Speaker
Description
Context. Type III solar radio bursts are among the most common radio emissions from the Sun, produced by energetic electron beams propagating through the solar corona and interplanetary space. These bursts are characterized by their rapid frequency drift, and through them, we can further study solar activity. Since the launch of ESA’s Solar Orbiter mission in 2020, the Radio and Plasma Waves (RPW) instrument has collected more than four years of data, but identifying Type III bursts remains a challenge due to their varying intensities and morphologies. While efforts for automated algorithms exist, they often struggle with faint or more complex bursts. Human participation can help optimize automated Type III detection.
Aims. We aim to create the first extensive catalog of Type III solar radio bursts detected from space, including precise time and frequency ranges for each identified event. This catalog will serve as a valuable resource for studying the relationship between Type III bursts and solar flares, as well as their variability throughout the solar cycle.
Methods. To achieve this, we developed Solar Radio Burst Tracker, a citizen science project hosted on Zooniverse.org, where volunteers analyze spectrograms from the RPW instrument and identify Type III bursts. Each spectrum is classified by eight participants to ensure accuracy. In addition, we developed a post-processing analysis algorithm where we can filter the noise from the volunteers’ classifications and provide a measure of uncertainty to their identifications.
Expected Outcomes. We present the design of the project and the initial results from the first phase of classifications. The dataset will be compared with X-ray observations of solar flares, helping to establish a connection between radio bursts and flare-associated electron acceleration. Additionally, the project is planned to be extended to incorporate STEREO spacecraft data, further expanding the catalog and allowing for long-term studies of solar radio emissions over the solar cycle. We also plan to provide this catalog to optimize automatic Type III detection for future observations.
| Talk category | NOVA Network 2 |
|---|---|
| Preference for a talk or poster | Talk |
| Talk preference for PhD students | 1st year |
