Dynamos, Dynamics, and the Solar Cycle at Cycle 25 Maximum

As the Sun approaches the maximum of Solar Cycle 25 there is growing interest in when the cycle will peak and how active the Sun will be when it does. This Discussion Meeting will focus on the solar activity cycle, the dynamo processes that drive it, its interaction with helioseismic diagnostics, our ability to predict how future cycles will evolve and the implications of observations of the current solar cycle for our understanding of previous cycles. We will also consider the consequences of varying activity cycles on orbiting planets, including Earth.

There are still many unresolved questions about the Sun's dynamo, and this meeting will facilitate discussion between those modelling the dynamo and those whose focus is on observing the Sun’s interior, its atmosphere, and the Sun-Earth environment, all of which have features that must be accounted for by such models. This session will be of interest to both the Solar Physics and MIST communities. We will especially welcome contributions from helioseismologists, dynamo modellers and those interested in the long-term evolution of the solar magnetic activity cycles.

The day will also include an informal discussion session on needs and prospects for future solar observatories, both space- and ground-based.

Abstract submission page here, deadline 16th December: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScQbt1Pvn7IgiIzsGg173csejbxmCj1gVPUwME2MGhxcJZqaA/viewform

Organisers:

Rachel Howe (Birmingham)

Anne-Marie Broomhall (Warwick)

Paul Bushby (Newcastle)

Matthew Owens (Reading)