Sophia Sanchez-Maes Public Thesis Defense

Описание: Reconnection-Driven Flares in Magnetized Astrophysical Plasmas: From the Solar Atmosphere to Sagittarius A*

Sophia Araceli Sánchez-Maes

(Advisor: Jenna Samra)

Energetic flares are observed across magnetized astrophysical systems, from stellar coronae to the vicinity of supermassive black holes. Yet interpreting their emission remains challenging, as the underlying physics spans an enormous range of spatial and temporal scales—from kinetic-scale particle acceleration to the large-scale magnetic structures that govern global energy release.

On the observational front, I will present the development of a high-cadence soft X-ray imaging system flown in the 2024 NASA Solar Flare Sounding Rocket Campaign. The system leverages delta-doped, back-illuminated CMOS sensors to achieve sub-second imaging in the 0.5–10 keV band, enabling improved temporal resolution of flare morphology and energetics in the solar corona.

On the theoretical side, I will present fully three-dimensional general relativistic particle-in-cell (GRPIC) simulations of magnetic reconnection in the relativistic, high–guide field regime relevant to flares from Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the Galactic Center. These simulations reveal the spatial and temporal structure of particle acceleration and synchrotron emission, providing a framework to interpret observed infrared and X-ray variability.

Taken together, these efforts demonstrate how new observational tools and high-fidelity simulations can jointly advance our understanding of reconnection-driven flare physics across astrophysical environments.