Rebecca Meadowcroft
Position: 2nd Year PhD Student
Supervisor: Prof. Valery Nakariakov
Project Title: Solar Magnetohydrodynamic Coronal Seismology
Funding: Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC)
Teaching Assistant: First-year undergraduate problem classes.
My Project
Solar magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) seismology studies oscillations and waves in the solar atmosphere, offering insights into the heating of the Sun's corona and solar wind acceleration. It explores physical mechanisms driving solar processes using observational data, theoretical models, and simulations. The field's applications extend to magnetospheric physics, stellar physics, and controlled fusion. Recent advances, fueled by high-resolution observations from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and Solar Orbiter, enable a more comprehensive study of MHD waves.
Slow magnetoacoustic waves, driven by oscillations in underlying solar layers, serve as a valuable seismological tool. They provide information on the coupling of layers of the solar atmosphere, magnetic field geometry, and the coronal heating function. Time-distance analysis, focusing on parameters like oscillation period and apparent speed, offers critical insights into the solar atmosphere. This project aims to enhance understanding of MHD waves in the solar corona, particularly slow magnetoacoustic waves, aiding in predicting and mitigating potential impacts on Earth.
Publications
- Observation of a propagating slow magnetoacoustic wave in a coronal plasma fan with SDO/AIA and SolO/EUILink opens in a new window Meadowcroft, R.L., Zhong, S., Kolotkov, D.Y., Nakariakov, V.M., MNRAS 527, 5302-5310, 2024. DOI: 10.1093/mnras/stad3506Link opens in a new window
- Diagnostics of the solar coronal plasmas by magnetohydrodynamic waves: magnetohydrodynamic seismologyLink opens in a new window Nakariakov, V.M., Zhong, S., Kolotkov, D.Y., Meadowcroft, R.L., Zhong, Y., Yuan, D., Rev. Modern Plasma Physics 8, 19, 2024, DOI: 10.1007/s41614-024-00160-9Link opens in a new window
Presentations
| Event | Date | Contribution |
| Warwick-Weihai Webinar | May 2023 | Talk (online) |
| WISA 2023 | June 2023 | Talk |
| EUI Consortium | September 2023 | Invited Talk |
| NAM 2024 | August 2024 | Invited Talk and Talk |
| ESPM-17 | September 2024 | Poster |
| Advances in Analysis of Oscillatory Processes Workshop | March 2025 | Talk |
Education
BSc MMathPhys in Mathematics and Physics, The University of Warwick, 2015 - 2019
Secondary PGCE in Science, The University of Nottingham, 2019 - 2020
Contact
Email: rebecca.meadowcroft@warwick.ac.uk
Office: PS1.71
Address: Department of Physics, University of Warwick, Coventry, CV4 7AL