Studying the quiet sun radio transients using the Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope

The nanoflare hypothesis is a very promising theory to resolve the solar coronal heating problem. While there are several indirect evidences in its favor, direct observation of nanoflares has not been reported till date. This is primarily due to the small length, time and energy scales over which they occur. While most of the nanoflare-related observations have been made using space based instruments, radio observations using ground-based interferometers are very well poised to open another window to probe these nanoflares. Recent work using the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) have demonstrated the capability of radio instruments to detect ubiquitous small-scale solar radio transients which are hypothesised to be possible signatures of nanoflares. However, both these instruments suffer from unique problems. While the MWA can observe the full Sun, its angular resolution is very poor making it unsuitable for detailed comparison with other space-based observations with high resolution. On the other hand, ALMA can only observe a very small region of the Sun and probes only the chromosphere owing to its (sub)millimeter observing wavelengths . The Frequency Agile Solar Radiotelescope (FASR) concept consists of an array with a large number of antenna elements operating in a broad frequency range from decimeter to microwaves and would nicely complement the capabilities of other existing or proposed instruments. In contrast to the earlier instruments, FASR would have a very broad frequency coverage, high dynamic range, and superior sensitivity, making it very well suited to delve into the location, timing, and energetics of these radio transients and would also possibly open up a new technique to measure the magnetic field of the quiet Sun. In this presentation I would discuss briefly about the expected properties of these transients and the instrumental capabilities that must be present to be able to detect and characterize them.