Solar Flare Energy Release: Where Are We and What Is Next?

Solar flares and the often-associated solar eruptions are the most energetic events in the solar system, capable of rapidly accelerating a significant fraction of available particles to high energies. The plethora of flare phenomena is attributed to a sudden reconfiguration of the magnetic field, resulting in the release of the previously stored magnetic energy in the solar corona. However, despite significant progress over decades of study, the detailed mechanisms underlying this explosive energy release and conversion remain unclear. A primary challenge stems from the difficulty in accurately measuring the rapidly evolving magnetic fields and tracing the highly mobile accelerated particles in the corona. Over the past decade, radio imaging spectropolarimetry has emerged as a powerful new tool to address some of the critical missing components. In this talk, I will review recent progress in understanding the flare energy release processes, with a focus on insights from the new radio observations. I will also discuss current limitations and future prospects in this field.