Flare frequency distributions represent a key approach to addressing one of the largest problems in solar and stellar physics: determining the mechanism that counterintuitively heats coronae to temperatures that are orders of magnitude hotter than the corresponding photospheres. It is widely accepted that the magnetic field is responsible for the heating, but there are two competing mechanisms that could explain it: nanoflares or Alfvén waves. To date, neither can be directly observed. Nanoflares are, by definition, extremely small, but their aggregate energy release could represent a substantial heating mechanism, presuming they are sufficiently abundant. One way to test this presumption is via the flare frequency distribution, which describes how often flares of various energies occur. If the slope of the power law fitting the flare frequency distribution is above a critical threshold, α = 2 as established in prior literature, then there should be a sufficient abundance of nanoflares to explain coronal heating. We performed >600 case studies of solar flares, made possible by an unprecedented number of data analysts via three semesters of an undergraduate physics laboratory course. This allowed us to include two crucial, but nontrivial, analysis methods: preflare baseline subtraction and computation of the flare energy, which requires determining flare start and stop times. We aggregated the results of these analyses into a statistical study to determine that α = 1.63 ± 0.03. This is below the critical threshold, suggesting that Alfvén waves are an important driver of coronal heating.

Astron. J., vol. 67, pp. 724-727; Deceumber, 1962. of variations i n the decimeter-wave emission from Jupiter,"[39] V. Radhakrishnan and J. A. Roberts, Polarization and angular extent of the 960-Mc/sec radiation from Jupiter," Phys. Rev. , "Microwave spectrum of Saturn," Nature, vol. [45] W. 'K: Rose, J. 'M.'Bologna, and R. M . Sloanaker, "Linear polarization of the 320O-Mc/sec radiation from Saturn,'' Phys.Summary-Celestial radio sources have generally been divided into two categories: 1) thermal sources, and 2) nonthermal sources. The thermal sources are usually masses of ionized hydrogen and their radiation is due to the random interaction of the electrons and protons of the ionized gas. The major cause of ionization is the ultraviolet radiation of the hot stars. This paper describes the basic physical processes involved in the radiation, and the methods of obtaining information from radio observations about the interstellar medium and the hot stars.