
教授,博导。2012年6月获南京大学天文学博士学位,2010年9月至2011年12月在美国乔治梅森大学联合培养,2015年7月任副教授,2019年2月至2022年7月赴德国马普太阳系研究所从事“洪堡高访学者”,2021年1月任教授。中国天文学会太阳与日球专业委员会副主任,The Innovation青年编委。主要研究方向为日冕物质抛射、磁场重联、太阳射电暴、恒星磁活动等。2017年获国家基金委优秀青年基金、江苏省杰出青年基金资助。2013年获江苏省优秀博士学位论文奖、美国地球物理学会“Basu Early Career Award”,2015年获第五届中国天文学会“黄授书奖”,2021年获亚太等离子体物理学会“青年科学家奖”,自2020年开始连续入选爱思唯尔中国高被引学者。
Professor at School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, member of International Astronomical Union, Chinese Astronomy Society and American Geophysical Union, youth editor of The Innovation and reviewer of main scientific journals in astronomy and space science including Science, Nature Astronomy, ApJ, A&A, Solar Physics, JGR, RAA et al. I received PhD degree in astronomy in 2012, visited George Mason University as a jointed PhD student from 2010.9 to 2011.12 and Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research as an experienced Humboldtian from 2019.2 to 2022.7. My research interests include coronal mass ejections, magnetic reconnection, solar radio bursts, and stellar magnetic activities et al. I received AGU Basu Early Career Award in Sun-Earth systems science in 2013, Chinese Astronomy Society 5th "Huang Shu-Shu" Award in 2015, NFSC Award for Excellent Young Scholars and NFSC Award of Jiangsu Province for Distinguished Young Scholars in 2017, AAPPS-DPP Young Researcher Award in 2021, was selected as Elsevier Most Cited Chinese Researcher since 2020.
《日球物理导论》Introduction to Heliophysics (for junior)
《天文与天体物理中的热点研究》Hot Topics in Astronomy and Astrophysics (for junior)
《科学之光青年系列:走进太阳风暴》The light of Science (Young Scholars): Approaching Solar Storms (for freshman)
Study Fields: Solar Physics and Space Science
---Understanding Energetic Eruptions in the Heliosphere and Beyond
Visited Scientists、Useful Links、Useful Tools
Papers for new PhD students、Papers on Reconnection
Selected New Progress!!
Project 1. Origin and Evolution of Coronal Mass Ejections
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares are the most energetic eruptive phenomena in our solar system and can release a large quantity of plasma and magnetic flux from the solar atmosphere into the solar wind, probably giving rise to severe space weather effects. The aim of this project is toward understanding the orgin and evolution of CMEs/flares through multi-wavelength observational perspective. The figure on the right shows a CME observed by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. The zoom-in of the flaring region indicated by the white box shows an erupting hot magnetic flux rope (10 million-degree) at 131 angstrom observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly telescope on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Publications:
Cheng, X., Zhang, J., Liu, Y., Ding, M. D, 2011, ApJL 732, L25
Zhang, J., Cheng, X., Ding, M. D., 2012 Nature Communications 3, 747 (Featured)
Cheng, X., Zhang, J., Ding, M. D., et al., 2013, ApJ 763, 43
Cheng, X., Zhang, J., Kliem, B., Torok, T., et al. 2020, ApJ, 894, 85
Project 2. Structure and Evolution of Magnetic Flux Ropes
Magnetic flux rope (MFR) is a volumetic plasma structure with magnetic field lines wrapping around a central axis. It is a foundmental magnetic structure in the Universe, has been invloved in various astrophysical contexts like the magnetotail of the Earth, the Nebula and the black hole system. The aim of this project is to address the structure and evolution of the MFR, in particular the relation to the dynamics of CMEs via the combination of observation and MHD simulation. The figure on the right shows the emission feature of the pre-eruptive MFR on 2012 July 12 at the different temperatures (3-4 MK and 8-10 MK) and corresponding 3D magnetic structure.
Publications:
Cheng, X., Zhang, J., Saar, S. H., Ding, M. D., 2012, ApJ 761, 62
Cheng, X., Ding, M. D., Zhang, J., et al. 2014, ApJ 789, 93
Xing, C., Cheng, X., Ding, M. D., 2020, The Innovation, 3, 100059
Project 3. Magnetic Reconnection and Turbulence
Magnetic reconnection, a change of magnetic field connectivity, is a fundamental physical process in the Universe. During solar eruptions, the reconnection, taking place between CMEs and flares, releases magnetic energy explosively to power the CME eruption and the flare emission. The aim of this project is to reveal 3D features of magnetic reconnection and its relation to turbulence during CMEs/flares through observation and MHD simulation. The figure on the right displays 3D magnetic field structures during the flux rope eruption, in which the reconnection converts two sheared overlying field lines to a flare loop and a twisted field line that is added to the pre-existing rising flux rope.
Publications:
Sun, J. Q., Cheng, X., Ding, M. D., et al., 2015, Nature Communications 6, 7598 (Featured)
Cheng, X., Li, Y., Wan, L. F., et al., 2018, ApJ 866, 64 (AAS NOVA)
Cheng, X., Priest, E., Li, H. T., et al. 2023, Nature Communications 14, 2107 (ESA news)
Wang, Y. L., Cheng, X., Ding, M. D., et al. 2023 ApJL 954, L36 (AAS NOVA)
Project 4. Coronal Shocks and Solar Radio Bursts
As CMEs erupt upward, coronal shocks may form at the front of the CMEs, generaging metric type II radio bursts, a narrow-band radio emission enhancement excited at the local plasma frequency. On the other hand, eletron beams, may be accelerated by magentic reconnection, produce type III radio bursts simultaneously. At present, the questions of how coronal shocks are formed, what properties do they have, and what conditions do they need to generate type II/III radio emissions remain. This project involves various ground-based solar radio observatories such as MUSER and space-based missions. The figure on the right represents a coronal shock wave driven by the erupting CME. The outermost bright front indicates the shock front, followed by a bright sheath region.
Publications:
Cheng, X., Zhang, J., Olmedo, O., et al., 2012, ApJL 745, L5
Su, W., Cheng, X., Ding, M. D., et al., 2015, ApJ 804, 88
Kou, Y. K., Cheng, X., Wang, Y. L., et al. 2022, Nature Communications, 13, 1680 (CESRA Highlights)
Project 5. Predicting Space Weather
After experiencing a propagation phase of 1-3 days, CMEs may arrive at the Earth and take the form of magnetic clouds with the features of rotation of magnetic field, increased solar wind speed, depressed proton temperature, and low plasma beta. Due to the interaction with the magnetosphere and ionosphere, geomagnetic storms probably take place, seriously impacting on the safety of high-tech activities in outer space, such as disrupting communications, presenting a hazard to astronauts and so on. In this project, the aim is to predict the arrival time of CMEs taking advantage of kinematical models and initial parameters. The figure on the right shows a cartoon of a magnetic cloud interacting with the magnetosphere.
Publications:
Shi, T., Wang, Y., Wan, L., Cheng, X., Ding, M., Zhang, J., 2015, ApJ 806, 271
Group Members
Research Scientist: Yulei Wang (王雨雷)
Postdoc: Chen Xing (邢晨)
Graduate Students:
Jinghang Su (苏敬航) 2024
Yuehong Chen (陈悦虹) 2023
Zining Ren (任子宁) 2023
Zhanhao Zhao (赵展浩) 2022
Bitao Wang (王碧涛) 2021
YuanKun Kou (寇元坤) 2021
Zhuofei Li (李卓霏) 2020
Previous Students:
Haitang Li (PhD in 2024 ->Assistant Professor at Southwest Jiaotong University)
Chen Xing (PhD in 2023 by double-degree progam of NJU and PSL-Paris Observatory)
Ziwen Huang (Master in 2021 ->PhD student at Max-Planck Institute for Solar System Research)
Linfeng Wan (Master in 2018 ->PhD student at University of California, Santa Cruz)
Wei Su (Co-supervisor, PhD in 2015 ->Associate Professor at Sun Yat-sen Univeristy)
Jianqing Sun (Co-supervisor, PhD in 2017 -> Research Scientist at Philips)
Visiting Scholars:
Zhenjun Zhou (2018, Associate Professor at Sun Yat-sen Univeristy)
Lijuan Liu (2018, Associate Professor at Sun Yat-sen Univeristy)
Full Publications: ADS or Google Scholar
First/Corresponding-author Publications: ADS