Radio Diagnostics of Reconnection-Driven Particle Energization in Solar Flares: Recent Progress and Future Outlook

Radio remote-sensing observations of solar flares serve as a powerful tool for tracing and quantifying energetic particles produced in or around the magnetic reconnection region. In this talk, after a brief introduction to the diagnostic methods enabled by the novel technique of broadband radio imaging spectroscopy, I will highlight recent results pertinent to reconnection in solar flares using examples from the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA). I will then discuss how such studies can be advanced to the next level with the Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR) – a next-generation solar radio telescope concept being proposed as a mid-scale research facility. Realistic simulations and radiation modeling will be used to demonstrate the breakthrough science that FASR is expected to bring to the community.