The Large-Scale Solar Magnetic Field During the Transition to Solar Cycle 25

长期测量太阳的大规模磁场对于了解太阳和整个日光层的太阳活动以及了解可能影响系外行星可居住性的其他恒星的活动周期至关重要。 此外，由于社会日益依赖易受空间条件变化影响的技术，因此了解空间气候和预测了解下一个太阳活动周期至关重要。 这一为期五年的项目的主要目的是利用威尔科克斯太阳观测台仪器，在从太阳活动周期24向太阳活动周期25过渡期间，能够持续准确地测量太阳的大规模磁场。 观测太阳活动的这种转变特别重要，因为太阳物理学家无法预测第24太阳活动周的许多不寻常的特征：它的延迟开始，历史上较弱的活动水平，太阳风强度减弱，宇宙射线强度增加，以及强烈的南北不对称性。 因此，将WSO持续43年的时间序列测量扩展到下一个太阳周期对于理解太阳和其他类太阳恒星的长期磁活动周期至关重要。 在这个为期五年的项目中，斯坦福大学的研究小组将：㈠收集、处理和评估世界天文台对太阳光球的观测; ㈡扩展可靠、一致、近四个太阳周期长的有用数据产品的时间序列; ㈢使广大科学界更方便地获得数据。 此外，WSO将继续为美国的STEM教育做出贡献，劳动力发展和公众宣传。 WSO的观测数据由一名常驻观测员收集，他是斯坦福大学太阳物理学的研究生。 许多暑期学生为天文台的数据分析和软件开发做出了贡献。 改进太阳周期预测对于推进国家空间气象工作至关重要，而改进对太阳周期的理解与推进对其他类太阳恒星活动周期的了解有关，这可能会影响我们对系外行星可居住性的评估。 该项目的研究和EPO议程支持AGS部门在发现、学习、多样性和跨学科研究方面的战略目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Long-term measurement of the large-scale magnetic field of the Sun is essential for understanding the solar activity, both at the Sun and throughout the heliosphere, as well as for gaining insight into the activity cycles of other stars that may affect habitability of exoplanets. Furthermore, because of society's increasing reliance on technology that is susceptible to changing conditions in space, knowledge of the space climate and predictive understanding of the next Solar Cycle are crucial. The main purpose of this five-year project is to enable continued accurate measurements of the large-scale magnetic field of the Sun during the transition from Solar Cycle 24 to Solar Cycle 25 using the Wilcox Solar Observatory (WSO) instrument. Observing this transition in the solar activity is particularly important, because solar physicists were unable to predict many of the unusual characteristics of Solar Cycle 24: its delayed start, historically weak level of activity, diminished solar wind strength, increased cosmic-ray intensity, and strong north-south asymmetry. Consequently, extending WSO's consistent 43-year time-series of measurements into the next Solar Cycle is critical for understanding the long-term magnetic activity cycle of the Sun and other Sun-like stars. During this five-year project, the team at Stanford University will: (i) collect, process, and evaluate the WSO observations of the Sun's photosphere; (ii) extend the reliable, consistent, nearly four-solar-cycle-long time-series of useful data products; and, (iii) make the data even more conveniently available to the broad scientific community. Furthermore, the WSO will continue to contribute to STEM education in the U.S., work force development, and public outreach. Observations at the WSO are collected by a resident observer, who is a graduate student in solar physics at Stanford University. Numerous summer students contribute to the data analysis and software development at the Observatory. Improved Solar Cycle predictions are crucial for advancing the national Space Weather efforts, and improved understanding of the Solar Cycle is relevant to advancing knowledge on the activity cycles on other Sun-like stars, which can affect our assessment of exoplanet habitability. The research and EPO agenda of this project supports the Strategic Goals of the AGS Division in discovery, learning, diversity, and interdisciplinary research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.