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The solar corona is broadly classified into two parts -- the lower and
the upper corona -- based on the structural difference of magnetic
field lines in these two regions. In particular, the lower corona
predominantly consists of closed magnetic field structures such as
coronal loops, while the upper corona is mainly dominated by open
magnetic field lines. As a result, the physics in these two regions
are remarkably different. Coronal loops are closed magnetic structures
filled with hot plasma, often seen above the solar surface in the
lower corona. One of the outstanding problems in space physics is to
explain how such structures are heated up to million degrees kelvin.
In this talk, I will report on attempts to understand various
observational consequences through numerical simulations and forward
modelling. Another major challenge, associated with the upper solar
corona, is to explain the generation of solar wind turbulence. Taking
support from various spacecraft observations, we propose an
alternative view of the generation of the solar wind plasma, and back
up our claim with numerical simulations. |