Dear Colleagues,

As we enter the new academic year, many of us will welcome new PhD students and other colleagues into our solar groups. Please pass this message onto new group members, and please ask them to sign up for the UKSP mailing list using:
https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/uksp (click on “Subscribe” to join the mailing list).

More information about UKSP can be found on our website:
https://www.uksolphys.org

Recent news items:
https://www.uksolphys.org/news/recent-news-summary/

Current UKSP council members:
https://www.uksolphys.org/about-uksp/

Kind regards,

Natasha Jeffrey, on behalf of the UKSP Council… continue to the full article

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Dear Colleagues,

We have created a questionnaire to help determine the best way for our solar community to meet and share our results in the future.

The short questionnaire can be found here:

https://forms.gle/GfnTkU529Zm5juXd6

All responses are anonymous. Please complete the questionnaire by October 1st.

Thank you for your help.

Kind regards,

UKSP Council… continue to the full article

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Dear Colleagues,

The UKSP Business Meeting was held on the 3rd of July 2023 at the National Astronomy Meeting (NAM).

The presentations including AGP and SSAP updates can be found here:
https://www.uksolphys.org/uksp-business-meeting/

Kind regards,
Natasha on behalf of the UKSP Council… continue to the full article

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https://www.uksolphys.org/summer-schools-rota-guidance/

The MIST & UKSP councils have:

(1) Reviewed the guidelines for the STFC Introductory Course in Solar and Solar-Terrestrial Physics summer school. The new version can be found on the UKSP website and contains information for hosts (confirmed and potential).

https://www.uksolphys.org/wp-content/uploads/SummerSchoolGuidelines_2023_2029.pdf

(2) Updated the list of proposed hosts until 2029.

***Proposed hosts – please check you are happy with the schedule.***

Previous hosts of the introductory (and advanced solar summer school) can now be found here:

https://www.uksolphys.org/wp-content/uploads/Previous_STFC_Summer_School_Hosts.pdf

Kind regards,
UKSP & MIST Councils… continue to the full article

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European Solar Physics Division (ESPD) 2023 Prizes

• The 2023 ESPD Patricia Edwin PhD Thesis Prize will be awarded to a young researcher whose PhD thesis/viva was defended in 2022.
• The 2023 ESPD Giancarlo Noci Early Career Prize will be awarded to a young researcher whose PhD was awarded after 01/01/2019 (with possible extension).
• ESPD Kees Zwaan Inspirational Community Prize will be awarded, with the aim of recognising researchers/technicians/organisations/groups whose contribution goes beyond scientific research in the field of Solar Physics.

The deadline for nominations is February 5th, 2023.

More info is here:
https://www.eps.org/members/group_content_view.asp?group=85203&id=641304

—

Royal Astronomical Society (RAS)-Thesis Prizes

• Patricia Tomkins Thesis Prize: The Patricia Tomkins Prize, for the best doctoral thesis in instrumentation science for astronomy and geophysics is awarded annually.
  More info is here: https://ras.ac.uk/awards-and-grants/awards/2285-patricia-tomkins-thesis-prize
• Keith Runcorn Prize: The Keith Runcorn Prize for the best doctoral thesis in geophysics (including planetary science and solar physics) is awarded annually.
  More info is here: https://ras.ac.uk/awards-and-grants/awards/2277-keith-runcorn-thesis-prize

The deadline for nominations is January 31st, 2023.… continue to the full article

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Save the Date – STFC External Innovations Showcase

Join us at an in-person event in London to hear about our exciting funding plans for the next two years:

• launching our new leading-edge ‘Late-Stage Research and Development Scheme’ joint with Innovate UK, to progress ideas from the STFC Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear Physics (PPAN) community towards market readiness – Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5-7;
• launching the next round of our ‘Early-Stage Research and Development Scheme’ to support research and development in the PPAN community TRL 1-5;
• announcing our plans for the STFC Horizons Programme with a new call with a focus on Net Zero;
• sharing our plans for the STFC Cluster funding awards based at our world leading facilities in the UK; and
• giving details of a new Industry Engagement Fund which builds on the success of the Bridging for Innovators (B4I) scheme and will see industry work with our world class facilities and expertise to support industrial challenges.

The showcase event will highlight these opportunities and give you an opportunity to network and ask questions. The event is free to attend, and we would be delighted to see you there.

Secure a place through: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/innovation-showcase-event-tickets-445247696847… continue to the full article

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Dear Colleagues,

For many years, a short meeting known as the UK Solar Missions Forum was held yearly to discuss current and future ground and space-based instrumentation projects and bring together different representatives from our community, STFC panels and UKSA.

After a break due to Covid, we want to organise such a meeting in 2023. The meeting will be organised by the UKSP Council and led by Professor Richard Harrison (RAL).

We hope we can use the time to discuss:
– Projects in operation
– Projects in development
– Horizon scanning future projects
– Strategy/planning/updates from UKSA/STFC

We propose that the name of the meeting is changed to ‘UK Solar Instrumentation and Facilities Forum’ to account for all categories we may discuss, including ground and space-based missions (collaborations with e.g., NASA, ESA), as well as new opportunities such as CubeSat development and the opportunities arising for our field with the construction of UK spaceports.

Also, we propose that the meeting could be held as part of a two-day hybrid workshop (1-day for the UK Solar Instrumentation and Facilities Forum and 1-day for a UKSP specialist discussion meeting that promotes the work of early career researchers in the UK).

To organise the meeting, we would value input from the community about e.g., the best time, location and format of the meeting via a very short survey:
https://forms.gle/5X8Jm9cEtPqAm73N9
If possible, please complete the survey by December 15th. Other comments and suggestions can also be added to the survey form (last box).

Kind regards,
UKSP Chair on behalf of Richard Harrison and the UKSP Council.… continue to the full article

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Dear Colleagues,

As you know, the STFC Introductory Summer School is held at a different UK institution every year. In the past, the UKSP and MIST councils have compiled a list of potential hosts/bids (over a timeframe of five to ten years).

Our lists are coming to an end (2025). Therefore, we ask the communities to email both Natasha Jeffrey (natasha.jeffrey@northumbria.ac.uk) and Jasmine Sandhu (jasmine.k.sandhu@northumbria.ac.uk) if they are planning to bid for the STFC Introductory Summer School in years 2026–2030. Please send your responses by December 1st, 2022.

Our respective councils can then provide an updated list of potential hosts/bids. Furthermore, we can help to make sure that the school is being held at different geographical locations around the UK and ensure that the schools are being shared equally amongst solar and MIST institutions.

Kind regards,
Natasha Jeffrey and Jasmine Sandhu on behalf of the UKSP and MIST councils… continue to the full article

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On behalf of the UKSP community, we congratulate Dr Nicolina Chrysaphi. In this year, Dr Nicolina Chrysaphi is the runner-up for the Keith Runcorn Thesis Prize 2021 of the RAS.

The awarded thesis is:

Title: Fine structures of solar radio bursts: origins and radio-wave propagation effects

Supervisor: Prof Eduard Kontar (University of Glasgow)

Abstract: Solar eruptive events are associated with radio emissions that appear as impulsive increases in intensity, known as solar radio bursts. Turbulence in the solar corona impacts the propagation of radio waves, obscuring the intrinsic emission properties. Here, anisotropic scattering on small-scale density fluctuations is investigated using novel 3D radio-wave propagation simulations. Several observed radio properties are simultaneously reproduced for the first time, verifying the necessity to consider anisotropic scattering. The sub-second evolution of fine radio burst properties at a single frequency is also investigated, enabled by conducting observations that utilise the unprecedented imaging capabilities of the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR). The fundamental and harmonic sources of a Type IIIb burst are quantitatively compared, demonstrating that harmonic emissions arise from an intrinsic source with a finite size and finite emission duration. Drift-pair burst observations are successfully described by the radio echo hypothesis. It is shown that the radio echo, which produces the second Drift-pair component, is detected only when the anisotropy is strong. A dependence of the observed properties on the source’s intrinsic location and on the assumed emission-to-plasma frequency ratio is inferred. Moreover, the subbands of a split-band Type II burst are simultaneously imaged for the first time. Despite the large separations observed between subband sources, it is shown that once scattering is quantitatively accounted for, the sources become co-spatial. Corrections on the observed source locations also allude to lower coronal densities. Additionally, the first observation of a Type II burst that transitions between a stationary and drifting state—termed as a transitioning Type II burst—is reported. The radio emissions are related to a jet eruption that drives a streamer-puff CME. Overall, state-of-the-art simulations and radio observations are combined and compared. The importance of accounting for radio-wave propagation effects—primarily anisotropic scattering—and the consequence of neglecting to do so on any subsequent interpretations is illustrated.

The Keith Runcorn Prize for the best doctoral thesis in geophysics (including planetary science and solar physics) is awarded annually. The prize is named after Keith Runcorn (1922-1995).

Hereby, we also take the opportunity to congratulate Dr Juan Alday Parejo (University of Oxford) – ‘Unravelling the isotopic imprints of Martian CO2 and H2O using solar occultation observations from the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite onboard ExoMars Trace Gas orbitor.’ for the first prize.… continue to the full article

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The UKSP Nuggets are a series of short articles highlighting recently published work led by UK researchers in solar physics. After a distinguished tenure, Iain Hannah and Lyndsay Fletcher are stepping down from their role as editors of the UKSP nuggets. I’m sure you’ll join me in offering them many thanks for their time and effort in maintaining the high quality of the nuggets over the years.

The UKSP nuggets are now being absorbed by the UKSP council. Taking over as editors for the next 12 months or so will be:

Peter Wyper (peter.f.wyper@durham.ac.uk)
Rahul Sharma (rahul4.sharma@northumbria.ac.uk)

Correspondence or queries regarding nuggets should be directed to them from now on. Examples of published UKSP Nuggets can be found here:
https://www.uksolphys.org/uksp-nuggets/

We’d also like to take this opportunity to strongly encourage in particular PhD students and postdocs (and their supervisors) based in UK institutions with recently published work to approach us to discuss potential nugget submissions. Nuggets are science highlights advertising your work/paper and are an excellent way to raise the profile of a piece of work as well as the profile of the authors themselves.… continue to the full article

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