The Sun and Solar System Plasmas Group at Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, was founded in 2005 to conduct basic research in the field of the Sun and solar system plasma physics, such as (1) fine plasma structures and their heating mechanisms in the solar atmosphere, (2) the interplanetary propagation of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and its space weather effects, and (3) the theory, observations, and applications of Alfven waves in solar and space plasmas.

　In the past years, the major research interests of the Group relate to plasma processes in the solar atmosphere and solar-terrestrial system, which involve (1) plasma filamentation processes – the plasma-magnetic filed interaction in the solar corona including their formation mechanism, dynamic evolution and instabilities, (2) plasma particle energization processes in solar activity and coronal heating, (3) electromagnetic emission (e.g., radio and X-ray emissions) processes in solar activity, and (4) the plasma-magnetic filed interaction in solar-terrestrial environment (e.g.,  plasma turbulence in the solar wind, energetic particle acceleration in the auroral zone, magnetic flux tubes and shock waves).

　The Group currently has 1 research fellow, 2 research associates, 1 post-doctoral research associate, and 5 graduate students, keeping in close contact with partners and colleagues both at home and abroad. Important progress has been made in studying particle energization phenomena and solitary kinetic Alfven wave (SKAW) theory, including the discovery of dipole density solitons and the suggestion of the related dipole vortex model, the clarification of criteria for the existence of SKAWs and the derivation of the exact analytical solutions for the solitary waves, the improvement of the anomalous dissipation theory of KAWs, and the proposition of mechanisms for inhomogeneous coronal heating，for auroral electron acceleration, and for coronal heavy ion anomalous heating. These were selected twice as one of the Top Ten Science and Technology Progress Achievements in Astronomy organized by National Astronomical Observatories in 2003 and 2007, and made the Group win a first class prize of Jiangsu Science and Technology Progress Award in 2006.

　In the new century, the Group’s activities will continue to focus on basic research in plasma astrophysics, involve studies of fine plasma structures in the solar atmosphere and solar-terrestrial environment, inhomogeneous coronal heating, plasma wave-particle interaction, and their application to satellite observations in order to further the application of plasma physics to the Sun and solar-system environment, to find out the underlying physical mechanism of solar activity, and to better understand the impact of solar activity on space weather and the Earth.

　For more information see: http://plastrolab.pmo.ac.cn ，http://plasmas.pmo.ac.cn/