Skip to main content
Log in

Sixty-Year Career in Solar Physics

  • Memoirs
  • Published:
Solar Physics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This memoir reviews my academic career in solar physics for 60 years, including my research on non-LTE modeling, white-light flares, and small-scale solar activities. Through this narrative, the reader can catch a glimpse of the development of solar physics research in mainland China from scratch. In the end, some prospects for future development are given.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
Figure 8
Figure 9
Figure 10
Figure 11
Figure 12
Figure 13
Figure 14
Figure 15

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Avrett, E.H., Machado, M.E., Kurucz, R.I.: 1986, Chromospheric flare models. In: Neidig, D.F. (ed.) The Lower Atmosphere in Solar Flares, Sunspot, NM, National Solar Observatory, 216.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cao, W., Gorceix, N., Coulter, R., Ahn, K., Rimmele, T.R., Goode, P.R.: 2010, Scientific instrumentation for the 1.6 m New Solar Telescope in Big Bear. Astron. Nachr.331, 636. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Chae, J., Park, H.-M., Ahn, K., Yang, H., Park, Y.-D., Nah, J., et al.: 2013, Fast Imaging Solar Spectrograph of the 1.6 meter new solar telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory. Solar Phys.288, 1. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, P.F.: 2011, Coronal mass ejections: models and their observational basis. Living Rev. Solar Phys.8, 1. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, P.F., Fang, C., Ding, M.D.: 2001, Ellerman Bomb, Type II white-light flares and magnetic reconnection in the solar lower atmosphere. Chin. J. Astron. Astrophys.1, 176. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, P.F., Fang, C., Shibata, K.: 2005, A full view of EIT waves. Astrophys. J.622, 1202. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, X., Hao, Q., Ding, M.D., Liu, K., Chen, P.F., Fang, C., Liu, Y.: 2015, A two-ribbon white-light flare associated with a failed solar eruption observed by ONSET, SDO, and IRIS. Astrophys. J.809, 1. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • De Pontieu, B., Title, A.M., Lemen, J.R., Kushner, G.D., Akin, D.J., Allard, B., et al.: 2014, The Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Solar Phys.289, 2733. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Ding, M.D., Fang, C.: 1989, A semi-empirical model of sunspot penumbra. Astron. Astrophys.225, 204.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Ding, M.D., Fang, C.: 1991, A semi-empirical model of sunspot umbra. Chin. Astron. Astrophys.15, 28. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Ding, M.D., Fang, C.: 1997, Influence of non-thermal processes on line asymmetries in solar flares. Astron. Astrophys.318, L17.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Ding, M.D., Hénoux, J.-C., Fang, C.: 1998, Line profiles in moustaches produced by an impacting energetic particle beam. Astron. Astrophys.332, 761.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Ding, M.D., Fang, C., Gan, W.Q., Okamoto, T.: 1994, Optical spectra and semi-empirical model of a white-light flare. Astrophys. J.429, 890. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Ellerman, F.: 1917, Astrophys. J.46, 298. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C.: 1988, Semi-empirical models of chromospheric flares and prominences. Vistas Astron.31, 1. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C.: 2011, Recent progress of solar physics research in China. Res. Astron. Astrophys.11, 1377. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C.: 2015, Past, present and future of Chinese astronomy. Highlights Astron.16, 19. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Ding, M.D.: 1995, On the spectral characteristics and atmospheric models of two types of white-light flares. Astron. Astrophys. Suppl. Ser.110, 99.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Feautrier, N., Hénoux, J.-C.: 1995, Hydrogen line spectra of a nonthermal proton beam due to charge exchange in solar flares. Astron. Astrophys.297, 854.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Hénoux, J.-C.: 1983, Self-consistent models of flare heated solar chromosphere. Astron. Astrophys.118, 139.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Hénoux, J.-C., Gan, W.Q.: 1993, Diagnostics of non-thermal processes in chromospheric flares I. H\(\upalpha \) and Ca ii K line profiles of an atmosphere bombarded by hecta KeV electrons. Astron. Astrophys.274, 917.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Huang, Y.R.: 1983, The solar tower telescope of Nanjing university and its multiple solar spectrograph. Acta Astron. Sin.24, 189.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Tang, Y.H., Xu, Z.: 2006, Spectral analysis and atmospheric models of microflares. Chin. J. Astron. Astrophys.6, 597. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Xu, Z., Ding, M.D.: 2003, Spectral diagnostics of non-thermal particles in the solar chromosphere. J. Korean Astron. Soc.36, 55.

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Gan, W.Q., Huang, Y.R., Hu, J.: 1986, Semi-empirical time-varying models of chromospheric flares. In: Neidig, D.F. (ed.) The Lower Atmosphere of Solar Flares, 117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Zhang, Q.Z., Yin, S.Y., Livingston, W.C.: 1990, Semi-empirical models at different heights of a quiescent prominence. In: Dynamics of Quiescent Prominences, 284. DOI .

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Ding, M.D., Okamoto, T., Gan, W.Q.: 1993, Semi-empirical model of the white light flare on September 19, 1979. Sci. China Ser. A36, 217

    Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Hénoux, J.-C., Hu, J., Xue, Y.Z., Gao, X.F., Fu, Q.J.: 1995, Semi-empirical models of the white-light flare on October 24, 1991. Solar Phys.157, 271. DOI

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Ding, M.D., Hénoux, J.-C., Gan, W.Q.: 1996, Spectral diagnostics of the energetic particles in solar flares. J. Korean Astron. Soc.29, 295.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Ding, M.D., Hénoux, J.-C., Livingson, W.C.: 2001, Semi-empirical model of solar plages. Sci. China Ser. A44, 528.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Tang, Y.H., Xu, Z., Ding, M.D., Chen, P.F.: 2006, Spectral analysis of Ellerman bombs. Astrophys. J.643, 1325. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Chen, P.F., Jiang, R.L., Tang, Y.H.: 2010, Synthetic analysis of a two-ribbon microflare. Res. Astron. Astrophys.10, 83. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Chen, P.F., Li, Z., Ding, M.D., Dai, Y., Zhang, X.Y., Mao, W.J., et al.: 2013, ONSET – a new multi-wavelength solar telescope: optical and Near-infrared Solar Eruption Tracer (ONSET). Res. Astron. Astrophys.13, 1509. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Hao, Q., Ding, M.D., Li, Z.: 2017, Can the temperature of Ellerman bombs be more than 10000 K? Res. Astron. Astrophys.17, 31. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Fletcher, L., Hannah, I.G., Hudson, H.S., Metcalf, T.R.: 2007, A TRACE white light and RHESSI hard X-ray study of flare energetics. Astrophys. J.656, 1187. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gan, W.Q., Cheng, C.C., Fang, C.: 1995, On thermal hydrodynamic models of solar flares with a high initial coronal density. Astrophys. J.452, 445. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gan, W.Q., Fang, C.: 1987, Time-match semi-empirical models of the chromospheric flare on 3 February, 1983. Solar Phys.107, 311. DOI

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gan, W.Q., Fang, C.: 1990, A hydrodynamic model of the gradual phase of the solar flare loop. Astrophys. J.358, 328. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gan, W.Q., Fang, C., Zhang, H.Q.: 1991, A hydrodynamic model of the impulsive phase of a solar flare loop. Astron. Astrophys.241, 618.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Gan, W.Q., Rieger, E., Fang, C.: 1993, Semiempirical flare models with chromospheric condensation. Astrophys. J.416, 886. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Goode, P.R., Cao, W.: 2012, The 1.6 m off-axis new solar telescope (NST) in Big Bear. Proc. SPIE8444, 3. DOI .

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hao, Q., Guo, Y., Dai, Y., Ding, M.D., Li, Z., Zhang, X.Y., Fang, C.: 2012, Understanding the white-light flare on 2012 March 9: evidence of a two-step magnetic reconnection. Astron. Astrophys.544, L17. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hao, Q., Yang, K., Cheng, X., Guo, Y., Fang, C., Ding, M.D., et al.: 2017, A circular white-light flare with impulsive and gradual white-light sources. Nat. Commun.8, 2202. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hénoux, J.-C., Fang, C., Gan, W.Q.: 1993, Diagnostics of non-thermal processes in chromospheric flares II. H\(\upalpha \) and Ca ii K line profiles for an atmosphere bombarded by 100 KeV–1 MeV protons. Astron. Astrophys.274, 923.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hénoux, J.-C., Fang, C., Gan, W.Q.: 1995, Diagnostics of non-thermal processes in chromospheric flares III. Ly\(\upalpha \) and Ly\(\upbeta \) spectra for an atmosphere bombarded by electron or proton beams. Astron. Astrophys.297, 574.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hiei, E.: 1982, A continuous spectrum of a white-light flare. Solar Phys.80, 113. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, J., Ding, M.D., Li, Y., Fang, C., Cao, W.: 2014, Spectral observations of Ellerman bombs and fitting with a two-cloud model. Astrophys. J.792, 13. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, J., Ding, M.D., Li, Y., Yang, K., Cheng, X., Chen, P.F., et al.: 2016, Bidirectional outflows as evidence of magnetic reconnection leading to a solar microflare. Astrophys. J. Lett.820, 17. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hu, J., Fang, C., Ding, M.D., Hiei, E.: 1994, Study of the white light flares of September 10, 1974. Acta Astron. Sin.35, 396.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, Y.R., Fang, C., Hu, J.: 1985, Is the continuum flare emission in the visible spectral range a very rare event? In: Biao, C. (ed.) Proc. Kunming Workshop on Solar Physics and Interplanetary Travelling Phenomena, Science Press, Beijing, 728.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huang, Y.R., Fang, C., Hu, J.: 1986, Continuum emission of flares on December 30, 1982 and on February 3, 1983. In: Neidig, D.F. (ed.) The Lower Atmosphere of Solar Flares3, 178.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hudson, H.S.: 2016, Chasing white-light flares. Solar Phys.291, 1273. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson, H.S., Wolfson, C.J., Metcalf, T.R.: 2006, White-light flares: a TRACE/RHESSI overview. Solar Phys.234, 79. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Isobe, H., Kubo, M., Minoshima, T., Ichimoto, K., Katsukawa, Y., Tarbell, T.D., et al.: 2007, Flare ribbons observed with G-band and Fe i 6302 Å, filters of the solar optical telescope on board Hinode. Publ. Astron. Soc. Japan59, 807. DOI .

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jess, D.B., Mathioudakis, M., Crockett, P.J., Keenan, F.P.: 2008, Do all flares have white-light emission? Astrophys. J. Lett.688, L119. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, R.L., Fang, C., Chen, P.F.: 2010, Numerical simulations of chromospheric microflares. Astrophys. J.710, 1387. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, R.L., Fang, C., Chen, P.F.: 2012, Numerical simulation of solar microflares in a canopy-type magnetic configuration. Astrophys. J.751, 152. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, R.L., Shibata, K., Isobe, H., Fang, C.: 2011a, Fan-shaped jets in three-dimensional reconnection simulation as a model of ubiquitous solar jets. Astrophys. J. Lett.726, L16. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, R.L., Shibata, K., Isobe, H., Fang, C.: 2011b, Detailed analysis of fan-shaped jets in three dimensional numerical simulation. Res. Astron. Astrophys.11, 701. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Kerr, G.S., Fletcher, L.: 2014, Physical properties of white-light sources in the 2011 February 15 solar flare. Astrophys. J.783, 98. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhar, M., Krucker, S., Martinez Oliveros, J.C., Battaglia, M., Kleint, L., Casadei, D., Hudson, H.S.: 2016, Correlation of hard X-ray and white light emission in solar flares. Astrophys. J.816, 6. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Z., Fang, C., Guo, Y., Chen, P.F., Xu, Z., Cao, W.D.: 2015, Diagnostics of Ellerman bombs with high-resolution spectral data. Res. Astron. Astrophys.15, 1513. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Y., Ding, M.D., Fang, C.: 2001, Enhanced emission at the infrared continuum in the flare of 2001 March 10. Astrophys. J. Lett.563, 169. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, Z., Xu, J., Gu, B.Z., Wang, S., You, J.Q., Shen, L.X., et al.: 2014, New vacuum solar telescope and observations with high resolution. Res. Astron. Astrophys.14, 705. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Machado, M.E., Avrett, E.H., Vernazza, J.E., Noyes, R.W.: 1980, Semi-empirical models of chromospheric flare regions. Astrophys. J.242, 336. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Machado, M.E., Avrett, E.H., Falciani, R., Fang, C., Gesztelyi, L., Hénoux, J.-C., Hiei, E., Neidig, D.F., Rust, D.M., Sotirovski, P., Svestka, Z., Zirin, H.: 1986, White light flares and atmospheric modeling (working group report). In: Neidig, D.F. (ed.) The Lower Atmosphere of Solar Flares, 483.

    Google Scholar 

  • Matthews, S.A., van Driel-Gesztelyi, L., Hudson, H.S., Nitta, N.V.: 2003, A catalogue of white-light flares observed by Yohkoh. Astron. Astrophys.409, 1107. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Neidig, D.F., Cliver, E.: 1983, A catalog of solar white-light flares, including their statistical properties and associated emissions, 1859–1982. NASA STI/Recon Tech. Rep. N 84, 24521.

  • Nelson, C.J., Doyle, J.G., Erdelyi, R., Huang, Z., Madjarska, M.S., Mathioudakis, M., et al.: 2013, Statistical analysis of small Ellerman Bomb events. Solar Phys.283, 307. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Peter, H., Tian, H., Curdt, W., Schmit, D., Innes, D., De Pontieu, B., et al.: 2014, Hot explosions in the cool atmosphere of the Sun. Science346, 1255726. DOI .

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shimizu, T., Shine, R.A., Title, A.M., Tarbell, T.D., Frank, Z.: 2002, Astrophys. J.574, 1074. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Song, Y.L., Guo, Y., Tian, H., Zhu, X.S., Zhang, M., Zhu, Y.J.: 2018, Astrophys. J.853, 64. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Tandberg-Hanssen, E.: 1995 In: The Nature of Solar Prominences, Astrophysics and Space Science Library, Dordrecht, Kluwer.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Tian, H., Xu, Z., He, J., Madsen, C.: 2016, Are IRIS bombs connected to Ellermen bombs? Astrophys. J.824, 96. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Uddin, W., Schmieder, B., Chandra, R., Srivastava, A.K., Kumar, P., Bisht, S.: 2012, Observations of multiple surges associated with magnetic activities in AR 10484 on 2003 October 25. Astrophys. J.752, 70. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Vernazza, J.E., Avrett, E.H., Loeser, R.: 1981, Structure of the solar chromosphere. III. Models of the EUV brightness components of the quiet-sun. Astrophys. J. Suppl.45, 635. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Vissers, G.J.M., Rouppe van der Voort, L.H.M.: 2012, Flocculent flows in the chromospheric canopy of a sunspot. Astrophys. J.750, 22. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang, H.M.: 2009, Study of white-light flares observed by Hinode. Res. Astron. Astrophys.9, 127. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Watanabe, K., Krucker, S., Hudson, H., Shimizu, T., Masuda, S., Ichimoto, K.: 2010, G-band and Hard X-ray emissions of the 2006 December 14 flare observed by Hinode/SOT and Rhessi. Astrophys. J.715, 651. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Xia, C., Fang, C., Chen, Q.R., Tang, Y.H.: 2007, Spectral analysis of a two-ribbon microflare. Adv. Space Res.39, 1402. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, Z., Fang, C., Gan, W.Q.: 2005, Multi-wavelength diagnostics of bombardment by non-thermal particles in solar flares. Chin. J. Astron. Astrophys.5, 519. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, Y., Cao, W., Liu, C., Yang, G., Qiu, J., Jing, J., Denker, C., Wang, H.: 2004, Near-infrared observations at 1.56 microns of the 2003 October 29 X10 white-light flare. Astrophys. J. Lett.607, 131. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Xu, X.Y., Fang, C., Ding, M.D., Gao, D.H.: 2011, Numerical simulation of magnetic reconnection in the lower solar atmosphere. Res. Astron. Astrophys.11, 225. DOI .

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Yan, Y.H., Chen, L.J., Yu, S.J.: 2016, First radio burst imaging observation from Mingantu Ultrawide Spectral Radioheliograph in solar and stellar flares and their effects on planets. In Proceedings of the IAU Symposium320, 427. DOI .

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Yin, S.Y., Fang, C., Ding, M.D., Hiei, E., Fu, W.J.: 1995, Spectral analysis of the white light flare on 11 October, 1974. Acta Astron. Sin.36, 279

    Article  ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Q.Z., Fang, C.: 1987, Semi-empirical models of a quiescent prominence. Astron. Astrophys.175, 277.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, X., Fang, C., Hénoux, J.-C.: 1998, Non-thermal hydrogen line emission caused by an oblique incident proton beam through charge exchange. Astron. Astrophys.330, 351.

    ADS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The author thanks Professors Mingde Ding and PengFei Chen for reading the manuscript and giving some valuable suggestions. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) under the grants 11533005, 11703012, 11733003 as well as NKBRSF under grant 2014CB744203.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to C. Fang.

Ethics declarations

Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest

The author declares to have no conflicts of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fang, C. Sixty-Year Career in Solar Physics. Sol Phys 293, 72 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-018-1291-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-018-1291-8

Keywords

Navigation