Can New Patterns in Sun’s Layers Explain Longstanding Solar Mystery?
Led by QUB, the research partnership included experts from the NSF’s National Solar Observatory, USA; the High Altitude Observatory, USA; California State University, Northridge, USA; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Germany; the University of Sheffi eld, UK; and Eötvös Loránd University, Hungary.
DKIST, inaugurated in 2022, is the most powerful, solar, optical telescope on Earth, enabling record-breaking observations of our Sun, with a resolving power being the equivalent to seeing a 50p coin in Manchester from London. It incorporates cameras made by Northern Ireland-based company Andor Technologies.
“The Sun is the most important astronomical object for humankind with solar activity driving space weather and having profound effects on humanity,” commented Professor Michail Mathioudakis, Co-Investigator on the research and Director of ARC at Queen’s.
Small-scale magnetic structures of the ‘quiet Sun’ at high resolution captured by DKIST (Credit: QUB)
Through investigations of the Sun’s surface astronomers at the Astrophysics Research Centre (ARC) at Queen’s University Belfast (QUB), have revealed a new, complex, snake-like pattern of energy that exists in addition to the ‘loops’ observed previously.
Using the US National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) in Hawaii - the most powerful, solar telescope in the world –researchers at QUB, in partnership with an international group of experts captured the most detailed representations to date of the magnetic fi eld of the so-called ‘quiet’ surface of the Sun.
They believe the discovery of the new energy pattern has implications for how we model energy transfer between the layers of the Sun, as it which might help explain one of the biggest conundrums in astrophysics – why the outermost layer of the Sun (‘corona’) is hundreds of times hotter than the surface (‘photosphere’), even though the opposite would be expected.
“The more complex the small-scale variations in magnetic-fi eld direction, the more plausible it is that energy is being released through a process we call magnetic reconnection – when two magnetic fi elds pointing in opposite directions interact and release energy that contributes to atmospheric heating.
“We have used the most powerful solar optical telescope in the world to reveal the most complex magnetic-fi eld orientations ever seen at the smallest scales. This brings us closer to understanding one of the biggest conundrums in solar research.
“These exciting observations from the world’s largest solar optical telescope highlight the leadership position that both Queen’s and the UK hold in the fi eld of solar physics. It is also a testimony to the quality and dedication of our early-career researchers who study some of the most challenging problems of modern astrophysics and are taking signifi cant steps towards their solution.”
In the past, much research into the heat variations between corona and photosphere has focussed on ‘sunspots’ – very large, highly magnetic and active regions, often comparable to Earth in size – that can act as conduits for energy between the Sun’s outer layers.
Turning their attentions to investigating magnetic fi elds on a much
smaller scale., Queen’s found that away from away from sunspots, the so-called ‘quiet sun’ is covered in convective cells known as ‘granules’, typically about the size of France, that harbour much weaker, but more dynamic magnetic fi elds that may hold the secrets to balancing the energy budget of the chromosphere.
While most observational reports of the past decade have found that magnetic fi elds are organised in terms of small loops in the quiet photosphere, the Queen’s researchers, who locate nearly 50 of these structures in a single observation, found the fi rst evidence of a more complicated pattern consistent with a snake-like variation in the magnetic orientation.
Lead Author and Research Fellow at Queen’s, Dr Ryan Campbell said: “To measure these weak magnetic fi elds, we need very sensitive instruments. We can’t directly measure the magnetic fi elds, so instead we measure the imprint they leave on the light emitted in their presence. The magnetic fi elds polarise the light, generating signals that are less than half a percent of the size of our intensity measurements. We also require very high-resolution observations, which is where DKIST comes in. The result is therefore also a remarkable feat of engineering.”
He continued: “The key question to answer now is how common serpentine magnetic-fi eld confi gurations are in the quiet Sun, and how far they can permeate into higher layers, so we can assess their contribution to chromospheric heating. To do this, we need more observations.”
The research published in Astrophysical Journal Letters was supported by funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council, part of UKRI, Horizon 2020 and the National Science Foundation, USA. DKIST is located on land of spiritual and cultural signifi cance to Native Hawaiian people. The use of this important site to further scientifi c knowledge is done so with appreciation and respect.
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Scottish Microscopy Society Celebrate Presentation of Award for Inspirational Work
Congratulations go to RMS Early Career Section Chair, Dr Liam Rooney, who has been announced as the ‘Scottish Microscopist of the Year.
The award, bestowed for the very fi rst time by the Scottish Microscopy Society, celebrates inspirational and outstanding contributions to the Scottish Microscopy community. Based at the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences (University of Strathclyde), Liam conducts research covering both microscopy and microbiology, using innovative optical imaging methods to study various microbial phenomena: how bacteria interact, form communities, contribute to disease and how to treat infections more effectively.
In addition to his own research, Liam has been actively engaged in RMS activities for several years. He joined the Society as a PhD student in 2016, going on to become a member of the Life Sciences Section Committee in 2018 and then Chair of the Early Career Committee in 2020. He is also involved with the Microbiology Society.
Liam said: “Winning this award came as a great surprise and an honour. I’m so grateful for the support I’ve had from mentors, colleagues, and learned societies. I’m really lucky to have such a supportive research environment and mentors who encourage me to explore my curiosities. Professor Gail McConnell and Professor Paul Hoskisson (University of Strathclyde) have been fantastic champions and mentors, and I’m really thankful for their support.
He added: “The RMS has also been overwhelmingly supportive of my journey and afforded me the freedom to work with great teams across the society. I’ve had the luxury of spanning two dynamic fi elds - microscopy and microbiology. Having involvement with both the RMS and the Microbiology Society has been a great way to straddle the boundary and connect communities.”
As part of the award, Liam received a £500 cash prize and he also gave a talk at the Scottish Microscopy Society’s 49th annual symposium which was hosted in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Dundee.
The Jeol-sponsored keynote lecture at the symposium, held on 7 November, was presented by Dr Laura Young from the University of Newcastle. Dr Young’s research combines optical instrumentation and psychophysical research, developing adaptive optics systems to study human vision – from imaging the light sensitive cells in the retina in vivo to studying the impact of refractive disorders on visual performance.
There were also invited talks from Dr Ramasubramanian
Sundaramoorthy about CryoEM at Dundee, Dr Callum Graham about using microscopy for conservation, Prof Carlos Penedo about C-TRAP optical trapping at University of St Andrews and Dr Simon Plummer about using micromatricies for your research.
More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/k8M5E Liam Rooney (Credit: RMS)
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MSI2024 Annual Symposium
The 2024 Annual Symposium for the Microscopy Society of Ireland (MSI2024) will be hosted in the Bernal Institute, University of Limerick from the 17th to the 19th of January.
The symposium will bring together researchers from around the world for discussions on various microscopy themes such as advances in electron, biological and probe microscopy, image analysis, instrumentation development and infrastructure access.
The event will feature Professor Quentin Ramasse as the keynote speaker, with other confi rmed speakers including Dr Nic Mullin, Dr Lewys Jones and Dr Kerry Thompson. More speakers will be confi rmed in the coming days.
One of the highlights of the symposium will be the gala dinner - the world famous medieval themed banquet held in Bunratty Castle (transport provided), providing a night of Irish medieval traditional singing, food and entertainment. Tickets are limited for the gala dinner so registration is encouraged ASAP! For information about presentation opportunities contact the RMS.
Contact the RMS for any updates on presentation opportunities. More information online:
ilmt.co/PL/0Q3W
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