The solar corona is the birthplace of the magnetic activity that drives the heliosphere, from flares, coronal mass ejections, and jets to waves, turbulence, and radio emissions. These processes govern coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, and the acceleration and transport of energetic particles, ultimately shaping the space weather environment throughout the heliosphere. Yet understanding their underlying physical mechanisms remains one of the fundamental challenges in heliophysics.

Over the past decade, observations from Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, PROBA-3, PUNCH, Aditya-L1, DKIST, BBSO, and complementary space- and ground-based observations have transformed our view of the near-Sun environment. Combined with advances in theory and numerical modeling, these observations have revealed the interplay of magnetic reconnection, waves, turbulence, shocks, and fine-scale plasma structuring, substantially narrowing the range of viable physical mechanisms.

This session will assess how far these advances have brought us toward resolving the long-standing problems of coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, and energetic particle acceleration and transport, while identifying the key observational, theoretical, and modeling challenges that remain. We particularly welcome contributions addressing:
• Which physical processes now appear to dominate coronal heating, and what evidence is still needed to distinguish among competing mechanisms?
• How have recent observations reshaped our understanding of solar wind acceleration, and what key questions remain?
• What progress has been made in understanding the acceleration and transport of energetic particles, and what is required to achieve predictive capability?
• How can coordinated observations and advanced modeling bridge scales from the solar atmosphere to the heliosphere?

We welcome contributions spanning observations, theory, and modeling, particularly those leveraging recent results from Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, PROBA-3, PUNCH, Aditya-L1, DKIST, and coordinated multi-mission investigations.