Waves, Oscillations, and Radiative Diagnostics: Probing the Solar Chromosphere and Corona from Jets to Eruptions

The solar corona is threaded by magnetic fields that are difficult to measure directly, yet they govern coronal heating, jets, and disturbances across the solar atmosphere. Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves and oscillations provide indirect diagnostics: their speeds, periods, and damping reveal the magnetic field, density, and thermal structure of coronal loops, prominences, and other inaccessible regions. This is the basis of coronal seismology.

Flares and jets also deposit energy in the chromosphere, where radiative and spectral diagnostics provide a complementary view. Helium-triplet lines, including He I 10830 Å and He I D3 (5876 Å), trace energy deposition, magnetic energy release, and plasma dynamics. Combined with radiative hydrodynamic modeling and spectral synthesis, they help quantify mass and energy transport between the lower and upper atmosphere. However, important questions remain about wave excitation and damping, flare energy deposition, chromospheric heating, and the coupling of jets and flares to coronal waves. Integrating seismological and radiative diagnostics remains a major challenge.

This Research Topic aims to advance observational, theoretical, and numerical studies of waves, oscillations, and radiative signatures in the solar corona and lower atmosphere. It will connect the drivers of waves and eruptions, their propagation and atmospheric response, and the physical parameters recovered through seismological and spectroscopic diagnostics. The topic emphasizes low-coronal and chromospheric processes and does not focus on CME propagation through the heliosphere, solar-cycle prediction, solar-wind variability, or data-driven active-region forecasting.

To gather further insights into these processes, we welcome Original Research, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Methods, and Perspective articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• EUV waves, QFP magnetosonic wave trains, and other large-scale coronal disturbances.
• Kink, sausage, and longitudinal oscillations of loops, filaments, and prominences, including decayless oscillations.
• Sunspot and light-bridge oscillations, and coronal jets and flares as drivers of waves.
• Radiative diagnostics of chromospheric flares and small-scale jets using He I 10830 Å, He I D3, and other spectral tracers.
• Radiative hydrodynamic modeling and spectral synthesis of flare energy deposition, magnetic energy release, and chromospheric heating.
• Mass and energy transport between the chromosphere and corona, including the atmospheric response to jets, flares, and early eruptive signatures.
• Seismological inversion of coronal magnetic fields, density, and heating, including uncertainty quantification.
• Multi-instrument observations and MHD or radiative-hydrodynamic modeling using DKIST, Solar Orbiter, ASO-S, CHASE, and related facilities.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Technology and Code

Keywords: coronal seismology, MHD waves, EUV waves, kink oscillations, coronal jets, QFP waves, solar flares, chromospheric heating, helium-triplet diagnostics, radiative hydrodynamics, spectral diagnostics

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.