Solar physicist receives prestigious award for driving understanding of the Sun

A University of Warwick scientist known for his work on the behaviour of the Sun's corona is being recognised for his contribution to astrophysics. Professor Valery Nakariakov has won the Royal Astronomical Society's Chapman Medal - which recognises investigations of outstanding merit in the science of the Sun, space, planetary environments. Professor Nakariakov transformed the understanding of the Sun through two particular works on magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) wave behaviour in the solar corona. The first work details the first demonstration of damped magnetic loop oscillations in the solar corona. The second work details a crucial technique for the seismological probing of not only the magnetic field but also of the free magnetic energy stored in coronal active regions before flares and eruptions. The original observational study, coupled with the subsequent seismic technique, has resulted in a new sub-field known as coronal seismology, whereby the wave behaviour of the solar coronal plasma can be used to remote sense local magnetic field strength. These results are essential for understanding the transfer of energy through the solar atmosphere for coronal heating, and for space weather forecasting.