Our Sun is an active star that occasionally produces explosive eruptions and accelerates particles such as electrons and protons into high energies. These particles can damage technology and pose a radiation hazard to humans in space or at flight altitudes. Particle eruptions are part of the so-called space weather. In order to develop reliable warning systems, we need to understand the origins of these eruptions. Therefore, we analyze the solar energetic electrons and the role of shock waves as their accelerators. Shock waves often occur in front of large clouds of gas erupting from the Sun. We use local and optical measurements from several space missions, such as ESA's Solar Orbiter. To complement our observational analysis, we collaborate with particle transport and acceleration theorists and modelers to compare observations with model results. This allows us to test the electron shock acceleration hypothesis and expand our current knowledge.

2022

2027