Revealing the Pattern of Solar Alfvénic Waves - RiPSAW

这项研究计划旨在促进我们对距离我们最近的恒星太阳和其他类似太阳的恒星的物理理解。太阳显示了许多令人着迷的动态现象，如强大的太阳耀斑和行星大小的巨大磁场(太阳黑子)集中。它还提供了一个独特的窗口，允许我们详细检查其他恒星的行为。太阳是由强磁场贯穿的等离子体(电离气体)构成的。这样的磁化等离子体在宇宙中很常见(例如活动星系核、星云、星际介质)，因此这项研究也将有助于跨多个研究社区的进展。许多恒星拥有自己的天气系统，尽管与我们在地球上经历的系统相比，这些系统是极端的。在我们的太阳系中，一股百万度的热风以每小时数百万英里的巨大速度吹离太阳，冲刷着行星。虽然我们受到地球磁场的保护，磁场会使太阳风偏转，但太阳系中的其他行星也受到了它的影响。例如，众所周知，太阳的风已经剥夺了火星的大气层。科学家们还对这些风将如何影响其他类似太阳的恒星周围的系外行星的宜居性感兴趣。这些风也有助于恒星的演化，太阳每年通过它的风损失超过10万亿吨的物质。Ripsaw项目的目标是研究与产生热等离子体和强风有关的新机制，重点是电磁波的作用。这些磁波(或阿尔芬波)能够通过恒星的大气层传递能量，被认为是任何磁恒星的重要特征。莫顿博士最近对太阳的观测得出了令人兴奋的结果，发现有证据表明，电磁波是由从太阳内部泄漏出来的声波在大气中高处激发的。这挑战了我们目前关于能量如何通过恒星大气传输的知识，因此拟议的工作可能会改变对这些热风如何行为的理解。为了解决这些基本但尚未回答的问题，Ripsaw利用先进的数学技术和尖端的计算机模拟来创建基于磁流体力学的太阳模型。我们将这一理论成果与从最先进的太阳仪器(例如NASA的太阳动力学天文台)获得的最高质量的太阳数据结合在一起；结合来自电磁光谱(例如可见光、EUV)的信息，并利用来自统计学和机器学习的现代方法进行分析。

This research proposal aims to make advances in our understanding of the physics of our closest star, the Sun, and other solar-like stars. The Sun displays a number of fascinating and dynamic phenomena such as powerful solar flares and giant, planet-sized concentrations of magnetic fields (sunspots). It also provides a unique window that permits us to examine in detail how other stars behave. The Sun is made of a plasma (ionised gas) threaded by a strong magnetic field. Such magnetised plasmas are common throughout the universe (e.g. active galaxy nuclei, nebula, interstellar medium), hence the research will also aid advances across multiple research communities. Many stars possess their own weather systems, although these systems are extreme compared to those we experience on Earth. In our solar system, a hot, million degree wind blows off the Sun at colossal speeds reaching millions of miles per hour, washing over the planets. While we are under the protection of the Earth's magnetic field, that deflects the Sun's wind, other planetary bodies in the solar system have been exposed to its influence. For example, the Sun's wind is known to have stripped Mars of its atmosphere. Scientists are also interested in how these winds will influence the habitability of exoplanets around other Sun-like stars. These winds also contribute to how the stars evolve, with the Sun losing over 10 trillion tonnes of material each year via its winds. The objectives of the RiPSAW project are to examine a new mechanism related to the generation of the hot plasma and powerful winds, focusing on the role of magnetic waves. These magnetic (or Alfvén) waves are able to transfer energy through a star's atmosphere and are considered an important feature of any magnetic star. Exciting results from Dr Morton's recent observations of the Sun have found evidence that the magnetic waves are excited high in the atmosphere by sound waves leaking out from the inside of the Sun. This challenges our current knowledge of how energy is transported through a stars' atmosphere, hence the proposed work may transform the understanding of how these hot winds behave.To address these fundamental, yet unanswered, questions, RiPSAW makes use of advanced mathematical techniques and cutting-edge computer simulations to create models of the Sun based on magnetohydrodynamics. We combine this theoretical effort with the highest quality data of the Sun available from state-of-the-art solar instruments (e.g. NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory); incorporating information from across the electromagnetic spectrum (e.g. visible, EUV) and analysing this with modern methods drawn from statistics and machine learning.