Michael Sigwarth
The 20th NSO/Sac Peak Summer Workshop, scheduled for the second week of September 2000, will focus on recent progress made in the investigation of solar magnetic fields and on future projects within the framework of solar polarimetry and modeling of solar magnetic fields.
The development of new polarimetric instruments in the last decade has provided a steady stream of high-quality polarimetric data, leading to new insights in solar magnetism. Spectropolarimetric measurements in the visible and IR with unprecedented precision and resolution permit the investigation of small-scale and weak magnetic fields, as well as a detailed study of active region developments. Adaptive optics systems are about to usher in a new era of ground-based, high-resolution solar observation. Measurements of scattering polarization and the Hanle effect have opened a new field of research. Space-based observations greatly enhanced the possibility of long-term studies, as well as joint observations with ground-based instruments. Direct measurements of magnetic fields in the chromosphere and the corona are challenging us to explore and understand the outer solar atmosphere. At the same time, advanced modeling and numerical simulations of active region development and the formation and behavior of small scale flux tubes have opened new perspectives. Radiative transfer calculations, based on such models, and sophisticated inversion techniques applied to observational data have become an indispensable interface between theory and observation.
Despite this progress, further qualitative steps are necessary to address basic questions in solar polarimetry:
The solar magnetic field and polarization community are invited to Sunspot, New Mexico to review the latest achievements, to present breaking news, and to discuss the next steps in Advanced Solar Polarimetry.
The meeting will comprise invited reviews, selected oral contributions, and poster papers. During the workshop, recent progress made in theoretical modeling, observations, and instrumentation will be reviewed. There will be discussions on new approaches in theory and observations, such as upgrades of existing instrumentation that may include use of adaptive optics; new UV, IR, and 2D polarimeters (ground- and space-based); and advanced instrumentation for synoptic observations. The workshop will also provide for discussions on the polarimetric techniques being used in different instruments and the sensitivity that these techniques have provided so far. This will be important in the context of future large solar telescopes and their polarimetric capabilities in the visible and IR.
The meeting will be held in the Sunspot Astronomy and Visitor Center and the Sunspot Community Center at the National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak. There are plans to publish the presentations made at this meeting.
Registration: Please submit your abstract and registration information as soon as possible and no later than 30 June 2000. The second announcement will be issued soon and will include detailed information on lodging and transportation. The total number of participants will be limited to the capacity of the meeting facilities (approximately 80). The registration fee is $80. Partial support to help defray travel and housing costs will be available to those with demonstrated need.
The scientific organizing committee includes M. Sigwarth (Chair), S. Keil, H. Lin, D. Rabin, E. Landi (Florence), B. Lites (HAO), S. Solanki (Max-Planck-Institut fur Aeronomie), O. Steiner (Kiepenheuer), and V. Martinez Pillet (IAC, Tenerife).
Prospective participants are invited to direct suggestions concerning this workshop, within the framework outlined above, to:
ws2k@sunspot.noao.edu or to M. Sigwarth
National Solar Observatory, Sunspot, NM
88349-0062 USA; Ph. (505) 434-7018;
FAX (505) 434-7029;
email: msigwarth@noao.edu.
Additional information about the workshop is also available at: http://www.sunspot.noao.edu/INFO/MISC/WORKSHOPS/2000/ws2k.html .