Simulations and observations of type III bursts: current progress and challenges

Hamish Reid, University of Glasgow

Solar type III radio bursts are the signatures of electron beams propagating out from the Sun, into interplanetary space. Type III burst analysis provides a powerful remote sensing diagnostic tool for these propagating electron beams, and contains information about the solar corona and solar wind plasma they travel through. Advanced radio telescopes, like the LOw Frequency ARray (LOFAR), are now giving us type III imaging spectroscopy with orders of magnitude better resolution that before. I will discuss recent observational progress in the analysis of type III bursts, including how this enhanced resolution has opened a new window that facilitates study of type III burst fine structure. I will also discuss recent numerical work which has improved our understanding of how electron beams, Langmuir waves and radio waves evolve through the turbulent solar system plasma. Looking towards the future, I will talk about the theoretical challenges, some old and some new, that we need to overcome on our quest to understand type III bursts and the electron beams that drive them.