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 | .

jump to top

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

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

Development of PUNCH Flow Tracking data product:

Completed testing and delivery of flow-tracking code to the PUNCH Science Operations Center, which allows PUNCH to provide an augmented data product that gives the optical flow velocity of features in PUNCH data.
During commissioning and early science operations, the performance of the flow-tracking code and the resulting data products will be evaluated and validated.

Community tools and support:

The code to produce the flow maps has been published and access tools and supplemental analysis code will be made available in the PUNCH Bowl.
PUNCH Documentation is being updated with information on using the associated data products and analysis code.
The Helionauts.org community forum hosts questions and detailed discussions of PUNCH data products. Support for cross-team communication is being facilitated through private groups.
Interactive Data Language (IDL) code alternatives to the PUNCH Python code tools are being developed. Helionauts.org is hosting a “support group” for developers and users of IDL code for PUNCH data.

Accuracy evaluation of PUNCH Flow Tracking:

Two models are being used to evaluate the accuracy of the PUNCH Flow tracking code. The first is the Synthetic Coronal Outflow Model (SynCOM) led by Dr. Valmir Moraes Filho (see reference for full information). SynCOM is an empirical model that creates synthetic images based on the observed properties of real data. The second is an MHD model developed by Dr. Erika Palmerio of Predictive Science Inc.
A “Flow Tracking Challenge” was launched, based on the SynCOM data to evaluate and compare the performance of different flow tracking methods. All members of the scientific community are encouraged to access the challenge data to assess the accuracy of their methods.

Scientific Research:

The Flow Tracking Paper for Solar Physics PUNCH Topical Issue is being produced by Dr. Raphael Attié et al.
Special sessions at scientific meetings will facilitate discussions and sharing of results across the scientific community.

Scientist	Role
Barbara Thompson	WG co-lead; Image analysis of polar flows
Raphael Attié	WG co-lead; 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

jump to top

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

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

Recently published a paper on a type of density structure that PUNCH will be able to resolve and image through the inner heliosphere: "Periodic mesoscale density structures comprise a significant fraction of the solar wind and are formed at the sun."
Working on forward modeling how traditional measurements of turbulence characteristics such as spectral slope, correlation length, and structure function features manifest in coronagraph and heliospheric image sequences.
See our review paper "Mesoscale Structure in the Solar Wind” (2021) for an overview of the subject.

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
Ritesh Patel	PUNCH SOC data pipeline
Arnaud Thernesien	Coronagraphic image analysis; data product integration
Yan Yang	Turbulence analysis

jump to top

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

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

Recently published a review paper on "The Sun's Alfven Surface: Recent Insights and Prospects for PUNCH."
Working with PUNCH SOC to develop a Fourier-filtering pipeline for tracking downward-propagating blobs below the Alfven surface.

Scientist	Role
Steven Cranmer	WG co-lead; Solar wind theory; Interpretation of solar wind data
Rohit Chhiber	WG co-lead; Solar wind and coronal modeling; turbulence analysis of Alfven surface
Iver Cairns	Solar wind structure; Coordination with radio observations
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

jump to top

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

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

Completed a test PUNCH-like dataset of several simulated CMEs
Go to the PUNCH ICME Challenge Focus Topic Group page
Working on the WG2A PUNCH science paper on The Dynamic Solar Wind: CME Research Enabled by PUNCH
Defining projects on 3D Tracking of CMEs and forecasting space weather effects
Working on flow tracking of CMEs
Working on using PUNCH pB/B data to determine CME volumes and masses

Scientist	Role
David Webb	WG co-lead; Study of CME structure and evolution in the solar wind
Anna Malanushenko	WG co-lead; 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
Ritesh Patel	PUNCH SOC data pipeline
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

jump to top

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

jump to top

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

Explanation of this topic

What we're working on:

Establishing connections to members of the community involved with other missions for future PUNCH collaborations.
Quantifying the relationship between the Solar Energetic Particle (SEP) peak particle flux and both the shock speed and shock speed jump for the PUNCH Solar Physics special issue.

Scientist	Role
Mihir Desai	WG co-lead; Shock structure; SEP acceleration
Heather Elliott	WG co-lead; 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

jump to top