The solar atmosphere is a highly structured medium consisting of hot plasma and magnetic fields. These magnetic field lines form open structures and closed loops, the stability of which contribute to conditions in the solar wind. Numerical simulations are essential to understand the underlying physics and stability of loops in the solar corona. To predict instabilities occurring in coronal loops, such as the kink and torus instabilities, the essential stability criteria for each type of instability need to be identified from the numerical models.
In this PhD project you will be responsible for the development of a statistically significant number of three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations describing the onset of both the kink and torus instabilities in coronal loops. In order to achieve this, you will be using Latin hypercube sampling, which enables one to generate near-random samples of the appropriate loop stability parameters.
You will be using an existing numerical code (Lare3D) that will be initialised with different magnetic field configurations. By allowing these configurations to evolve through time, you will populate the parameter space of the kink and torus instabilities. This will allow you to predict the onset of coronal loop instability.
Once the stability criteria are established, you will study the observational signatures of these coronal loops. This can be done by forward modelling the numerical results and synthesize observational signatures from them. One can synthesize observations for both space-based and ground-based telescopes, which will enable these platforms to monitor the solar corona for instabilities that may affect the solar wind and hence space weather around the earth.
Eligibility Requirements*:
- Academic excellence of the proposed student i.e. 2:1 (or equivalent GPA from non-UK universities [preference for 1st class honours]); or a Masters (preference for Merit or above); or APEL evidence of substantial practitioner achievement.
- Appropriate IELTS score, if required.
- Applicants cannot apply for this funding if they are already a PhD holder or if currently engaged in Doctoral study at Northumbria or elsewhere.
Please note: to be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
- have settled status, or
- have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
- have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
If a candidate does not meet the criteria above, they would be classed as an International student. Applicants will need to be in the UK and fully enrolled before stipend payments can commence, and be aware of the following additional costs that may be incurred, as these are not covered by the studentship.
- Immigration Health Surcharge https://www.gov.uk/healthcare-immigration-application
- If you need to apply for a Student Visa to enter the UK, please refer to the information on https://www.gov.uk/student-visa. It is important that you read this information very carefully as it is your responsibility to ensure that you hold the correct funds required for your visa application otherwise your visa may be refused.
- Check what COVID-19 tests you need to take and the quarantine rules for travel to England https://www.gov.uk/guidance/travel-to-england-from-another-country-during-coronavirus-covid-19
- Costs associated with English Language requirements which may be required for students not having completed a first degree in English, will not be borne by the university. Please see individual adverts for further details of the English Language requirements for the university you are applying to.
You will join a strong and supportive research team. To help better understand the aims of the CDT and to meet the PhD supervisors, we are hosting a day-long event on campus on Monday 9th January 2023.
At that event, there will be an opportunity to discuss your research ideas, meet potential PhD supervisors, as well as hear from speakers from a variety of backgrounds (academia, industry, government, charity) discussing both STFC and data science as well as their personal paths and backgrounds. Click here for details.
How to Apply
For further details of how to apply, entry requirements and the application form, see
https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/research/postgraduate-research-degrees/how-to-apply/
Please note:
You must include the relevant advert reference/studentship code (e.g. STFC23/…) in your application.
You do not need to submit a research proposal for the proposed project, since the project is already defined by the supervisor. If you have your own research idea and wish to pursue that, then this is also possible - please indicate this on your application (if this is the case, then please include a research proposal of approximately 300 words).
We offer all applicants full guidance on the application process and on details of the DTP. For informal enquiries, email Professor James McLaughlin (Northumbria: [Email Address Removed]). Please contact the Principal Supervisor of the project(s) [Email Address Removed] for project-specific enquiries.
Deadline for applications: 31st January 2023
Start Date: 1st October 2023
* please note: to be classed as a Home student, candidates must meet the following criteria:
- Be a UK National (meeting residency requirements), or
- have settled status, or
- have pre-settled status (meeting residency requirements), or
- have indefinite leave to remain or enter.
If a candidate does not meet the criteria above, they would be classed as an International student.
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