Heliosphere News - May 18, 2016


A newsletter devoted to Heliospheric Science. 


Editor: Nathan Schwadron (nschwadron at unh.edu)

Co-Editor: Mihir Desai (mdesai at swri.edu)

Co-Editor: Eric Zirnstein (ezirnstein at swri.edu)

Co-Editor: Merav Opher (mopher at bu.edu)

Co-Editor: Adele Corona (icnsmeetings at gmail.com)

Co-Editor: Nikolai Pogorelov (np0002 at uah.edu)


Web site editor: Ken Fairchild (Ken.Fairchild at unh.edu)


If you are interested in being added to the list, being removed from the list, or posting an announcement, please send information to Nathan, Mihir, Eric, Merav, Adele, or Nick. Posts are limited to ascii text.
Newsletters are archived on the following website:


http://heliospherenews.unh.edu/


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** Announcements

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1. Call for Abstracts for Session #9 at the 2016 SHINE Workshop

2. ISSI Post-doc positions

3. Call for Abstracts for two sessions at the 2016 SHINE workshop - Session 2: Understanding the Origin and Transport of GLEs with Modern Observations; Session 13. Heliosphere as Revealed from IBEX and Voyager Measurements

4. MEETING: International Astronomical Union Symposium 328 "Living around Active Stars," 17-21 October, 2016, Maresias, SP, Brazil

5. MEETING: 7th Solar Orbitor Workshop: Exploring the Solar Environs, April 3-6, 2017, Granada, Spain

6. MEETING: SDO 2016 - Unraveling the Sun’s Complexity, October 17-21, 2016, Burlington, VT

7. SCOSTEP Visiting Scholarship - Call for Applications 2016

8. Project SMART Summer Institute 2016

9. Postdoctoral Research Assistant II Position at The University of Alabama in Huntsville 


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1) Call for Abstracts for Session #9 at the 2016 SHINE Workshop


Session 9: Kinetic Range Physics in the Solar Wind: Turbulence and Waves with Implications for the Turbulent Dissipation Challenge

Conveners: S. Peter Gary, Kris Klein, Tulasi Parashar, Chadi Salem, and Daniel Verscharen

This session will focus on kinetic range physics of plasma turbulence in the solar wind. The primary goal is to understand the nature of electromagnetic fluctuations at scales smaller than the spectral break point. Some studies have suggested that the turbulence at these scales is highly intermittent and nonlinear while others indicate that linear theory may describe some properties of fluctuations at these scales. The primary science question of the session is: "What is the common ground between the above mentioned viewpoints?" Specific questions that address the differences between nonlinear turbulence and linear waves are:


1) Can we classify the kinetic range turbulence as "strong" or "weak"?
Are the fluctuations in the quasilinear or fully nonlinear regimes?

2) What properties of kinetic range fluctuations can be adequately represented by linear waves?  If linear theory is useful for wave descriptions, can the waves be classified as kinetic-Alfven-like and/or magnetosonic-whistler-like?

3) If kinetic range turbulence is a fundamentally nonlinear phenomenon, which computational models and which physical models (fluid, hybrid, or
kinetic) are necessary to adequately represent the physics?  Can nonlinear properties such as intermittency be quantified in kinetic turbulence?

4) What are the implications of various processes for heating of electrons, protons, and heavy ions?  

5) What are the key issues in the design of critical simulations of the Challenge?


The session especially invites presentations of fully nonlinear simulation results.


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2) ISSI Post-doc positions

ISSI invites applications for Two Post-Doctoral Positions for a two-year period starting in October 2016 or by agreement. One of the two positions is in Space Sciences, the other is in Earth Sciences. The successful candidates should have received a Ph.D. within the last five years in a field relating to either Space or Earth Sciences in general.
All applications must be received by ISSI no later than July 31st, 2016.

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3) Call for Abstracts for two sessions at the 2016 SHINE workshop


Session 2: Understanding the Origin and Transport of GLEs with Modern Observations

Conveners: Eric Christian, Jim Ryan, Georgia deNolfo, and Gen Li

Session 13. Heliosphere as Revealed from IBEX and Voyager Measurements

Conveners: Nikolai Pogorelov, Merav Opher, and George Gloeckler

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Session 2: Understanding the Origin and Transport of GLEs with Modern Observations

Conveners: Eric Christian, Jim Ryan, Georgia deNolfo, and Gen Li


Session Description:

How the highest energy solar energetic particles, the so called Ground Level Enhancements (GLEs) are accelerated to GeV energies remains a mystery. Both acceleration through flare reconnection and CME-driven shocks are plausible, but the question remains as to their relative importance in driving the highest energy SEP events. While these high-energy particles often reach near Earth with minimal transport effects compared to the widely studied low-energy SEPs, the spectral shape, anisotropy, and time-evolution of GLEs suggest that transport is important in interpreting these events.  This session will focus on the origin and transport of the highest energy (>100 MeV) particles in SEP events, with a focus on GLEs and high-energy SEP events that may fail to register in neutron monitors, the so-called sub-GLEs (e.g. Jan 6 2014, Jan 27 2012).

Solar cycle 24 has provided an unprecedented view of GLE events including the first spectral and pitch angle measurements of GLEs over a wide range in energy from PAMELA and AMS, complementing the observations of traditional ground-based instruments. In addition, multi-point observations from spacecraft at 1 AU and the STEREO spacecraft provide detailed contextual data, particularly on CME structure and evolution and potential magnetic connectivity. While solar cycle 24 brings excited new observations to shed light on the GLE process, we welcome discussions on high-energy events from previous solar cycles.


Our session will expand on the discussion from SHINE 2015, focusing on the following questions:

- What is the spectral shape (and its evolution) over a broad energy range and how does this constrain models of acceleration? Are there spectral roll-overs, breaks?

- Is there a relationship between the anisotropic phase and it's evolution with time and the spectral shape (and its evolution)?

- Do all GLEs exhibit an anisotropic phase? What about sub-GLEs?
Isotropy at later times appears to be universal.

- What spectral features and/or pitch angle differences do we expect between GLE events that are well-connected. such as 2012 May 17, and other events (not necessarily GLEs) originating from the eastern hemisphere, e.g., 2012 March 7?

- Several of the GLEs in cycle 24 are associated with high-energy gamma-ray observations from Fermi/LAT. How or do the gamma-ray observations influence our understanding of GLE particle acceleration?
Are the particles in the flare and those in space related, and how?

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Session 13. Heliosphere as Revealed from IBEX and Voyager Measurements

Conveners: Nikolai Pogorelov, Merav Opher, and George Gloeckler


Session Description:

In situ observations by Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, combined with the heliosheath tomography using energetic neutral hydrogen fluxes measured by the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) in different energy bands gives the space physics community a unique opportunity to investigate the fundamental physical processes accompanying the solar wind (SW) interaction with the local interstellar medium (LISM).  The proposed session will address microscopic and macroscopic phenomena derived from IBEX and Voyager observations, and especially their combination. It will particularly focus on the following scientific questions:


1. What is the effect of the coupling of the heliospheric and interstellar magnetic fields at the heliopause? What is the correlation between observations and model predictions for the magnetic field and plasma quantities? What do space-time variations in the magnetic structure tell us about the physics of the heliosphere and termination shock?

2. What are the physical mechanisms of the IBEX ribbon and distributed ENA fluxes?

3. What are the ion acceleration mechanisms in the inner heliosheath?
How do anomalous cosmic rays affect the structure of the heliosphere?
What are the reasons of the variation in the galactic and anomalous cosmic ray fluxes observed by Voyager 1?

Scene-setting presentations will be given by David McComas and John Richardson on behalf of the IBEX and Voyager mission teams, respectively, and followed by a discussion on the themes of the session.
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SHINE 2016 Conference Info:

Workshop Dates: July 11th-15th, 2016

(Student Day July 10th)

Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico

Registration Fee: $425

Early Bird Registration Deadline: May 20th

Late Registration: $475

Deadline for student support: April 29th

Deadline for abstract submission: June 9th (extra poster $50)

Hotel Reservation Deadline: June 9th

http://shinecon.org/CurrentMeeting.php

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4) MEETING: International Astronomical Union Symposium 328 "Living around Active Stars," 17-21 October, 2016, Maresias, SP, Brazil


From: Dibyendu Nandi (dnandi at iiserkol.ac.in)


Rationale: The variable activity of stars such as the Sun is mediated via stellar magnetic fields, radiative and energetic particle fluxes, stellar winds and magnetic storms. This activity influences planetary atmospheres, climate and habitability. Studies of this intimate relationship between the parent star, its astrosphere (i.e., the equivalent of the heliosphere) and the planets that it hosts have reached a certain level of maturity within our own Solar System – fuelled both by advances in theoretical modeling and a host of satellites that observe the Sun-Earth system. In conjunction, the first attempts are being made to characterize the interactions between stars and planets and their coupled evolution, which have relevance for habitability and the search for habitable planets. This Symposium will bring together scientists from diverse, interdisciplinary scientific areas such as solar, stellar and planetary physics, atmospheric and climate physics and astrobiology to review the current state of our understanding of solar and stellar environments.  The Symposium is expected to fertilize exchange of ideas and identify outstanding issues – tackling which necessitates coordinated scientific efforts across disciplines.


Invited Speakers: Anil Bhardwaj (India), Cesar Bertucci (Argentina), Paul Charbonneau (Canada), Manuel Guedel (Austria), Gaitee Hussain (Germany), Moira Jardine (UK), Colin Johnstone (Austria), Laurène Jouve (France),  Eiichiro Kokubo (Japan), Hiroyuki Maehara (Japan), Jose Dias do Nascimento Jr. (Brazil), Rachel Olsten (USA), Katja Poppenhaeger (UK), Steve Saar (USA), Alexander Shapiro (Germany)


Specifics: The symposium will be held in the sea side town of Maresias, Brazil from 17-21 October, 2016. Further details, including registration, abstract submission, financial support and accommodation information are available at the conference websites:


http://www.sab-astro.org.br/IAUS328


Financial support application deadline: 30 April 2016

Abstract submission deadline: 16 June 2016

Early Registration deadline: 16 July 2016


On behalf of the Organizing Committees we welcome you to the IAUS 328 and look forward to hosting you in Maresias, Brazil.


Scientific Organizing Committee: Dibyendu Nandi (Chair), Sarah Gibson (Co-Chair), Pascal Petit (Co-Chair), Margit Haberreiter, Emre Isik, Heidi Korhonen, Kanya Kusano, Duncan Mackay, Cristina Mandrini, Allan Sacha-Brun, Adriana Valio, Aline Vidotto, David Webb


Local Organizing Committee: Adriana Valio (Chair), Gustavo Guerrero (Co-Chair), Alisson Dal Lago, Jorge Melendez, Emilia Correia, Caius L.
Selhorst


Contact: iaustars328@gmail.com

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5) MEETING: 7th Solar Orbitor Workshop: Exploring the Solar Environs, April 3-6, 2017, Granada, Spain


EXPLORING THE SOLAR ENVIRONS

7th Solar Orbiter Workshop to be held from 3rd to 6th of April 2017 at the Granada Convention Center (Granada, Spain). This event will be hosted by the Instituto de Astrofisica de Andalucia - CSIC.


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6) MEETING: SDO 2016 - Unraveling the Sun’s Complexity, October 17-21, 2016, Burlington, VT

SDO 2016:  Unraveling the Sun’s Complexity
Oct. 17-21, 2016   *   Burlington, VT

Living With a Star's Solar Dynamics Observatory invites you to its 2016 Science Workshop “SDO 2016: Unraveling the Sun’s Complexity,” October
17-21, 2016, at the Sheraton Conference Center in Burlington, VT.   All
members of the science community are welcome and encouraged to attend.
To submit your abstract, reserve your hotel room, register, apply for a Metcalf Travel Award, or review the science program details, please visit our website:  http://SDO2016.lws-sdo-workshops.org.

Important Due Dates:

Abstracts:  July 15

Metcalf Travel Award Applications:  June 15

Early Registration & Hotel Reservation:  September 16

Abstracts are solicited for presentations describing solar research in the following eight broad areas:  1) Motions Inside the Sun, 2) The Evolution of Active Regions, 3) Studies of Solar Eruptive Events (SEEs),
4) Motions Near and Above the Solar Surface, 5) Atmospheric Dynamics and Sources of the Solar Wind, 6) Solar Magnetic Variability and the Solar Cycle, 7) The Sun as a Star, and 8) Space Weather at the Earth and other Planets.

With a great science program and Vermont’s beautiful fall foliage in mid-October, we hope you make plans to join us.  Submit your abstract today!

The Scientific Organizing Committee for SDO 2016:
W. Dean Pesnell (chair), Charles Baldner, Mark Cheung, Frank Eparvier, Meng Jin, Aimee Norton, and Barbara Thompson


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7) SCOSTEP Visiting Scholarship – Call for Applications 2016

From: Marianna Shepherd (mshepher at yorku.ca)

The submission of applications for the 2016 SCOSTEP Visiting Scholarship is now open. 

The SCOSTEP Visiting Scholar (SVS) program is a capacity building activity of SCOSTEP (Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics), which complements the current scientific program, VarSITI (Variability of the Sun and its Terrestrial Impact, http://www.varsiti.org/) and SCOSTEP’s public outreach activities.


The objective of the SVS program is to provide training to young scientists and graduate students from developing countries in well-established solar terrestrial physics institutes, for one to three months. The training will help the young scientists to advance their career in solar terrestrial physics using the technique/skill they learned during the training. SCOSTEP will provide the airfare, while the host institute will provide the living expenses (accommodation, sustenance, ground transportation, visa fees and other incidentals).
Trainees should have their own health insurance or arrange a provision with the host institution.

Interested candidates should contact one of the SVS program hosts listed at http://www.yorku.ca/scostep/?page_id=2103 and work out the details of the visit. Once the applicant and the host agree on a visit, the applicant needs to prepare an application package including the following details of the visit: (i) work to be performed; (ii) applicant’s curriculum vitae, (iii) dates of the visit and an estimate of the airfare in economy class; (iv) letter from the applicant’s supervisor, and (v) a letter from the host scientist/institution. A single pdf file of the above materials should be sent to SCOSTEP’s Scientific Secretary, Dr. Marianna G. Shepherd (mshepher at yorku.ca).
Deadline for applications: May 25, 2016.

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8) Project SMART Summer Institute 2016

(Science and Mathematics Achievement Through Research Training)

A Fast-Paced Month of Science for High School Students

University of New Hampshire Project SMART Summer Institute is accepting applications from (current) high school sophomores and juniors for the 25th year of its program in 2016. The program has a rolling admission policy, accepting applicants on first-come first-admit basis, based on applicants’ interest and aptitude in science and mathematics. The 2016 program runs from June 26 to July 22. The program offers three modules; Biotechnology & Nanotechnology, Marine & Environmental Science, and Space Science, each admitting up to 25 students.

Project SMART program challenges, educates, and motivates talented high school students in science and mathematics. The program is open to students who are currently enrolled (or home schooled) as sophomores (10th grade) and juniors (11th grade). The participants study advanced topics in science, mathematics and computers through lectures, discussions, hands-on laboratory experience, and field trips; and learn to do research with UNH faculty.

The Summer Institute is an excellent opportunity to learn the interdisciplinary nature of the various scientific fields and the applications and implications (economic, social, environmental, legal, ethical and moral) of recent scientific advancements to society. In addition to learning/doing science, the students gain a greater appreciation for careers in the various sciences and establish friendships with their peers, and mentoring relationships with the UNH faculty.

The group of student participants is highly talented and includes those who have already shown interest and aptitude in sciences.

The group is highly diverse, and includes a significant proportion of participants from minority, underrepresented, economically disadvantaged, and rural as well as inner-city environs within the US (from Alaska to Puerto Rico and in between) and several other countries (e.g. Greece, Turkey, Jordan, Kazakhstan).

Project SMART is a residential program. The students stay in UNH dormitories. Over the weekends they participate in special programs
like: visits to the Boston Museum of Science, the New England Aquarium, a whale watching trip to the Ocean, the top of Mt. Washington by Cog railway, Long Term Experimental Forests, the local malls and the movies, etc., which also enhance social interaction among the students. What a way to get connected to your peers. Weekend stay for local students is optional.

On the final day of the program, students present a scientific poster at a three-hour long session, which is attended by more than 200 students, faculty, teachers, parents, UNH administrators and invited guests.

Special evening discussions focus on college admissions, diversity issues, and careers in science.

For more information go to www.smart.unh.edu

For information on the space science module:

http://projectsmartspacescience.sr.unh.edu/

Please share this information with friends and colleagues.


The Space Science module of Project SMART is partially supported by the NSF Sun-to-Ice project.


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9) Postdoctoral Research Assistant II Position at the University of Alabama in Huntsville 

The University of Alabama in Huntsville is accepting applications for the regular full-time position of Postdoctoral Research Assistant II to work in the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research.  The research will involve modeling of the solar wind interaction with the local interstellar medium with the focus on instabilities and magnetic reconnection occurring locally in the turbulent plasma near the heliopause. The research will be performed using a software suite (Multi-Scale Fluid-Kinetic Simulation Suite, MS—FLUKSS) developed at CSPAR. MS-FLUKSS is built on the Chombo adaptive mesh refinement framework and allows self-consistent solution of MHD, gas dynamics Euler, and kinetic Boltzmann equations.  The code is scalable to over
150,000 computing cores and was ported to major national supercomputers.
The successful candidate is expected to have a recent Ph.D. in Physics or Space Sciences, 12-21 months of full-time related work experience, must have extensive experience in object-oriented programing in C++, parallel programming using MPI and OpenMP, and the ability to work with big codes, must have experience in modeling plasma flows on supercomputers. Experience in data analysis and modeling turbulent flows is desired.

The approximate annual salary range for this position is $43,209 - $50,315. Applicants should submit a letter describing their research interests, a curriculum vitae, and reference letters. The appointment will be initially for one year, with the possibility of renewal for another year. Questions should be addressed to Professor Nikolai Pogorelov at np0002@uah.edu. Qualified applicants should apply on-line at http://uah.interviewexchange.com/jobofferdetails.jsp?JOBID=71283. The University of Alabama in Huntsville is AN AFFIRMATIVE ACTION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER OF MINORITIES/FEMALES/VETERANS/DISABLED.


Best regards,
Merav

______________________
Merav Opher
Associate Professor, Dept. of Astronomy
Director of Graduate Studies
Director of the REU Program
Boston University
725 Commonwealth Avenue,
Boston MA 02215
PHONE: (617) 358-6385
FAX:   (617) 353-5704
http://people.bu.edu/mopher