First high-resolution studies of photospheric bright points as heating drivers: early DKIST science

This project seeks to address the coronal heating problem – the phenomena in which the Sun’s atmosphere increases in temperature as one moves away from the surface of the Sun. In this study, observations with NSF’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope of photospheric bright points, which are the smallest and short-lived features on the Sun and appear in regions of strong magnetic field, will be compared with simulations. The broader impacts of this study include understanding of the solar atmosphere, in which the Earth and all planets exist, and it supports an early career scientist as project lead. Specifically, this project will identify and track photospheric bright points, which will be used to constrain several models of coronal heating. A recently developed technique to connect bright-point shape changes to individual wave modes will be used compute corresponding energy fluxes, providing insights into driving of wave-modes, which could carry energy to the corona. The number density and motions of bright points at a level of detail previously impossible, and the degree of bright-point rotation will be measured, enabling more realistic simulations of nanoflare-driven heating. Distributions and correlations of properties, particularly those relating to the shapes of bright points and of the corresponding magnetic flux enhancements, will be measured, enhancing understanding of bright-point properties on the smallest scales. Finally, the team will carry out computer simulations, which will extend previous work on bright points and enhance our understanding of wave-driving. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.