Solar and heliospheric physics
Our current understanding of the Universe is heavily due to the existence of the energetic particles and their emission signatures.
The solar activity is one of the natural phenomena producing these energetic particles. However, it is still not clear how these particles energise, how they escape the solar atmosphere and how they travel from the Sun to the Earth and beyond.
Our approach
Over the last decade or so, the fleet of the Sun-observing satellites has provided us with unprecedented data, bringing invaluable observations but also setting new questions. Our group, in collaboration with colleagues from US, Italy, France and Switzerland is conducting an integrated research programme in solar flare energetic particles.
Using X-ray, radio and in-situ data strengthened by numerical modeling we investigate the physical processes related to energetic electrons in more quantifiable manner.
We utilize space-based remote solar, in-situ particle observations and ground based radio data to better understand the fundamental physics of collective energetic particle plasma interactions in the heliosphere and to build a unified scenario of energetic particles.
Why is this research important?
The Sun is the main source of energy in our planetary system and is the major driver of the heliospheric and geophysical processes. These processes affect the ground based and space human activities and we try to understand how the solar flares work and how our star affects our civilisation activities.
Researcher
Related theme
“Radio observations of the solar atmosphere provide a unique view on the non-thermal processes in the outer atmosphere. Here the authors use LOFAR observations to demonstrate that the observed radio burst characteristics are dominated by propagation effects rather than underlying emission variations.”