Closing the Solar Cycle

该项目旨在决定性地解决有关太阳表面磁活动驱动机制的争论。通过利用对太阳观测的广泛、大数据分析，该项目打算利用日震学技术来揭示磁区统计演变的差异。该项目的预期成果将有力地完善我们关于太阳中对流和磁场之间相互作用的模型，从而使太阳发电机理论这一天体物理学的基本问题之一向前迈进。预期的好处包括从临近预报转向预测空间天气，减轻地磁风暴带来的数十亿美元的经济影响。

This project aims to decisively settle the debate about the mechanism driving magnetic activity on the surface of the Sun. By drawing on extensive, big-data analysis of solar observations the project intends to use the technique of helioseismology to reveal differences in the statistical evolution of magnetic regions. Expected outcomes of this project will powerfully refine our models of the interaction between convective flows and magnetic fields in the Sun, resulting in a leap forward in solar dynamo theory, one of the fundamental problems in astrophysics. The anticipated benefits include moving from nowcasting to forecasting space weather, mitigating the billion dollar economic effects of geomagnetic storms.