Probing the Sun with ALMA: observations and simulations

TL;DR

This paper reviews the potential of ALMA for solar observations, highlighting its ability to improve understanding of the solar chromosphere's thermal, dynamic, and magnetic properties through advanced simulations and existing data.

Contribution

It demonstrates the significant potential of ALMA observations for probing the solar chromosphere's thermal structure, dynamics, and magnetic fields, supported by simulations and current observations.

Findings

ALMA will provide high-resolution, sensitive observations of the solar chromosphere.

Simulations show ALMA can reveal magnetic field structures at chromospheric heights.

Existing observations at millimeter wavelengths are crucial for preparation and validation.

Abstract

ALMA will open a new chapter in the study of the Sun by providing a leap in spatial resolution and sensitivity compared to currently available mm wave- length observations. In preparation of ALMA, we have carried out a large number of observational tests and state-of-the-art radiation MHD simulations. Here we review the best available observations of the Sun at millimeter wavelengths.Using state of the art radiation MHD simulations of the solar atmosphere we demonstrate the huge potential of ALMA observations for uncovering the nature of the solar chromosphere. We show that ALMA will not only provide a reliable probe of the thermal structure and dynamics of the chromosphere, it will also open up a powerful new diagnostic of magnetic field at chromospheric heights, a fundamentally important, but so far poorly known parameter.