Solar Physics

Instructor: Rui Liu

Email: rliu@ustc.edu.cn

Description

The Sun, the massive object that dominates the solar system and helps to support life on Earth, is also the driver of physical processes in the space environment between the Sun and the Earth, known as space weather. The practical importance of space weather is to mitigate its adverse effects on critical human technological systems, including satellites, their payloads and astronauts, communications, navigations, power grids, etc. This course is focused on the fundamentals as well as the recent progress in solar physics, to prepare graduate students for the space research in general. It includes the basic physical processes governing the formation of the solar interior and atmosphere, the solar magnetic field and configuration, the physical bases of flares and coronal mass ejections, and particle acceleration mechanisms. This introductory course is intended for graduate students and upper-level undergraduate students with academic background in physics/astrophysics. This course spans 40 class hours and merits 2 credits.

Grading

• Homework (25%): to reinforce the understanding of basic physical concepts
• Project (30%): three projects based on data analysis and numerical models to get some hands-on experience.
• Presentation (15%): research articles will be assigned for certain chapters for further readings. Each enrolled student is expected to give one presentation based on, but not limited strictly to, these assigned articles. Each presentation will last about 15 minutes, including questions.
• Final test (20%): Open book tests for physical concepts and intuition.
• Participation (10%): Raise or answer questions in class.

Text Book

Physics of the Sun: A First Course" by Dermott J. Mullan (CRC Press, 2010)

References

• M. Stix, "The Sun: An Introduction", Springer, 2nd Edition, 2002
• P. V. Foukal, "Solar Astrophysics", Wiley-VCH, 2nd Edition, 2004
• E.R. Priest, ¡°Magnetohydrodynamics of the Sun¡±, Cambridge University Press, 2014
• M. Aschwanden, "Physics of the Solar Corona", Springer, 2006
• L. Golub and J. Pasachoff, "The Solar Corona", Cambridge University Press, 2nd Edition, 2010
• J. T. Mariska, "The Solar Transition Region", Cambridge University Press, 1992

Lectures

1. Introduction (Chap 1)
2. Radiation (Chaps 2, 4)
3. Absorption (Chap 3)
4. Photosphere & Convection Zone (Chaps 5, 6, 7)
5. Polytrope (Chap 10)
6. Helioseismology (Chaps 13, 14)
7. Chromosphere (Chap 15)
8. Solar Magnetism (Chap 16)
9. Transition Region
10. Corona (Chap 17)
11. Solar Flares

Projects

1. Line Formation (due on Oct 31)
2. Polytrope (due on Nov 14)
3. Trace field lines (due on Dec 12)

Presentation (Dec 26)

• How to make a presentation
• Assignments
1. Wedemeyer-Bohm et al. 2012, Magnetic tornadoes as energy channels into the solar corona
2. Chen et al. 2015, Magnetic jam in the corona of the Sun
3. Cirtain et al. 2013, Energy release in the solar corona from spatially resolved magnetic braids
4. Chen et al. 2015, Particle acceleration by a solar flare termination shock
5. Wang et al. 2017, High-resolution observations of flare precursors in the low solar atmosphere
6. McIntosh et al. 2011, Alfv¨¦nic waves with sufficient energy to power the quiet solar corona and fast solar wind
7. Ishikawa et al. 2017, Detection of nanoflare-heated plasma in the solar corona by the FOXSI-2 sounding rocket