High-Energy Aspects of the Solar-Stellar Connection

Abstract

In this white paper, we demonstrate the scientific value of interdisciplinary research on high-energy solar and stellar activity and advocate for programmatic implementation that facilitates and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration. Solar eruptive events are the most energetic events in our solar system; they provide insight into energy release mechanisms in the solar corona and are a key source of energetic particles and space weather. This also holds true in the stellar context; moreover, the energy released by events in the stellar domain can be orders of magnitude greater than on our Sun. Interdisciplinary research on solar/stellar activity leverages the combination of spatially-resolved measurements from the Sun with the variety of sources and extreme conditions from stellar observations to provide a more complete picture than either discipline could present on its own. In this white paper, we explore the enhanced insight gained from solar-stellar investigations of high-energy activity, including: flares, coronal mass ejections (CMEs), coronal heating, young stellar objects and planet formation, and stellar impacts on exoplanet habitability. We recommend that proposals engaging in interdisciplinary solar-stellar science be encouraged and facilitated. We additionally recommend the implementation of a cross-disciplinary approach to guest observer/investigator opportunities in order to further leverage the synergies in solar and stellar research goals.