The Maryland Solar Radio Group has worked at the forefront of solar physics research for over two decades. The group's research is generally based on radio observations of the Sun using large radio telescope arrays such as the Very Large Array in New Mexico, the Nobeyama 17 GHz radioheliograph in Japan, and the BIMA millimeter-wave interferometer. In many cases, the studies involve combining the results of the radio observations with data from experiments at other wavelengths, such as instruments on the Solar Maximum Mission, Yohkoh, and Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory satellites.
The group's interests include a wide range of solar physics topics. Low-frequency radio data are used to study phenomena in the Sun's outer corona such as coronal mass ejections (CME's). These are dense magnetic structures ejected into the solar wind which can cause major communication and power disruptions when they strike the Earth. Observations at microwave frequencies, generally obtained with the Very Large Array, are sensitive to the lower corona, and are particularly important for investigating solar flares and magnetic fields in the Sun's corona. Millimeter-wavelength observations, carried out with BIMA, are used to study the acceleration of the most energetic electrons propelled by solar flares, which are difficult to study by other means. The stellar component of the group's research mostly involves the study of radio emission from stars which show enhanced solar-like activity.
![[Photo of a Sunspot]](sunspot1.gif)
![[Radio Image of a Sunspot]](sunspot2.gif)
![[Photo of Lori Fenton]](fenton.gif)
"The best aspect of being an undergraduate here is that there are many research opportunities available to students of any age. It took a bit of encouraging at first, but I began my first technical work in the astronomy department as a freshman. I copied tapes of data and mailed them out--pretty much a mundane and sometimes boring job. But the connections I made with professors in the department got me my first research job as a cooperative education student at Goddard Space Flight Center, where I have worked for the past two years. I am now working on a thesis paper that will be published in a technical journal.
I chose to major in astronomy and physics because I knew that if I didn't at least try to be an astronaut, I'd never forgive myself. I've been interested in astronomy for as long as I can remember. I recall when I was 8 years old, I had an argument with my father over whether the Sun was spherical or whether it was shaped like a ball. I didn't know what a sphere was at the time, so I kept on insisting that the Sun was ball-shaped. It's most likely his fault that I ended up here, and now I know more astronomy than he does. And I still think the Sun is shaped like a ball."