Our Sun's corona, a tenuous, hot atmosphere above the visible surface of the sun, is the most dramatic, variable component of solar activity. The PI develops a global model of a complex, evolving corona, based on the hypothesis that coronal activity results from surface motions stressing its magnetic field. Numerical implementation of the model, applied to observations of coronal evolution, tests this hypothesis. Statistical studies of the model provide quantitative estimates for flaring frequency/amplitude, distribution of coronal loop lengths, and total heat supplied by magnetic stressing. The PI is also developing a computational physics curriculum for undergraduates, allowing students to participate more fully in departmental research.
