Although located at 150 million kilometers from Earth, the Sun is in our immediate neighborhood compared with all other stars. The observation of the Sun along the decades has provided amazingly detailed views of the structure and day-to-day life of a star; the high-resolution observations achieved from Earth and space in recent years, in particular, have facilitated reaching deep theoretical insights concerning the structure and evolution of stellar atmospheres and interiors.
The Sun constitutes a physics laboratory where the complex interactions between the matter (atoms, electrons and ions, or molecules) and the magnetic field can be studied in conditions difficult to reach in devices on Earth. Of particular interest for the public are the spectacular phenomena displayed by its atmosphere, its role in generating the magnetized clouds that, after traversing the interplanetary space, can impact on Earth's magnetosphere and lead to the potentially dangerous solar storms, and the mysteries of the solar interior. Understanding of all those phenomena is gained by a combination of refined theoretical methods and direct or indirect observation using leading-edge technologies.
The solar physics group at the IAC enjoys a leadership position in different branches of solar research in the world. This is exemplified by the award of four large research grants by the European Research Council in the past years to researchers of the group, by its leading role in the European Solar Telescope project, and by its participation in other international networks and instrument projects. Globally, the group combines theoretical methods (magneto-fluid dynamics and plasma physics, radiation transfer), including 3D numerical radiation-MHD modeling, and state-of-the-art observational and diagnostic techniques, to achieve deep understanding of what constitutes and drives the structure and activity of our star.
Solar Physics (FS)
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PublicationEnhanced Channel Calibration for the Image Sensor of the TuMag InstrumentThe Sunrise missions consist of observing the magnetic field of the sun continuously for a few days from the stratosphere. In these missions, a balloon...
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PublicationEnhancing SDO/HMI images using deep learningContext. The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) provides continuum images and magnetograms with a cadence better than one per minute. It has been...
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DocumentEntrevista a E.N Parker (VI Escuela de Invierno) : Cuando el viento soplaEntrevista a E.N Parker (VI Escuela de Invierno).
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PublicationEquation of state for solar near-surface convectionNumerical 3-D radiative hydrodynamical simulations are the main tool for the analysis of the interface between the solar convection zone and the photosphere...
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PublicationError propagation in polarimetric demodulationThe polarization analysis of light is typically carried out using modulation schemes. The light of an unknown polarization state is passed through a set of...
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PublicationEstimating the longitudinal magnetic field in the chromosphere of quiet-Sun magnetic concentrationsContext. Details of the magnetic field in the quiet-Sun chromosphere are key to our understanding of essential aspects of the solar atmosphere. However, the...
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PublicationEstimating the magnetic field strength from magnetogramsA properly calibrated longitudinal magnetograph is an instrument that measures circular polarization and gives an estimation of the magnetic flux density in...
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DocumentEuropean Solar Telescope (EST): report on technical, financial and socio-economic aspect (pdf, 9,3 MB)European Solar Telescope (EST): report on technical, financial and socio-economic aspect
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PublicationEuropean Solar Telescope: Progress statusIn this paper, the present status of the development of the design of the European Solar Telescope is described. The telescope is devised to have the best...