Uploaded July 2021 | Updated September 2026, 8 hours ago
NAM 2021 Plenary
Dr Eoin Carley
The shocking radio sun: Observations of solar eruptive events in a new era of radio interferometry
The solar atmosphere regularly releases huge quantities of energy, resulting in the largest eruptions in the solar system. During these eruptions particles are accelerated to high energies, producing emission from gamma-rays to radio. The solar radio bursts in particular provide us with remarkable insight into the eruptive process and the associated particle acceleration phenomena, such as magnetic reconnection and shock waves. Radio instrumentation therefore enjoys a prominent role in observing the Sun and solar eruptive events, and has been providing observations of this activity since the mid 20th century. This long history of solar radio astronomy has entered a new era of observational techniques in the form of phased-array interferometry, such as that provided by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR). LOFAR is the world's largest and most powerful low frequency radio interferometer. When used to observe the Sun, it has provided unprecedented detail on the mechanisms of particle acceleration in the solar corona and the involvement of plasma instabilities and turbulence in producing the radio emission. In this talk I will review recent progress made on the observations of solar eruptive events using LOFAR. I will show how LOFAR has greatly improved upon knowledge of the radio Sun and its energy release processes, and is paving the way for further progress with the radio interferometers of the future.
NAM 2021 Plenary
Dr Eoin Carley
The shocking radio sun: Observations of solar eruptive events in a new era of radio interferometry
The solar atmosphere regularly releases huge quantities of energy, resulting in the largest eruptions in the solar system. During these eruptions particles are accelerated to high energies, producing emission from gamma-rays to radio. The solar radio bursts in particular provide us with remarkable insight into the eruptive process and the associated particle acceleration phenomena, such as magnetic reconnection and shock waves. Radio instrumentation therefore enjoys a prominent role in observing the Sun and solar eruptive events, and has been providing observations of this activity since the mid 20th century. This long history of solar radio astronomy has entered a new era of observational techniques in the form of phased-array interferometry, such as that provided by the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR). LOFAR is the world's largest and most powerful low frequency radio interferometer. When used to observe the Sun, it has provided unprecedented detail on the mechanisms of particle acceleration in the solar corona and the involvement of plasma instabilities and turbulence in producing the radio emission. In this talk I will review recent progress made on the observations of solar eruptive events using LOFAR. I will show how LOFAR has greatly improved upon knowledge of the radio Sun and its energy release processes, and is paving the way for further progress with the radio interferometers of the future.
