ACDCSUN · A new look at the solar coronal heating problem

The proposed project aims to transformatively advance our understanding of the enigmatic phenomenon of solar coronal heating. The ground-breaking nature of the proposed research is the anticipated revolutionary change of our understanding of basic physical mechanisms for the formation and evolution of the solar and stellar coronae. The key novel elements of the study are fresh and original hypotheses and methodologies. We hypothesise that a significant fraction of the energy released short-durational bursts of magnetic reconnection goes to oblique fast magnetoacoustic waves. This effect mitigates shortcomings of the previous approaches, modifying the observed statistics of solar flares, and spreading the heated region across the magnetic field. We shall design a novel technique for the diagnostics of the coronal heating function by coronal compressive waves, based on the recently established effect of coronal thermal misbalance, apply it to constraining parameters of various heating mechanisms and establish those most consistent with observations. We shall reveal the mechanism for the energy transfer from the low atmosphere to the corona by studying the phenomenon of decayless kink oscillations of coronal loops and establish its role in the coronal energy balance. This timely research will be based on the use of high-precision observational data obtained with observational tools of the new generation, including instruments onboard the Solar Orbiter space mission, and state-of-the-art theoretical modelling. A significant component of this activity is the effective dissemination of the results to the research community and general public. The research programme is organised in three work-packages addressing different aspects of the research, but well connected with each other by the common methodology and instrumentation. The project team will consist of Professor V Nakariakov as PI, 2 post-doctoral researchers, 2 PhD students, and Warwick Physics Outreach Officer.