Skip to main content
An official website of the European UnionAn official EU website
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English English
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Direct Statistical Simulation of the Sun and Stars

Objective

This proposal (D5S) addresses a key problem of astrophysics – the origin of magnetic activity in the sun and solar-type
stars. This is a problem not only of outstanding theoretical importance but also significant practical impact – solar activity has
major terrestrial consequences. An increase in activity can lead to an increase in the number and violence of solar flares and
coronal mass ejections, with profound consequences for our terrestrial environment, causing disruption to satellites and
power. Predictions of magnetic activity are highly desired by government and industry groups alike. A deep understanding of
the mechanisms leading to solar magnetic activity is required. The variable magnetic field is generated by a dynamo in the
solar interior. Though this mechanism is known to involve the interaction of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence with
rotation, no realistic model for dynamo action currently exists. D5S utilises two recent significant breakthroughs to construct
new models for magnetic field generation in the sun and other solar-type stars. The first of these involves an entirely new
approach termed Direct Statistical Simulation (DSS) (developed by the PI), where the statistics of the astrophysical flows are
solved directly (enabling the construction of more realistic models). This approach is coupled to a breakthrough (recently
published by the PI in Nature) in our understanding of the physics of MHD turbulence at the extreme parameters relevant to
solar interiors. D5S also uses the methodology of DSS to provide statistical subgrid models for Direct Numerical Simulation
(DNS). This will increase the utility, fidelity and predictability of such models for solar magnetic activity. Either of these new
approaches, taken in isolation, would lead to significant progress in our understanding of magnetic field generation in stars.
Taken together, as in this proposal, they will provide a paradigm shift in our theories for solar magnetic activity.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.

You need to log in or register to use this function

Host institution

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS
Net EU contribution
€ 2 499 899,00
Address
WOODHOUSE LANE
LS2 9JT Leeds
United Kingdom

See on map

Region
Yorkshire and the Humber West Yorkshire Leeds
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
€ 2 499 899,00

Beneficiaries (1)

My booklet 0 0 Item