Collaborative Research: Using Gravity Waves to Probe the Solar Atmosphere

这项研究旨在通过首次对太阳内部重力波进行详细的观测表征，在理解太阳大气动力学方面取得根本性突破。这些波很可能在太阳S大气(影响地球的“空间天气”)的动力学中扮演着重要的角色，但人们对它们知之甚少，因为很难观察到它们的倾斜路径和小的垂直波长。该项目将从根本上改变这种情况，通过确定内部重力波在太阳大气能量平衡中所起的作用--频率低于Lamb频率的“传统”重力波，以及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的多普勒磁强计的数据与美国宇航局太阳动力学观测站上的日震磁成像仪收集的数据结合起来实现。该项目将在太阳大气中的三个不同高度以高空间分辨率成像“视线”太阳等离子体速度场。这些图像将为首次详细描述内部重力波的性质提供基础，作为开发从地面探测太阳大气的适当诊断工具的第一步。扎实的科学、合作的努力，以及多普勒磁力仪在南极洲的部署，为实现出色的教育和推广目标提供了一个理想的机会。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.