The objectives of this research are twofold: to understand dynamics and energy transport in the impulsive phase of flares, and to understand the origins of flare energy. Specifically, the aim is to: further understand gasdynamics and radiation transfer in the chromosphere during the impulsive phase of flares; develop diagnostics of energy transport in the impulsive phase of flares which are applicable to H alpha observations; ascertain what can and cannot be learned from vector magnetograms and examine methods for the extrapolation of force-free magnetic fields from such data; study the stability of preflare coronal magnetic fields and the role of MHD instabilities in flare initiation; investigate the interaction of sub-photospheric flows with the footprints of coronal magnetic field lines, to determine the source of flair energy. The investigators will attack these problems theoretically, using both analytic and numerical techniques applied to the gasdynamic, radiation transfer, and magnetohydrodynamic equations. The work on chromospheric flare dynamics and force-free fields will assist in interpreting data from ground-based solar optical telescopes during the solar maximum of 1991. Studies of flare energy generation touch on fundamental questions relating to the solar dynamo and the solar cycle, and will suggest observational tests of flare mechanisms.
