Jorge Fuentes Fernandez's Homepage


Located in the south-east coast of Spain, it was in Murcia, my home town and place of birth, where I started my University studies in Physics. For the last two years of my undergraduate, I moved to Tenerife and I specialized in Astrophysics. All of a sudden I started growing a serious interest in the physics of our star, the Sun.


My academic background

In 2001 I started my studies in Physics at the University of Murcia. In 2005 I moved to Tenerife to continue my studies in Astrophysics.

In the summer of 2006 I participated in the Summer Grant Programme of the IAC, working with Prof. Ismael Perez Fournon in the Spitzer Wide-area InfraRed Extragalactic survey.

I graduated in Physics from the University of La Laguna in July, 2007. In my last year, I worked with Prof. Manolo Collados Vera in the Inversion of Stokes Profiles Generated by Strong Solar Magnetic Fields.
My PhD

In October 2007, I started a PhD with the SOLAIRE European Network at the Eotvos Lorand University in Budapest, under the supervision of Prof. Kristof Petrovay.

In October 2008, I moved to the Solar and Magnetospheric MHD theory group, at the University of St Andrews, to continue my research with Dr. Clare Parnell. I submitted my thesis on December 2010, with the title "MHD Evolution of Magnetic Null Points to Static Equilibria", and I had my defense in February 2011.

The research line of my PhD included magnetic reconnection and current sheet formation in plasmas. In particular, my thesis it is a study of the non-resistive relaxation of different magnetic scenarios embedded in non-zero beta plasmas, and about the role of the plasma pressure in the final equilibrium states. Along the way, I study simple non-reconnective scenarios, two-dimensional X-points and three-dimensional nulls. A singular equilibrium is found for the collapse of 2D X-points and 3D nulls with fan-aligned electric current density. (click here for a full abstract).

Movie: MHD Relaxation of 2D X-points.
Current research

At present, I have a postoctoral position at the University of St Andrews, where I will continue my research for about two years, following the same lines developed in my PhD thesis.

Since January 2011, I am the organizer of the Solar and Magnetospheric Group seminars.

Schools & Meetings

  • School in Computational Methods in Astrophysics: Bochum (March, 2008)
  • School in Data Visualization: Copenhagen (November, 2008)
  • School in Solar MHD, Reconnection Theory, Flares and CMEs: St. Andrews (January, 2010)
  • School in Radiative Transfer and MHD Numerical Modelling: Oslo (June, 2010)


  • 1st SOLAIRE meeting: Leuven (December, 2007)
  • Third workshop for young researchers in coronal mass ejections and related phenomena: Paris (May, 2008)
  • 2nd SOLAIRE meeting: Catania (January, 2009)
  • NAM/UKSP meeting: University of Hertfordshire (April, 2009)
  • II Reunion espanola de Fisica Solar y Heliosferica: Palma de Mallorca (September, 2009)
  • 3rd SOLAIRE meeting: Tenerife (November, 2009).
  • UK MHD meeting: University of Leeds (May, 2010)
  • ICWMR-International Cambridge Workshop on Magnetic Reconnection: St. Andrews (August, 2010)
  • NAM/UKSP meeting: Wales (April, 2011)
  • 4th SOLAIRE meeting: Teistungen (May, 2011)
  • III Reunion espanola de Fisica Solar y Heliosferica: Granada (June, 2011)
    • Talks/Seminars

  • Poster - NAM/UKSP meeting (Apr, 2009)
  • Seminar - St Andrews Solar Theory Group (June, 2009)
  • Contributed talk - II Reunion espanola de Fisica Solar y Heliosferica (Sept, 2009)
  • Contributed talk - 3rd SOLAIRE meeting (Nov, 2009)
  • Seminar - St Andrews Solar Theory Group seminar (Apr, 2010)
  • Contributed talk - UK MHD meeting (May, 2010)
  • Contributed talk - ICWMR (Aug, 2010)
  • Seminar - St Andrews/Dundee magnetic plasma seminars (Mar, 2011)
  • Invited seminar - IAC Tenerife (Mar, 2011)
  • Contributed talk - NAM/UKSP meeting (Apr, 2011)
  • Contributed talk - 4th SOLAIRE meeting (May, 2011)
  • Contributed talk - III Reunion espanola de Fisica Solar y Heliosferica (June, 2011)
    • Publications

    1. Fuentes Fernandez, J., Parnell, C. E.. and Hood, A. W. "MHD dynamical relaxation of coronal magnetic fields. I. Parallel untwisted magnetic fields in 2D", Astronomy and Astrophysics 514, A90, 10.1051/0004-6361/200913902 (2010)

    2. Fuentes Fernandez, J., Parnell, C. E. and Hood, A. W. "MHD dynamical relaxation of coronal magnetic fields. II. 2D Magnetic X-Points", Astronomy and Astrophysics 536, A32, 10.1051/0004-6361/201117156 (2011)

    3. Fuentes Fernandez, J., Parnell, C. E., Hood, A. W., Priest, E. R. and Longcope, D. W. "Consequences of spontaneous reconnection at a 2D non-force-free current layer", Physics of Plasmas, 10.1063/1.3683002 (2012)


    General Interests

    I find the best way to disconnect from all of this madness in my guitar, in my friends, together with some drinks and music, and, when I have the chance, escaping to the moutains for hiking and rock climbing.



    Contact Details

    Address: School of Mathematics and Statistics
    University of St Andrews
    North Haugh, St Andrews
    Fife, KY16 9SS
    Email: jorge@mcs.st-and.ac.uk
    Telephone: +44 (0)1334 461647
    Fax: +44 (0)1334 463748