Exploring Solar Physics with Adam Finley: A Deep Dive into the Sun's Atmosphere, Magnetic Activity, and Potential Impact on Earth and Beyond
00:01:50 Introduction: Val from Improbable Matter hosts Adam Finley, a postdoctoral researcher in France, to discuss solar physics, plasma physics, and related research.
00:03:37 CA's Research: Adam works at CA, a French nuclear and energy research center with an astrophysics department that studies cosmic rays and plasma physics relevant to both fusion reactors and stars. They also conduct particle physics research and work on advanced MRI technology.
00:07:14 Modeling the Sun: Adam is funded by a European Research Council grant to develop models of the Sun and sun-like stars, integrating nuclear reactions, radiation transfer, convection, and atmospheric dynamics.
00:10:35 Sun's Influence on Earth: Explosive phenomena on the Sun, such as magnetic flares and coronal mass ejections, impact Earth, causing auroras and interference in the ionosphere, affecting astronauts and aviation.
00:12:55 Transition from Radiation to Convection: In the radiative zone, energy is moved by radiation. As temperature builds, bubbles of hot plasma rise, causing convection. The transition depends on the time scales of the processes and the opacity of the plasma.
00:15:38 Visualizing the Sun: The sun's surface is filled with convective granules, and imperfections are caused by magnetic fields.
00:17:27 Polarized Light: Polarized light is used to identify the magnetic field's direction at the sun.
00:20:30 Magnetic Field Effects: Magnetic fields change the light emitted by atoms. Observations from space, typically from Earth-orbiting satellites, are used.
00:22:34 Chromosphere and Corona: The chromosphere contains non-fully ionized plasma processes. Plasma can heat up and condense on top of closed magnetic field arcades (filaments and prominences). The corona is heated to millions of degrees Kelvin, a long-standing problem in solar physics.
00:25:52 Plasma Composition: Even in plasmas, there can be a mix of ionized gases such as hydrogen, protons, and electrons, along with some molecules.
00:27:07 Small Stars and Water: For smaller stars, such as M dwarf stars, water (H2O) can form in spots, requiring disambiguation when detecting water on rocky bodies.
00:28:52 Coronal Loops: Solar corona confined into loops by magnetic fields.
00:31:16 Solar Flares: Solar flares release energy from magnetic fields as particles and radiation. The magnetic reconnection process can lead to solar flares.
00:34:55 Disturbed Magnetic Fields: Disturbances in magnetic fields due to plasma instabilities or convection can cause flares or polar jets.
00:35:33 Solar Cycle: The sun has an 11-year cycle of activity, with periods of high and low sunspot counts.
00:36:12 Sunspot Cycle: The solar cycle has a double peak. The current cycle's peak is expected to be asymmetric.
00:38:51 Solar Minimum: At a minimum, the sun has a dipolar magnetic field, a northern and southern polarity. At maximum, the shape is complicated.
00:40:17 Solar Wind: Solar wind flows out and can be difficult to trace back at this maximum point.
00:40:40 Following the sun's magnetic field: Solar wind traces back to the sun's magnetic field.
00:41:35 Total Solar Irradiance: The number of spots affects the total solar irradiance
00:41:35 What effects us? The largest impact that the sun has on us is modulating telecommunications.
00:43:34 Atypical Flares: Discussed about whether solar flares were typical.
00:46:51 Similar Stars: Discussion of the small amount of statistics that we have on Stars like ours, and that the Sun is potentially entering a sputtering phase where activity is low.
00:50:00 Solar Like Stars: Around the age of the sun, stars stop being inline in rotations and ages.
00:54:40 Plato Mission: The European Space Agency is launching the Plato Mission to look at as many stars as possible in detail.
00:55:54 Multiple Observers: Problems with only having a single observer, but have been using two spacecraft since stereo ended
00:57:04 Park Solar Probe: Park Solar probe goes closer to the Sun.
00:57:47 Solar Orbiter: Solar Orbiter flies close to the sun.
01:00:03 Relative configuration: Explanation of the fixed view, and how that helps understand relative position of the space craft.
01:01:22 Space weather warnings: With stereographic imaging, we get better space weather warnings.
01:02:23 EU Visual Mission: The mission provides an early warning for space weather that helps make other missions safer and forecasts better on Earth.
01:06:59 Space to the moon and to Mars: Space travel to the moon or Mars should be aware of space weather, especially from the opposite side of the sun.
01:08:03 Mission designs for the future: Mission designs could be based on sending space probes out of the plane of the planets.
01:11:06 Hot Spots: A given location in space that is more active than other locations.
01:13:14 More Fundamental Activity: More fundamentally things that are going on.
01:16:15 Dredging: More discussion of dredging what's happening on the Sun with magnetic properties.
01:24:38 Q&A on Turbulence: Questions from the audience on how turbulence affects the Sun.