Solar Energetic Particles
Studying the origins and transport of solar energetic particles (SEPs) from flares and CMEs.
Proton distribution maps in different energy bands, where the thick black lines indicate the CME-driven shock at the time of the snapshots (Li et al. 2025).
active
We quantify how flare reconnection, termination shocks, and CME-driven structures supply seed ions that become SEPs, then couple those spectra to large-scale transport models that predict what spacecraft actually see.
What’s happening
- Multi-physics pipeline — Linking local PIC/hybrid simulations, ARMS MHD outputs, and Parker transport solvers to follow protons and heavy ions from acceleration to heliosphere.
- Seed-population diagnostics — Studying composition signatures and charge states to determine when flares dominate over CME shocks.
- Operational hooks — Delivering reduced models that feed into space-weather prototype forecasts for SEP onset and anisotropy.
Featured publications
- Modeling Particle Acceleration and Release from Solar Eruptions
X. Li et al. — ApJ (2025) — read - Variable Ion Compositions of SEP Events
F. Guo et al. — ApJ (2022) — read
We regularly coordinate with mission teams (PSP, Solar Orbiter, GOES) to validate these models. Let me know if you need custom seed-population inputs or transport diagnostics for your analyses.