Research interests
Effect of magnetism and rotation on solar waves and oscillations
I am active in the study of the propagation of acoustic waves through magnetically active regions. This area of research is at the forefront of local helioseismology as there are no direct ways to observe the sub-surface stratified structure of magnetic active regions.
Theoretical modelling and comparing and predicting observational signatures is believed to be the way forward in understanding these topologically complex magnetic regions on the Sun's surface.
My research has addressed many important questions regarding the solar oscillations (acoustic waves):
What is the physical origin of solar cycle variations in solar oscillations?
What causes the absorption of the acoustic fluxes in the magnetised regions?
What causes the damping of the solar oscillations?
What are the types of MHD waves observed in the upper atmosphere of the Sun?
What is the effect of rotation and stratification on the waves in the Sun's interior?
This important research has resulted in many papers published in the journals with high impact factors.
Forced magnetic reconnection and solar coronal heating
How the Sun's outer atmosphere, also known as the solar corona, is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees is a major issue in solar physics. It is important to understand this issue as it has practical implications here on Earth's climate and 'space weather'.
Space missions reveal that the heating mechanism is connected to the magnetic fields and that it is intermittent. This suggests that the heating may be due to superposition of numerous small-scale energy releasing events, known as nanoflares.
My research focuses on fundamental theoretical modelling of the physical mechanisms behind the nanoflares and simulation of nanoflare type events. The aim is to understand the process and investigate their response on the solar corona, such as variability in the X-ray brightness.
Understanding the physical processes and predicting the observational signature is crucial to address the issue of the hot solar corona. Recent work also focuses on 'spine and fan reconnection models.