Physics Dept Seminar

March 4, Wednesday (*SPECIAL DAY*)

Modeling Solar Eruptions at High Resolution

Dr. Joel Dahlin

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center

(Theoretical Solar Physics, Host: Cao)

*SPECIAL TIME: 2:45 pm - 3:45 pm with 2:30 pm teatime

*SPECIAL ROOM: FMH 408

Recent advances in solar instrumentation have revealed a rich variety of eruptive activity in striking detail. The largest events, coronal mass ejections and associated solar flares, drive the shocks and energetic particles that play a major role in the most hazardous space weather events. To predict the space weather impact of solar eruptions, we must understand three vital questions: How does energy build up in the corona? What triggers its explosive release? How is that energy transferred to nonthermal particles? To accurately model explosive activity, it is crucial to capture both the large-scale dynamics of the energy buildup and release and the fine-scale structure that plays a critical role in particle energization. I discuss recent advances in tackling these questions using three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamics simulations of solar eruptions and discuss implications for recent and forthcoming ground-based (DKIST, EOVSA) and space-borne (PSP, SolO) observations.