SOHO-23: Understanding a Peculiar Solar Minimum
GENERAL INFORMATION
The SOHO Science Working Team has scheduled the twenty third in the series of successful SOHO workshops to focus on the topic of the unusual minimum of solar activity that has persisted in 2007, 2008, and 2009. This meeting aims to bring together a wide variety of international solar and heliospheric researchers to arrive at a better understanding of why the current solar minimum appears to differ so significantly from other solar minima seen during the space age.
SCIENTIFIC STRUCTURE
The SOHO-23 meeting will cover all aspects of solar and heliospheric science that deal with solar cycle variability and the evolution of solar activity on time scales from seconds to decades. The "new millennium solar minimum" of 2007-2009 has contained some distinct surprises, including a delayed onset of Solar Cycle 24, the absence of a classical quiescent equatorial streamer belt, and anomalously low heliospheric magnetic fields, densities, and temperatures. Some key questions to be addressed by the SOHO-23 meeting include:
- How (and eventually why) is the current solar minimum different from prior ones?
- Were conditions at the maximum of Solar Cycle 23 (e.g., CME rates, active region fluxes) precursors of the unusual minimum conditions? What do the unique characteristics of this minimum suggest about Solar Cycle 24?
- Does having a broader "parameter space" of minima help answer our fundamental questions about solar irradiance, coronal heating, solar wind acceleration, the role of CMEs, energetic particle transport, and so on?
- How does SOHO's unique 13+ year data set contribute to bettering our understanding?
The scientific sessions for SOHO-23 will cover topics that include the solar dynamo, magnetic flux emergence and the "magnetic carpet," coronal and heliospheric magnetic fields, irradiance, coronal heating and solar wind acceleration, in-situ heliospheric plasma properties linked to the Sun, and the testing of solar cycle predictions. Presentations covering investigations with the relevant SOHO instruments, observations from other ground-based and space-based instruments, and theoretical studies of related phenomena, are welcome.
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) is a mission of international cooperation between ESA and NASA to study the Sun, from its deep core to the outer corona, the solar wind, and the interaction with the interstellar medium. SOHO was launched on 2 December 1995, and more than a dozen years later it still is returning unique and valuable measurements. SOHO's observational capabilities have been greatly extended by frequent collaborations with other space missions (TRACE, Hinode, STEREO, Ulysses, and others) and with ground-based observatories around the world.
PRELIMINARY SCIENTIFIC PROGRAM
The following is a brief outline of the scientific sessions and invited talks. (The titles of the talks are not finalized.) For more information, see the other sections of the SOHO-23 web site for up-to-date detailed versions of both the scientific program and the day-by-day program schedule of all activities.
Tue., AM Introduction and Keynote Talk
"What's so peculiar about the cycle 23/24 minimum?" (Neil Sheeley)Tue., AM 1. Role of the Solar Interior in Determining Solar Minimum Characteristics
"Helioseismology over the solar cycle" (Mike Thompson)
"Dynamo model review: What the current minimum implies for dynamo properties" (Mark Miesch)Tue., PM 2. Manifestations of the Unusual Solar Minimum in the Photosphere and Chromosphere
"Review of recent solar irradiance variations" (Thomas Woods)
"The Role of the magnetic carpet: Contrasting the prior minimum and the present minimum" (Clare Parnell)
"Did recent large-scale evolution of the magnetic field presage the unusual current minimum?" (Elena Benevolenskaya)Wed., AM 3. The Time-Variable Corona and the Current Solar Minimum
"Coronal loops and active regions over the solar cycle" (Ed DeLuca)
"Large-scale properties of coronal heating over the solar cycle" (Giovanni Peres)
"Evolution of the global coronal morphology" (Joan Burkepile)
"Flare and CME properties and rates from the last minimum to the present minimum" (Hugh Hudson)
"Statistical properties of flares/sunspots over the solar cycle" (Manuela Temmer)
"How do the physical processes in CMEs depend on the solar cycle?" (Terry Forbes)Thu., AM 4. How does the Solar Wind transmit the Unique Properties of Solar Minimum out to the Heliosphere?
"Review of unusual in-situ conditions during the present solar minimum" (Ed Smith)
"Extended coronal heating and solar wind acceleration over the solar cycle" (Steven Cranmer)
"How have the properties of solar energetic particles varied over the past solar cycle?" (Steve Kahler)
"How are the present solar-minimum conditions transmitted to the outer heliosphere and heliosheath?" (John Richardson)
"The solar wind/interstellar medium interaction as seen by SWAN during the present solar minimum" (Rosine Lallement and Eric Quemerais)Thu., PM 5. Solar Cycle History and Prediction
"Bringing millennial proxies of solar activity up to the present" (Jose Abreu)
"Updating the historical sunspot record" (Leif Svalgaard)
"Does the current minimum help validate (or invalidate) cycle prediction methods?" (David Hathaway)Fri., AM 6. Panel Discussion
"Key Questions for Understanding this Unusual Solar Minimum"
(Panel chairperson and membership TBA)
IMPORTANT DATES
6 July 2009 Deadline for early registration 31 July 2009 Deadline for regular registration 31 July 2009 Deadline for abstract submission 21-25 September 2009 Dates of the SOHO-23 meeting
SCIENTIFIC ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Paul Charbonneau (University of Montreal), Steven Cranmer (Co-Chair, Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), Bernhard Fleck (ESA, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Lyndsay Fletcher (University of Glasgow), Robert Forsyth (Imperial College London), Claus Fröhlich (Physikalisch-Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos), Joe Gurman (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Todd Hoeksema (Co-Chair, Stanford University), John Kohl (Chair, Harvard-Smithsonian CfA), Janet Luhmann (Space Sciences Laboratory, Berkeley), Giancarlo Noci (University of Florence, Arcetri Observatory), Merav Opher (George Mason University), W. Dean Pesnell (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Eric Priest (University of St. Andrews), Nathan Schwadron (Boston University), Aad van Ballegooijen (Harvard-Smithsonian CfA)
LOCAL ORGANIZING COMMITTEE
Brenda Bernard, Larry Gardner, Joyce Janjigian, John Kohl (Chair), Mari Paz Miralles, Alexander Panasyuk, John Raymond, Leonard Strachan, Raid Suleiman, Michael Uzzo
The local contact person is:
John L. Kohl
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
60 Garden Street, Mail Stop 50
Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Email: jkohl @ cfa.harvard.edu (remove spaces to use)
Fax: 1-617-495-7455
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION
All participants are encouraged to submit abstracts for contributed talks and posters on the general topics of the meeting. Abstract submission is now open. Please use this link to submit your abstract online.
The SOC, in combination with individual session committees, will schedule the contributed talks from the submitted abstracts. The SOC will notify each participant by 15 August 2009 to inform him/her about whether the abstract is accepted for a contributed talk or a poster. The abstracts will be included in the Program/Abstract Book. More information about the oral and poster sessions is given below.
REGISTRATION
The registration for the SOHO-23 meeting is now open. Please use this link to register online, for both conference participants and guests, as well as to purchase tickets to the Conference Banquet. Late September is a popular time to visit Down East Maine because it is the beginning of the fall foliage season. Please register for the meeting and make your hotel reservations as soon as possible.
The meeting registration includes the following: conference program/abstract book, other program materials, USB drive with conference program and abstract book, ESA reception, refreshments at the six breaks, lunches on Tuesday and Thursday, poster session materials, a copy of the conference proceedings book, and shuttle bus service to and from the listed hotels. Receipts will be provided along with meeting materials at the on-site registration desk. There is no obligation to provide any refunds.
The early registration fee is US$ 325, with a deadline of 21 June 2009.
The regular registration fee is US$ 375, with a deadline of 21 July 2009.
The fee for the Conference Banquet, which will be held on Thursday, 24 September 2009, is US$ 65.
There will be an on-site registration desk at the Asticou Inn that will be open from 2:00 PM to 5:30 PM on Monday, 21 September, and from 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Participants will pick up their meeting materials at the registration desk and also be able to choose their menu choice for the SOHO-23 Banquet (which includes choice of appetizer, main course and dessert).
ORAL AND POSTER SESSIONS
Oral presentations are expected to be files composed on either Windows machines (Vista, XP, or Windows2000) in Microsoft Power Point or Adobe Acrobat, or on Macintosh in Microsoft Power Point, Adobe Acrobat, or Apple Keynote. In order for the presentations to go smoothly, each presenter should provide his/her presentation, including all associated files, on a USB Drive at least 40 minutes prior to the start of his/her session (for speakers scheduled before the break) and 40 minutes before the end of the mid-session break (for speakers scheduled after the break). Each presentation will be transferred to and previewed on conference provided computers to insure compatibility.
A projectionist will be present to operate the equipment and advance the slides when requested to do so by the speaker. A clip-on microphone will be provided. Each presenter should inform the Session Chair of his/her presence at least 1 hour prior to the start of the session. Additional details, including instructions for session chairpersons, are given here.
Posters will be up for the entire meeting starting from 8:30 AM on Tuesday, 22 September, and they should be taken down by 12:00 noon on Friday, 25 September. There will be specific times made available for viewing the posters during the morning/afternoon breaks and at other times to be identified in the final conference agenda. Participants are expected to attend to their poster during both breaks on the day of their scientific session. Each poster should be no larger than 4 feet by 4 feet (1.21 m by 1.21 m). The conference organizers will provide pushpins for mounting the posters and notification sheets that can be used for presenters to indicate the times they will be at their posters.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
The proceedings of SOHO-23 are planned to be published. Both a hardcopy book and a full online version are anticipated. All registered participants (not including guests) will receive a copy of the proceedings book and access to the electronic version of the proceedings. More information will be provided about page limits, word processing formats, and deadlines over the next few months.
ACCOMMODATIONS
The SOHO-23 meeting will be held at the historic Asticou Inn in Northeast Harbor, Maine on Mount Desert Island. All science sessions, breaks, lunches, the ESA reception, and the Banquet will occur at the Asticou. In addition, the Asticou Inn is holding 49 rooms/suites that can be reserved on a first-come first-served basis by making arrangements directly with the Inn. Please see the Accommodations page for rates and recommended dates to make reservations.
There are three other Inns in Northeast Harbor that are holding blocks of rooms for SOHO-23, and another in Bar Harbor (see accommodations web page). A dedicated shuttle bus service will be provided between the Asticou Inn and the other Inns (see SOHO-23 shuttle bus).
NORTHEAST HARBOR
Northeast Harbor is surrounded by Acadia National Park which offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States with its rocky shore line and its coastal mountains. Bar Harbor, which is less than 30 minutes away by car, has restaurants, night spots, shopping and myriad recreational activities.
More information about local attractions in the Northeast Harbor area is given here.
TRANSPORTATION
Several options are available for traveling to Northeast Harbor. Relevant airports include Boston Logan, Manchester NH, Portland ME, Bangor ME, and Bar Harbor ME. The SOHO-23 transportation web page contains additional details about airports, buses, trains, shuttles, and taxis. Driving directions are provided here.
VISAS
Visa applicants from many countries must now apply at least 3 to 4 months in advance of their travel date. The U.S. Department of State maintains a comprehensive Web site containing information about traveling to the United States. The National Academies web site has additional information about visa-related issues and travel information for U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens.
A Letter of Invitation may be needed for those who are applying for a visa to attend SOHO-23. Please fill out the questionnaire provided in the online meeting registration form if you require a letter of invitation. If you qualify, you will receive a PDF version of the letter via email.
GUEST PROGRAM
Registered guests accompanying SOHO-23 participants are invited to attend the ESA reception on Monday, 21 September, and will have the option of attending the Conference Banquet on Thursday evening and lunches at the Asticou Inn on Tuesday and Thursday. Although there is no formal program, a list of local attractions will be provided for guests, and there will be a local attraction information desk in the Asticou Inn lobby.