教授、博导，2012年获南京大学天文学博士学位，曾在美国乔治梅森大学联合培养（2010.10-2011.12）、德国马普太阳系研究所做洪堡高访学者（2019.2-2022.7）。担任中国天文学会太阳与日球专业委员会和教育工作委员会副主任。主要研究方向为太阳爆发、磁重联物理、恒星磁活动等。主持国家青年科学基金A类（2025）、B类（2017）、江苏省杰出青年科学基金（2017）。获江苏省优秀博士学位论文（2013）、美国地球物理学会Basu Early Career Award（2013），中国天文学会黄授书奖（2015），亚太等离子体物理学会U40奖（2021），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, 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 solar eruptions, magnetic reconnection, 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, AAPPS-DPP Young Researcher (U40) Award in 2021, was selected as Elsevier Most Cited Chinese Researcher since 2020.
《日球物理导论》Introduction to Heliophysics (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/Stellar Eruptions and Magnetic Reconnection
---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!!
1. Origin and Evolution of Solar Eruptions
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 topic is to understand the orgin and evolution of CME/flares with various ground- and space-based multi-wavelength observations, with a combination of state-of-the-art 3D MHD simulation. 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 discovered by our group, enabled by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly telescope on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory.
Selected 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., Kliem, B., Torok, T., et al. 2020, ApJ, 894, 85 (IOP top cited)
Kou, Y. K., Cheng, X., Wang, Y. L., et al. 2022, Nature Communications 13, 1680 (CESRA Highlights)
Code for Kinematic analysis、Code for DEM inversion
2. Magnetic Reconnection and Turbulence
Magnetic reconnection, change of magnetic field connectivity, is a fundamental physical process in the Universe, occurring in relativistic jets, accretion disks, solar/stellar flares to magnetospheres et al. It is able to release magnetic energy efficiently to generate various jets to heat the corona of 1,000,000 degree, and power large-scale CME/flares on the Sun. The aim of this topic is to understand turbulent magnetic reconnection and its role in energizing the solar atmosphere through multi-wavelength observations and state-of-the-art 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.
Selected 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, IOP top cited)
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)
3. Characterising and Modelling Stellar CME/Flares
Solar-type and late-type stars are thought to be magnetically active due to their thick convective envelop and are thus able to produce eruptions of plasma and magnetic fields from the coronae of stars, like the Sun, probably influencing the habitability of nearby extroplanets. The purpose of this topic is to determine the characteristics of stellar flares and likely accompanying coronal mass ejections, using such as a combination of FAST, EP, and spectroscopic-photometric telescopes. We also perform high-resolution 3D MHD simulation to understand these observational features and explore their underlying physics. The figure on the right shows a super-speed stellar CME on a hypothetical M-dward with the same mass and radius as the Sun but that rotates as fast as 10 times (Credit: Yuehong).
Selected Publications:
Coming soon......
招生信息：2026年计划招收1-2名研究生
Group Members
Research Scientist: Yulei Wang (王雨雷)
Postdoc: Chen Xing (邢晨)、Fanpeng Shi (史帆鹏)、Jiayi Liu (刘嘉怡)
Graduate Students:
Tianyi Xie (谢天依) 2025
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
Previous Students:
Zhuofei Li (PhD in 2025 -> 新凯来)
Haitang Li (PhD in 2024 -> Assistant Professor at Southwest Jiaotong University)
Jun Chen (Postdoc in 2023 -> Postdoc at Purple Mountain Observatory)
Chen Xing (PhD in 2023 by double-degree progam of NJU and PSL-Paris Observatory -> postdoc at Nanjing University))
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