Alexander James - Personal Profiles

Main Research Fields

I am a solar physicist investigating the causes of solar magnetic activity. Eruptions from the Sun can have dramatic effects on the Earth and the near-Earth environment, so it is important to develop accurate forecasts of this so-called “space weather”.

Currently, we are unable to reliably predict solar eruptions. This is largely due to not fully understanding the processes that are involved in their initiation. I am working to identify the processes that cause solar magnetic activity, and then apply that knowledge in an attempt to identify the likelihood of solar eruptions before they occur.

Specifically, I use a combination of remote-sensing observations with computational modelling techniques to try and understand the magnetic configuration of the Sun’s corona. In doing so, I investigate the processes that form pre-eruptive magnetic structures (e.g. magnetic flux emergence and cancellation) and the mechanisms that trigger and drive eruptions (e.g. the ideal magnetohydrodynamic torus instability).