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Solar physics is the study of the fundamental processes occurring in the sun. Primarily this is related to the dynamics of plasmas and their interplay with the sun’s magnetic fields, and how these processes vary in different regions of the sun, from its core to the surrounding corona.
Solar wind is highly structured yet variable. Close-up observations of the solar atmosphere reveal that the changing connectivity of multiple sources in the solar corona drives the observed complexity and variability in the inner heliosphere.
Simple analytic estimates and detailed numerical calculations show that the solar dynamo begins near the surface, rather than at the much-deeper tachocline.
Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves observed on the Sun help understanding solar plasma and involved processes. Here, the authors show resolved MHD waves in the solar corona displaying MHD lensing effect.
Analysis of high-resolution observations of solar ‘plage’ regions (areas of high magnetic field) shows a correlation between coronal emission and the thermodynamic properties of the chromosphere below. Simulations suggest the same heating source.
A state-of-the-art simulation reveals that the long-lasting 10 MK plasma in solar active regions can be heated by magnetic reconnections driven by continuous flux emergence that repeatedly deposit impulsive heating into the coronal plasma.
What mechanisms power the heating of the solar atmosphere is a long-standing, complex question. Satellite and sounding-rocket observations, coupled with computer simulations, now support the idea that dissipation of electrical currents causes strong heating in the brightest parts of the solar chromosphere and corona.
Physics-informed neural networks allow the construction of state-of-the-art models of magnetic fields in active regions on the Sun in real time, enabling rapid investigation of the source regions for space weather.
A radio interferometric array in China will form a one-kilometre aperture for tracing solar bursts and will help to improve the prediction accuracy of dangerous space-weather events.