IAU S286: Comparative Magnetic Minima: Characterizing Quiet Times in the Sun and Stars
Start date: 04 Oct 2011
Address: Mendoza, Argentina
Solar and stellar minima represent times of low magnetic activity and simple helio/asterospheres. They are thus excellent targets for interdisciplinary, systemwide studies of the origins of stellar variability and consequent impacts on planetary systems. The recent solar minimum extended longer and was "quieter" than any we have observed in the Space Age, inspiring both scientific and public interest. A rich variety of satellite and ground-based observations, in conjunction with theoretical and numerical modeling advances, have allowed us to probe the peculiarities of this minimum as never before. The implications are far-reaching, connecting Earth to Sun to stars, radio to X-ray to cosmic rays, and the plethora of observations of recent minima to the Sun's past behavior as preserved in cosmogenic isotopes and historical sunspot and auroral records.
IAU Symposium 286 will enable a comparison of recent results from a wide variety of scientific disciplines. Subjects covered will include: Solar and stellar magnetic minima: definitions and indicators Differences between minima: from Stars to Sun to Earth Sources of cycle variability: dynamos and flux transport processes Grand minima: origins and implications