Heating and Acceleration of the Solar Plasma

This tutorial focuses on basic physical concepts relevant to the heating of the corona and acceleration of the solar wind. We begin with a discussion of observations of the solar wind and solar corona and then develop a simple theoretical framework that allows us to explore some implications of the observations. Next we turn to observations of the lower solar atmosphere and their implications for the nature of the photosphere-to-corona energy flux that is required for coronal heating and solar wind acceleration. Finally, we take a brief look into the future, considering some observational and theoretical avenues that may prove productive.