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Letter of Intent for proposal of 2011 IAU Symposium
Title: Comparative magnetic minima: characterizing quiet times
in the Sun and stars
Proposed dates: October
3-7, 2011
Proposed location: Mendoza,
Argentina
Chairs of SOC:
Sarah
Gibson, NCAR/HAO, United States
Hebe
Cremades, Universidad Tecnologica Nacional Argentina, Mendoza,
Argentina
Chair of LOC:
Cristina Mandrini, CONICET-Universidad de Buenos Aires Argentina
Topics:
How do we define "solar minimum": is sunspot number
sufficient in the space age? Is there such a thing as a "Ground State"
of a heliosphere, for the Sun and for stars in general?
How do solar cycle minima vary, both within and between
cycles? How do such variations manifest in solar surface magnetic flux,
total and spectral irradiance, coronal and heliospheric structure and
activity, cosmic rays at the Earth, and solar-driven changes of the
Earth's space environment and upper atmosphere?
What are the origins of such variations? How do solar
minimum characteristics relate to prior -- and future -- solar cycle
activity? How might magnetic dynamo and flux transport processes on
multiple time scales result in variations within and between minima?
Can we use what we learn from modern observations of the
heliosphere at solar minimum to better interpret the Sun's past
behavior as preserved in cosmogenic isotopes and historical sunspot and
aurora records?
Under what circumstances do stars enter Grand Minima, where
spots disappear for extended periods? What is the nature of such Grand
Minima, both in terms of stellar irradiance and stellar heliospheric
magnetic morphology? How might these combine to influence a planet's
space environment and climate response during a star's Grand Minimum?
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