular ways. The student will learn about equilibria and instabilities in magnetized plasmas, numerical modeling techniques and visualization of 3D numerical data.  
SSEL Activities
Hardware development with 
David Klumpar
  Space Hardware Development: Space Flight Systems
The student(s) will develop spaceflight hardware through design, development, and testing as a member of an interdisciplinary project student team.  
A
partitioned magnetogram
Data analysis and theory with 
Dana Longcope
  The Emergence of Solar Magnetic Fields
The Sun's magnetic field floats to the surface in the form of concentrated, slender tubes. In this project the student will study the time evolution of several magnetic quantities in a large number of emergences to answer questions like: what is the shape of the tube before it reaches the surface?  
tracing coronal loops
Data analysis with 
Anna Malanushenko
and
Dana Longcope
  Using X-rays to Measure Electric Currents
The sun's corona consists of many thin strands called loops, which are believed to trace out a few of the magnetic field lines. The student in this project will utilize a method to trace coronal loops observed by spacecrafts, compare them with magnetic field lines, and estimate the electric currents in the corona.  
Flare
reconnection model and flare observations
Data analysis with 
Jiong Qiu
and
Maria Kazachenko
  Magnetic Reconnection in Solar Eruptive Events
Flares are spectacular manifestations of explosive energy release in the Sun's atmosphere. It is understood that the energy to fuel flares is provided by the Sun's magnetic fields, most probably through a physical process called magnetic reconnection. In this project, we will search for better understanding of the relationship between magnetic reconnection and large-scale eruptions.  
Interferogram
UV instrumentation with 
Charles Kankelborg
  Ultraviolet Instruments for Observing the Sun from Space
Access to space has made it possible to observe the Sun in short wavelengths, from deep ultraviolet to hard x-rays. This project will give the student hands-on experience with ultraviolet instruments for space based solar observing.  

© Montana State University 2009