The Field Of Solar Physics

Exciting new observational and theoretical advances lead today's solar physicists to challenge many of the predictions of even recent models. This volume summarizes the major questions at the forefront of solar physics theory and observations, and proposes priority recommendations to explore these questions. The study also addresses serious institutional issues that have beset solar physics including the role of the universities in the national solar observations, structural barriers to careers in solar physics, and the leadership role of the federal funding agencies for ground-based solar research.

This volume has grown out of lectures addressing primarily graduate students and researchers working in related areas in both astrophysics and space sciences. All contributions are self-contained and do not require prior in-depth knowledge of solar physics. The result is a unique textbook that fulfills the needs of those wishing to have a pedagogic exposition of solar physics bringing them up-to-date in a field full of vitality and with exciting research.

In 2010, NASA and the National Science Foundation asked the National Research Council to assemble a committee of experts to develop an integrated national strategy that would guide agency investments in solar and space physics for the years 2013-2022. That strategy, the result of nearly 2 years of effort by the survey committee, which worked with more than 100 scientists and engineers on eight supporting study panels, is presented in the 2013 publication, Solar and Space Physics: A Science for a Technological Society. This booklet, designed to be accessible to a broader audience of policymakers and the interested public, summarizes the content of that report.

The sun is the source of energy for life on earth and is the strongest modulator of the human physical environment. In fact, the Sun's influence extends throughout the solar system, both through photons, which provide heat, light, and ionization, and through the continuous outflow of a magnetized, supersonic ionized gas known as the solar wind. While the accomplishments of the past decade have answered important questions about the physics of the Sun, the interplanetary medium, and the space environments of Earth and other solar system bodies, they have also highlighted other questions, some of which are long-standing and fundamental. The Sun to the Earthâ€"and Beyond organizes these questions in terms of five challenges that are expected to be the focus of scientific investigations in solar and space physics during the coming decade and beyond.

A thorough introduction to solar physics based on recent spacecraft observations. The author introduces the solar corona and sets it in the context of basic plasma physics before moving on to discuss plasma instabilities and plasma heating processes. The latest results on coronal heating and radiation are presented. Spectacular phenomena such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections are described in detail, together with their potential effects on the Earth.

Originally published in 1949 as part of the Cambridge Monographs on Physics series, this book examines contemporary developments in the field of solar physics. An appendix on the possible origins of the sun's magnetic field is also included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in the history of the study of Earth's nearest star.

A comprehensive view of our Sun at the start of a new era in solar and heliospheric physics Humans have been observing and studying our Sun for centuries, yet much is still unknown about the processes that drive its behavior. Thanks to a new generation of space missions and ground telescopes, we are poised to dramatically increase our understanding of the Sun and its environment. Solar Physics and Solar Wind explores advances in solar and heliospheric research over recent decades, as well as the challenges that remain. This comprehensive reference work covers the solar interior, magnetism and radiation, plasma heating and acceleration, the sun's atmosphere, and solar activity. Volume highlights include: Explanations for processes in the solar interior New insights on the solar wind The challenges of measuring the Sun's magnetic field and its radiative output Description of solar atmospheric phenomena such as spicules and jets New developments in understanding flares and coronal mass ejections Ongoing research into how the solar corona is heated The American Geophysical Union promotes discovery in Earth and space science for the benefit of humanity. Its publications disseminate scientific knowledge and provide resources for researchers, students, and professionals. Find out more about the Space Physics and Aeronomy collection in this Q&A with the Editors in Chief