Can we solve by solar magneto-seismology one of astrophysics great problems: Coronal heating enigma?

The latest satellite and ground-based observations have provided us a wealth of evidence of waves and oscillations present in the solar atmosphere from the low photosphere to the upper corona. Our understanding of the magnetically dominated structures and their
dynamics in the solar atmosphere has been considerably enhanced in light of the latest high spatial and temporal resolution observations (e.g. DST/ROSA, IBIS, CoMP, SST/CRISP; SOHO, TRACE, STEREO, Hinode, SDO, etc.) allowing us to perform sub-resolution solar magneto-seismology (SMS) by means of wave data interpreted within the framework of MHD. Firstly, I will review the current status of the observed solar MHD waves discovered by these fantastic ground- and space-based facilities.

 

 Next, I will concentrate on the role of Alfven waves, and will discuss the latest status of the sometimes controversial observations of these particular, and fundamentally important magnetic waves. Our theoretical interpretation of the detected Alfven wave and oscillatory phenomena will be discussed. The photospheric origin and generation mechanism of these (and other) peculiar waves is also addressed numerically. We will
show how MHD (slow, fast and Alfven) waves penetrate into the chromosphere, transition region or even into the corona carrying a surprising amount of non-thermal energy. The coupling role of the magnetic field for MHD waves and oscillations between the solar interior and atmosphere will be addressed briefly, with example published in Nature (2012a.b) and Science (2007, 2009).

 

 We conclude on how the novel field of SMS has recently evolved and how the new observational data on waves may be used for more accurate solar and stellar atmospheric diagnostics, including such important aspects as e.g. determining (i) the extent of the force-free (or not!) nature of the magnetised atmosphere, (ii) the geometry, (iii) fine structure, and (iv) even the heating mechanism(s) of solar and stellar coronal plasmas.

Date: 
18/07/2013 - 14:30
Speaker: 
Prof. Robertus von Fay-Siebenberg
Filiation: 
Univ. Sheffield


Seminars