Science Working Groups

Subset of PUNCH team members toasting a successful first meetup.

Various team members toasting to PUNCH at the first science meeting June 3-5, 2020

PUNCH Science Working Groups are composed of PUNCH team members who are tasked with closing the proposed science objectives for the PUNCH mission. See sections below for Working Groups member roles and explanation of Working Group topics. Working Group activities are open to the full scientific community including Topical Focus Groups, sessions at PUNCH science meetings, and sessions at community conferences. Go to our Get Involved with PUNCH Science page to learn more!

Click on a working group title below to view group members, or | .

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WG1A: How does the young solar wind flow and evolve on global scales?

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

  • Conversion of PUNCH Flow Tracking code to Python
    • Adaptation of early prototype code and update to pipeline
  • Continuation of Flow Tracking community effort
    • Refining the flow tracking test data sets to include more realistic structure
    • Setting up a coordination website for the PUNCH Flow Tracking community effort
    • Continued support of the Helionauts Flow Tracking discussion group
  • Planning for ISSI meeting on Flow Tracking (May 2024)
  • Planning for eclipse experiments that will promote PUNCH science

Scientist

Role

Barbara Thompson

WG co-leader; Image analysis of polar flows

Raphael Attié

WG co-leader; Ball-tracking and motion extraction

Douglas Biesecker

Monitor solar wind diagnostics; DSCOVR liaison

Mario Bisi

Tomography; solar wind structure analysis

Rohit Chhiber

Heliospheric modeling; in-situ analysis

Steven Cranmer

Solar wind theory; Interpretation of solar wind data

Craig DeForest

3D wind speed interpretation

Heather Elliott

Wind origin & structure; in-situ liaison

Bea Gallardo-Lacourt

Optical flow and motion extraction

Sarah Gibson

Working group coordination

Donald Hassler

Wind origins; SoLO joint science

Bernard Jackson

Tomography; Solar wind structure analysis

Huw Morgan

Tomography; solar wind structure analysis

Dusan Odstrcil

Heliospheric modeling (ENLIL)

Nour-Eddine Raouafi

Corona-wind relation; image analysis; PSP liason

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WG1B: Where and how do microstructures and turbulence form in the solar wind?

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

Scientist

Role

Nicholeen Viall

WG leader; Turbulence and microstructure analysis

Dipankar Banerjee

Breakup of solar plumes; Aditya liaison

Mario Bisi

Coordination with ground-based radio observing techniques (IPS and FR)

Rohit Chhiber

Turbulence transport modeling; turbulence simulation; in-situ analysis

Steven Cranmer

Solar wind theory; Interpretation of solar wind turbulence data

Craig DeForest

Microstructure and turbulence analysis

Curt de Koning

3D location and polarization analysis

Heather Elliott

Wind origin & structure; in-situ liaison

Sarah Gibson

Working Group Coordination

Richard Harrison

Analyze solar wind turbulence

William Matthaeus

Turbulence theory and interpretation; PSP/ISOIS liaison; in-situ comparison

Divya Oberoi

Coordinate PUNCH and radio observations

Francesco Pecora

Turbulence analysis

Arnaud Thernesien

Coronagraphic image analysis; data product integration

Yan Yang

Turbulence analysis

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WG1C: What are the evolving physical processes of the Alfven surface?

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

Scientist

Role

Steven Cranmer

WG leader; Solar wind theory; Interpretation of solar wind data

Iver Cairns

Solar wind structure; Coordination with radio observations

Rohit Chhiber

Solar wind and coronal modeling; turbulence analysis of Alfven surface

Robin Colaninno

Coronal structure

Craig DeForest

Alfven surface measurement and interpretation

Sarah Gibson

Working Group coordination

Chris Gilly

Image processing and flow forward modeling

David McComas

Solar wind structure; Analysis of Alfven surface location and effects; PSP coordination

Dusan Odstrcil

Modeling of solar wind structure

Nour-Eddine Raouafi

Corona-wind relation; image analysis; Analyze small-scale structures, plumes, and jets in the solar corona; PSP liason

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WG2A: How do coronal mass ejections (CMEs) propagate and evolve in the solar wind?

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

  • Recently completed a test PUNCH-like dataset of several simulated CMEs
  • Working on a review paper on 'ICME state of the art & PUNCH science'

Scientist

Role

David Webb

WG co-leader; Study of CME structure and evolution in the solar wind

Anna Malanushenko

WG co-leader; Study of CME structure and evolution in the solar wind

Douglas Biesecker

CME tracking; Space weather applications

Mario Bisi

Heliospheric image interpretation; Coordination with ground-based radio observing techniques (IPS and FR)

Volker Bothmer

Analysis of CME source regions, interplanetary evolution and space weather effects.

Joan Burkepile

Coronagraphy; CME structure; lower coronal connection science; MLSO liaison

Jackie Davies

CME tracking

Craig DeForest

CME fine-scale interior structure

Curt de Koning

3D location and polarization analysis

Heather Elliott

Wind origin & structure; in-situ liaison

Samaiyah Farid

Connect PUNCH observations to middle/lower coronal observations

Sarah Gibson

CME modeling; Working group coordination

Russell Howard

CME image interpretation

Divya Oberoi

Coordinate PUNCH and radio observations

Dusan Odstrcil

CME modeling

Vic Pizzo

Space weather applications

Elena Provornikova

Forward modeling of space weather events

Alexis Rouillard

CME-heliosphere interactions; solar wind transients and tracking; comparison with in-situ measurements; synergies with SO/PSP

Arnaud Thernesien

Coronagraphic image analysis; data product integration

Barbara Thompson

CME structure; Image analysis

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WG2B: How do quasi-stationary corotating interaction regions (CIRs) form and evolve?

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

  • Writing paper for PUNCH pre-launch special issue; current working title: 'What We Think We Know About CIRs/SIRs'

Scientist

Role

Curt de Koning

WG leader; 3D location and polarization analysis

Douglas Biesecker

CIR tracking; Space weather applications science

Mario Bisi

Heliospheric image interpretation; Tomography; solar wind structure analysis

Volker Bothmer

Analysis of CIR source regions, interplanetary evolution and space weather effects.

Craig DeForest

CIR small-scale morphology and 3D structure

Sarah Gibson

Working group coordination

Russell Howard

CIR image interpretation

Bernard Jackson

Tomography; Solar wind structure interpretation

Huw Morgan

Tomography; solar wind structure analysis

Divya Oberoi

Coordinate PUNCH and radio observations

Dusan Odstrcil

Heliospheric modeling (ENLIL)

Vic Pizzo

CIR analysis; Space weather applications

Elena Provornikova

Forward modeling of space weather events

David Webb

Dynamic solar wind analysis

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WG2C: How do shocks form and interact with the solar wind across spatial scales?

Explanation of this topic

Scientist

Role

Mihir Desai

WG co-leader; Shock structure; SEP acceleration

Heather Elliott

WG co-leader; Wind origin & structure; in-situ liaison

Volker Bothmer

Analysis of CMEs and CIRs and their interplanetary evolution including their associated shock waves; Correlation of PUNCH remote sensing and in-situ observations.

Iver Cairns

Shock physics and CME; solar wind structure and turbulence; Coordination with radio observations

Jackie Davies

CME-shock interaction analysis

Craig DeForest

Shock cross-scale structure (“crinkles” and “jumps”)

Sarah Gibson

Working Group coordination

Glenn Laurent

Quantitative image analysis

William Matthaeus

Turbulence theory and interpretation; PSP/ISOIS liaison; in-situ comparison

Huw Morgan

Analysis of small-scale dynamics

Divya Oberoi

Coordinate PUNCH and radio observations

Dusan Odstrcil

Heliospheric modeling (ENLIL)

Vic Pizzo

Shock analysis; Space weather applications

Alexis Rouillard

Analysis of solar wind variability and shocks in coronal and heliospheric imagery

Barbara Thompson

Shock structure; image analysis

Nicholeen Viall

Analyze and interpret PUNCH data on solar wind variability

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