Collaborative Research: Using Gravity Waves to Probe the Solar Atmosphere

这项研究的目标是通过对太阳内部重力波进行第一次详细的观测表征，在理解太阳大气动态方面取得根本性突破。这些波很可能在太阳的动力学中起着重要的作用。它们的大气层（影响地球的“太空天气”），但由于难以观察它们的倾斜路径和较小的垂直波长，因此对它们知之甚少。该项目将通过确定内部重力波在太阳大气能量平衡中的作用来彻底改变这种情况-频率低于Lamb频率的“传统”重力波和最近发现的频率高于Lamb频率的“异常”重力波。这将通过将部署在南极南极站的两台高灵敏度和稳定性多普勒磁力仪的数据沿着美国航天局太阳动力学观测台上的日震磁成像仪在空间收集的数据相结合来实现。该项目将在太阳大气层的三个不同高度对“视线”太阳等离子体速度场进行高空间分辨率成像。这些图像将为内部重力波特性的首次详细表征提供基础，作为开发从地面探测太阳大气层的适当诊断工具的第一步。坚实的科学、协作努力和多普勒磁力仪在南极洲的部署为实现出色的教育和宣传目标提供了理想的机会。通过为本科生和大学生提供南极研究经验，该提案展示了未来一代研究人员如何为尖端科学做出有意义的贡献。

This research is targeted at making a fundamental breakthrough in understanding of the dynamics of the solar atmosphere by conducting the first detailed observational characterization of the Sun's internal gravity waves. These waves are likely playing a significant role in the dynamics of the Sun?s atmosphere (that affects Earth's "space weather"), but little is known about them because of difficulties observing their oblique paths and small vertical wavelengths. This project will radically change this situation by determining the role internal gravity waves play in the energy balance of the solar atmosphere - both the "traditional" gravity waves with frequencies below the Lamb frequency and the recently discovered "anomalous" gravity waves with frequencies above the Lamb frequency. This will be accomplished by combining the data from two high sensitivity and stability Doppler magnetographs deployed to the Antarctic South Pole Station along with the data collected by the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager instrument on-board the NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) in space. The project will be imaging "line-of-sight" solar plasma velocity fields with high spatial resolution at three separate heights in the solar atmosphere. These images will provide the basis for the first detailed characterization of the properties of internal gravity waves as a first step towards developing suitable diagnostic tools for probing the solar atmosphere from the ground. Solid science, collaborative effort, and the Doppler magnetographs' deployment to Antarctica provide an ideal opportunity to achieve excellent education and outreach goals. By providing undergraduates and college students with Antarctic research experience, the proposal demonstrates how a future generation of researchers can make meaningful contributions to the cutting-edge science.