Colloquia

Seminars

• Astronomy and Space Physics
• Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Physics
• Condensed Matter
• Fluids and Plasmas
• Particle Physics
• Calendar of Events

Graduation Commencement

Astronomy & Space Physics Seminar Abstract

Date: Nov 6th (215 Conference Room Shap Lab at 4:00pm)

Speaker: Rachel Osten, Department of Astronomy, University of Maryland

Title: New Insights into the Physics of Stellar Flares

Abstract:Variability is an implied consequence of magnetic reconnection occuring in stellar outer atmospheres; such reconnection processes can produce spectacular examples of flaring variability which allow astronomers to study the physics underlying stellar flares in regimes which are orders of magnitude larger than what can be probed by solar flare studies. Stellar flares have now been observed across 11 decades in wavelength/frequency/energy; such a large span implies that a range of physical processes takes place during such events. I will describe new results at both ends of the electromagnetic spectrum, which inform us about the important role of particle acceleration in stellar flares. These studies reveal the underlying connections between objects as different as the Earth's aurora, stellar atmospheres, and AGN.