Dr. Hakeem Oluseyi, at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, will undertake a program related to the development of astronomical instrumentation. The University of Alabama in Huntsville is establishing a detector characterization laboratory. The primary objective of this effort is to realize the full potential of CCD technology that may offer superior soft X-ray, EUV, UV, blue and near-IR sensitivity, as well as superior radiation tolerance and point spread function control compared to traditional astronomical CCDs. Dr. Oluseyi will work to address the under-representation of women and minorities in astronomy and physics, connecting students with appropriate mentors, preparing students for key transition points in their careers, keeping students motivated and inspired, and providing students with appropriate scientific challenges. These efforts will be in partnership with Alabama A&M University (a Historically Black University), the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and NASA's National Space Science Technology Center.
This project addressed three goals. The first goal was to advance human understanding of the Sun's hot outer atmosphere, composed of a hot dilute plasma, by studying the physics of dynamic, small-scale, discrete atmospheric events. The second goal was to develop detectors and software that will improve the observation and analyses of hot astrophysical plasmas. Third, we wished to increase the diversity of science, engineering, technology and mathematics (STEM) disciplines by engaging, inspiring, and empowering a cohort of female and minority students. All three goals were achieved. In order to understand the sources of quiet sun FUV and EUV emission and their variability, a primary goal of solar atmospheric physics - it is necessary to study the individual plasma structures from which this emission arises. It is also necessary to understand the distribution and dynamics of solar magnetic field and their interactions with pre-existing flux distributions. The solar atmosphere displays transient phenomena, which convert magnetically stored energy into non-thermal particle populations as a result of magnetic reconnections and wave dissipation. Howver, the detailed acceleration processes are poorly understood. These phenomena occur on very small scales. Studies have shown that heating is strongest where the field is most non-potential, as evidenced by shear in the field across polarity inversion lines. The solar magnetic field is strongly inhomogeneous on subarcsecond scales (i.e., < ~700km), so it is likely that the basic character of the heating is hidden below the spatial and temporal resolutions of nearly all present observatories. Our work under this grant discovered non-potentiality on the smallest scales yet observed in teh solar corona, measured mass flows within cool coronal loops for the first time, and identified two new classes of transient phenomena in the quiet-Sun network. Studies of particle acceleration via magnetic reconnection in the solar atmosphere inspired us to develop a new, patent-pending invention that we have coined the "Magnetic Recoonection Ion Beam." An initial embodiment of this invention as a revolutionary in-space propulsion technology has been illustrated under this grant. This project has advanced gender, racial, and geographical diversity in astrophysics. A student who performed her M.S. thesis research under this grant is now one of very few professional female African American astrophysicists. She is now employed at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center while completing her PhD at Vanderbilt University. This project has produced 3 Ph.D. studnets that were directly mentored under this work and 6 M.S. theses were completed based on work funded by this grant. There were additionally a large number of undergraduate students involved and trained. Among the graduate degree recipients, two originate from rural Southeastern America. Several REU students participated in this research; all are successfullly continuing as STEM professionals in either industry or graduate school.
