Date: 17th-18th June
Location: University of Warwick
For mankind, the Sun is the most important star in the universe. Despite being influential to life on Earth many mysteries concerning the Sun’s magnetic field remain unsolved. However, the Sun is just one star and magnetic field-associated variability is frequently observed on other stars. Many other stars have very similar properties to the Sun and we can use observations of these stars to make inferences about the Sun’s magnetic activity. For example, flares substantially larger than even the most energetic flare ever observed on our own Sun are regularly detected on other Sun-like stars, and are usually referred to as superflares. Studying stellar flares can not only tell us about the magnetic fields of stars themselves, but may also provide useful information on the physical processes responsible for flares and space weather on our own Sun. We can, therefore, ask what the chances of a superflare occurring on our own Sun are. However, in order to make inferences concerning the Sun’s magnetic field based on stellar variability the typicality of the Sun’s variability and magnetic field must be established. Studies of stellar flares can also impact predictions for the habitability of exoplanets: If flares on our relatively quiet Sun can disrupt life on Earth the same will be true for other planets. Of course, flares are not the only aspect of stellar activity that can be examined and studies of stellar variability in general allow constraints to be placed on models of both solar and stellar magnetic fields. This meeting will discuss aspects of stellar magnetic activity, both observational and theoretical, and will explore the solar-stellar connection.
Confirmed speakers: Simon Candelaresi (University of Dundee), Gavin Ramsay (Armagh Observatory), Victor See (University of St. Andrews).
If you would like to attend please register by sending an e-mail to Anne-Marie Broomhall (a-m.broomhall@warwick.ac.uk) by Wednesday 3rd June. We would also encourage anyone who would like to give a talk at this workshop to submit a request to a-m.broomhall@warwick.ac.uk by this date. The workshop will be relatively informal and so we particularly encourage students and early career researchers to consider submitting. Please contact Anne-Marie for more details.… continue to the full article