|
|||||||||||||||
|
SWISS SOCIETY FOR ASTROPHYSICS AND ASTRONOMY
34th ``SAAS-FEE'' ADVANCED COURSE
THE SUN, SOLAR ANALOGS AND THE CLIMATE
15 - 20 March 2004 / Davos / Switzerland
Preliminary PROGRAMME
The Sun
Introduction to the Sun and the solar activity cycle
o The structure of the solar interior
o The photosphere
o The sunspot cycle
o The Hale cycle
o Joy's Law
o Magnetic field structures
o The corona
The basic plasma physics of the Sun and heliosphere
o The induction equation
o Frozen-in Flux theorem
o Magnetic Reconnection
o Solar wind acceleration
o Parker spiral theory and the heliospheric field
o The implications of Ulysses observations
Solar variations: causes of the solar cycle and long-term variations
o The Sun's magnetic cycle
o Coronal Mass Ejections
o Solar cycle effects in the heliosphere
o Long-term variations
The heliosphere, cosmic rays and cosmogenic isotopes
o Solar and galactic cosmic rays
o Cosmic Ray shielding
o Cosmogenic Isotopes
The causes of solar Irradiance variability
o The effect of sunspots
o The effect of faculae
o The use of proxies in reconstructing past variations in solar irradiance
Statistical techniques for Sun-Earth interaction studies:
o Time series analysis
o Correlation
o Significance
o Persistance
o Fisher-Z test
Milakovich cycles
o Variations in Earth's orbit
o Imprints in the terrestrial climate record
Evidence for solar influence on climate
o Correlations with sunspot number, cosmic rays fluxes, solar irradiance
o Proposed Mechanisms
o Global Coupled Model Simulations
Solar Analogs
The Sun as a Star
o The solar activity cycle: past and present
o Spectral and magnetic variability
o Irradiance variability
o Solar rotation and activity
o Terrestrial proxies of past solar activity
Solar and stellar variability
o Relative activity levels in sun-like stars
o Irradiance variability vs. activity
o Cycles and activity level
o Rotation and differential rotation measurements
o Mass loss measurements in solar-type stars (“astrospheres”)
Inhomogeneous atmospheres in solar-type stars
o Spectroscopic signatures of solar inhomogeneities
o Measurements of stellar magnetic field strengths
o Spectroscopic diagnostics of stellar magnetic regions
o Evidence for inhomogeneous, multi-component atmospheres in late-type stars
o Coronal loop models for late-type dwarf stars
Activity in low mass stars and brown dwarfs
o Chromospheric structure
o Coronal structure
o Flares/dynamic phenomena in low-mass stars
o Implications for dynamo theory
Activity in pre-main sequence stars
o Evolution of activity in young, solar-type stars
o Angular momentum evolution
o Line profile variability and activity
Implication for dynamo theory
o Comparison of cycle periods with rotation, Rossby number and other stellar properties
Search for extra-solar planetary systems
o Influence of activity on principal indirect detections methods
-->Photometric transits
-->Doppler searches
-->Astrometric searches
Asteroseismology
o Review of results and prospects for solar-type stars
-->Doppler vs brightness oscillations
The Climate: The effects of solar activity on the Earth’s atmosphere
Overview: the Earth’s climate system
o What drives the climate?
o Temperature structure
o Atmospheric composition
o Mean circulation of the atmosphere
o Modes of variablility
Radiative processes in the atmosphere
o Earth radiation budget
o Radiative transfer
o The “greenhouse effect”
o The effect of clouds
o Radiative forcing and climate sensitivity
Photochemical and microphysical processes in the atmosphere
o Stratospheric photochemistry
o Tropospheric photochemistry
o Cloud formation
Climate records
o Direct and proxy measurements and reconstruction
o Global and regional records
o Correlations between solar activity and climate records (on a wide range of timescales)
How may solar variability affect climate?
o Radiative forcing through variations in total solar irradiance
o Effects of stratospheric ozone
o Possible effects of galactic cosmic rays on cloud production
o Changes in the global electric circuit
Conclusions