UK Solar Physics Newsletter
Philippa Browning & David Williams, Editors
August 17th 2015
Dear Colleagues,
Here are a few items which have come to our attention since the last
Newsletter.
You can find this news also at the UKSP website:
http://www.uksolphys.org/news/last-15-days/
or the newsletter in full in our JISCMail archive:
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/uksp
Dave ([log in to unmask])
Philippa ([log in to unmask])
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General News/UKSP Business:
o STFC Public Engagement Large Awards Scheme – 2015 Round: Stage 1
Nuggets:
o RHESSI Science Nuggets in August 2015
o New UKSP Nugget #60 – The UKSP in DKIST
Meetings/Workshops/Summer Schools:
o International Chapman Conference on Currents in Geospace
and Beyond
o Call for Letters of Intent, IAU Symposia 2017 (deadline
15th September 2015)
o A History of the Sun, our nearest Star
Jobs/Studentships:
o Faculty Position in Solar-Terrestrial Physics, New Jersey
Institute of Technology
o Posdoctoral Research Assistant in Solar Physics (3 months)
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# General News / UKSP Business #
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STFC PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT LARGE AWARDS SCHEME – 2015 ROUND: STAGE 1
from Dave Godfrey [August 18, 2015]
The 2015 Stage 1 round of the STFC Public Engagement Large Awards scheme
(http://www.stfc.ac.uk/funding/public-engagement-funding/public-
engagement-large-awards-scheme/) is now open for applications.
The closing date is 11th November 2015 at 4.00pm.
The Large Awards Scheme provides funds for projects which are expected
to have a significant regional or national impact. It offers awards from
£10,000 up to £100,000. Almost anyone can apply but project teams must
have strong links with STFC’s scientific research community. We also
encourage partnerships that may positively impact on the success of the
project e.g. universities with science centres.
Projects must be relevant to publicising engagement or teaching about
STFC science and technology areas, including:
• particle physics
• nuclear physics
• space, solar and planetary science
• astronomy
• astrophysics
• cosmology
• studying materials with muon and neutron sources
• studying materials with synchrotron light sources
• research using laser facilities
The scheme is administered by the STFC Public Engagement Team
([log in to unmask]).
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# Nuggets #
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RHESSI Science Nuggets in August 2015
from Hugh Hudson [August 30, 2015]
No. 258, “High Energies in the Inner Heliosphere,” by Hugh Hudson.
Cosmic rays measure the coronal magnetic field at the source surface
itself.
No. 259, “Return-current Model Spectra and Enhanced Plasma Resistivity,”
by Meriem Alaoui and Gordon Holman. A basic return-current model matches
RHESSI hard X-ray spectra and implies a need for anomalous resistivity.
See
http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/wiki/index.php/
RHESSI_Science_Nuggets
listing the current series, 2008-present, and
http://sprg.ssl.berkeley.edu/~tohban/nuggets/
for the original series, 2005-2008.
We publish these at roughly two-week intervals and welcome
contributions,
which should be related, at least loosely, to RHESSI science.
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New UKSP Nugget #60 – The UKSP in DKIST
from Iain Hannah [August 28, 2015]
60. The UK in DKIST
by Lyndsay Fletcher (Glasgow), Mihalis Mathioudakis (Queen’s University
Belfast) and Erwin Verwichte (Warwick)
A new solar behemoth is coming – find out how the UK is involved
http://www.uksolphys.org/?p=10273
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UKSP Nuggets are published on a monthly basis highlighting solar physics
research led from the UK.
http://www.uksolphys.org/uksp-nuggets
Iain Hannah and Lyndsay Fletcher
http://www.uksolphys.org/uksp-nugget/60-the-uk-in-dkist/
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# Meetings / Workshops / Summer Schools #
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International Chapman Conference on Currents in Geospace and Beyond
September 2, 2015, from David Williams (UKSP DC)
Dubrovnik, Croatia, May 22 27, 2016
Abstract submission opens: 16 November 2015
Abstract submission closes: 18 January 2016
Conference website: chapman.agu.org/spacecurrents/
Electric currents are fundamental to the structure and dynamics of space
plasmas. In the last decade, significant advances have been made in our
understanding of fundamental processes related to such currents. To
build up a comprehensive picture, this international Chapman Conference
will address electric currents in various space plasmas, including:
* Earth’s magnetosphere & ionosphere
* Planetary magnetospheres & ionospheres (other than Earth)
* Solar atmosphere and solar wind
The conference will provide a forum in which different space science
communities can come together to discuss recent achievements of
observational, theoretical, and modelling studies. The emphasis will be
on cross-disciplinary science sessions, covering topics such as:
* Current sheets (e.g., coronal current sheets, heliospheric current
sheet, magnetotail current sheets).
* Ring currents (e.g., at Earth and at the giant planets, influence of
planet-moon interaction, etc.).
* Field-aligned currents (incl. corona-photosphere coupling, M-I
coupling at Earth and other planets).
* Small-scale / filamentary currents (e.g., on auroral field lines, in
turbulent regions, etc.).
* Energetics of currents (incl. current-driven models, magnetic energy
release).
* Current measurement and data analysis techniques.
* Current modeling and simulation techniques.
The science program committee includes: Andreas Keiling (UC Berkeley,
USA), Octav Marghitu (Institute for Space Sciences, Romania), Michael
Wheatland (University of Sydney, Australia), Chris Arridge (Lancaster
University, UK), Fran Bagenal (University of Colorado, USA), Brigitte
Schmieder (Observatoire de Paris/Meudon, France), Iannis Dandouras
(IRAP, France), Eduard Dubinin (Max-Planck-Institute, Germany), Malcolm
Dunlop (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, UK), Catherine Johnson
(University of British Columbia, Canada), Kanya Kusano (STELab, Nagoya
University, Japan), Michael Liemohn (University of Michigan, USA),
Hermann Lühr (Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Germany), Igor
Veselovsky (Moscow State University, Russia), Masatoshi Yamauchi
(Swedish Institute of Space Physics/Kiruna, Sweden), Akimasa Yoshikawa
(Kyushu University, Japan).
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Call for Letters of Intent, IAU Symposia 2017
(deadline 15th September 2015)
September 1, 2015, from Lyndsay Fletcher
Thinking of proposing an IAU Symposium? This a two-step process, the
first step being the submission of a letter of intent. The deadline for
submitting letters of intent for IAU Symposia to be held in 2017 is
September 15th 2015.
Please see the link below for the submission form
http://www.iau.org/science/meetings/proposals/loi/
and more generally about IAU symposia
http://www.iau.org/science/meetings/proposals/lop/
The second link will show you the level of detail and information
required, so that you can get a head start!
Best wishes
Lyndsay Fletcher
(President, IAU Commission E2 on Solar Activity)
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A History of the Sun, our nearest Star
August 23, 2015, from Philippa Browning
Saturday, November 21, 2015
10.30 am – 5.00 pm
St Cross College, University of Oxford
www.stx.ox.ac.uk/happ/events/history-sun-our-closest-star-one-day-conference
Organised by Jo Ashbourne,
Centre for History and Philosophy of Physics, Oxford
The Sun, our closest star, has been a source of fascination and awe
since the very earliest civilisations and was worshipped by many ancient
peoples who built monuments to mark the position of the Sun during the
year. It was long believed that the Sun orbited the Earth until
Copernicus and then Galileo proposed a heliocentric Solar System. By the
nineteenth century solar astronomy was gaining momentum with
observations of sunspots and measurements of absorption lines in the
spectrum of light from the Sun and in the 1930s the Sun’s mechanism for
the production of energy was determined to be nuclear fusion. Since the
1970s there have been a series of increasingly sophisticated satellite
missions which have discovered many more intriguing features of the Sun
and significantly progressed our knowledge of our closest star, however,
a number of mysteries remain including the coronal heating problem. This
conference seeks to review the history of the Sun and engage with the
latest solar research on the outstanding questions.
Registration to attend this conference is free, but must be confirmed
using the Conference booking form at
http://www.stx.ox.ac.uk/happ/events/history-sun-our-closest-star-one-day
-conference by Monday 16th November.
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# Jobs / Studentships #
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Faculty Position in Solar-Terrestrial Physics, New Jersey Institute of
Technology
from Dale Gary [August 27, 2015]
A faculty position is available within the Center for Solar-Terrestrial
Research (CSTR) and the Physics Department at the New Jersey Institute
of Technology (NJIT). Appointment is anticipated at the rank of
Assistant or Associate Professor of Physics, with a possibility of
tenure for exceptional applicants, and anticipated to start in January
2016. At present there are 19 tenure track/tenured faculty in the NJIT
Physics Department – including 4 members who comprise CSTR (Cao,
Gerrard, Gary, and Wang). CSTR members also include 2 Distinguished
Research Professors (Goode and Lanzerotti), 10 Research Professors, 11
Research Engineers, 2 Administrative Assistants, and a number of
post-doctoral fellows and Ph.D. graduate students. CSTR operates a
number of major ground based observing facilities, while having an
expanding presence on campus in Newark, NJ. These remote facilities
include the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO), the Owens Valley Solar
Array (OVSA), the Second-generation Optimized Fabry-Pérot Doppler Imager
(SOFDI) in Peru, and the Automated Geophysical Observatories (AGO)
distributed across the Antarctic iceshelf. These facilities give
CSTR-NJIT unique observational facilities in optical-infrared and radio
solar astronomy, as well as low, middle and upper atmospheric
observations – enabling studies spanning the Sun’s surface through its
extended atmosphere and on the Earth’s atmosphere. Further, CSTR is the
PI organization in the NASA Van Allen Probes mission of the NASA Living
With a Star (LWS) program. For a full overview of NJIT’s program in
solar and terrestrial physics, please visit centers.njit.edu/cstr/
Applicants for the position are required to have a Ph.D. in Physics or
closely related discipline, as well as relevant scientific and
leadership experience. Full consideration will be given to all
applications received before September 18, 2015. Please email your
application (or enquiries) to the Solar-Terrestrial Physics Faculty
Search Committee at [log in to unmask], and CC the CSTR Physics
Search Committee Chair at [log in to unmask] Please include a resume, a
brief statement of your interest in collaborations as part of CSTR, your
research goals, and the names of three to five references. Applications
will be kept confidential to the fullest extent possible. NJIT is a
public research university and is an equal opportunity,
affirmative-action employer.
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Posdoctoral Research Assistant in Solar Physics (3 months)
from Dr David Tsiklauri [August 20, 2015]
Postdoctoral Research Assistant in Solar Physics
The Astronomy Unit (AU) at Queen Mary University of London has a vacancy
for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to work on topics related to solar
energetic particles and associated radio emission.
Applicants should have a PhD in solar/space/plasma physics with
experience of use of particle-in-cell numerical codes or equivalent. The
post is full time and fixed term, available from 1st October 2015 or as
soon as possible thereafter for three months. Salary will be £31,735 per
annum pro rata inclusive of London Allowance. Benefits include 30 days
paid annual leave pro rata, a defined benefit pension scheme and
interest-free season ticket loan.
For further details and to apply see
https://webapps2.is.qmul.ac.uk/jobs/job.action?jobRef=QMUL6516
The closing date for applications is 25 Sept 2015
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# SolarNews Items of Interest #
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Please see:
http://solarnews.nso.edu/current.html
for the latest SPD Newsletter.
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UKSP NEWSLETTER ENDS
