Although located at 150 million kilometers from Earth, the Sun is in our immediate neighborhood compared with all other stars. The observation of the Sun along the decades has provided amazingly detailed views of the structure and day-to-day life of a star; the high-resolution observations achieved from Earth and space in recent years, in particular, have facilitated reaching deep theoretical insights concerning the structure and evolution of stellar atmospheres and interiors.
The Sun constitutes a physics laboratory where the complex interactions between the matter (atoms, electrons and ions, or molecules) and the magnetic field can be studied in conditions difficult to reach in devices on Earth. Of particular interest for the public are the spectacular phenomena displayed by its atmosphere, its role in generating the magnetized clouds that, after traversing the interplanetary space, can impact on Earth's magnetosphere and lead to the potentially dangerous solar storms, and the mysteries of the solar interior. Understanding of all those phenomena is gained by a combination of refined theoretical methods and direct or indirect observation using leading-edge technologies.
The solar physics group at the IAC enjoys a leadership position in different branches of solar research in the world. This is exemplified by the award of four large research grants by the European Research Council in the past years to researchers of the group, by its leading role in the European Solar Telescope project, and by its participation in other international networks and instrument projects. Globally, the group combines theoretical methods (magneto-fluid dynamics and plasma physics, radiation transfer), including 3D numerical radiation-MHD modeling, and state-of-the-art observational and diagnostic techniques, to achieve deep understanding of what constitutes and drives the structure and activity of our star.
Solar Physics (FS)
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PublicationScattering Polarization of Hydrogen Lines in Weakly Magnetized Stellar Atmospheres. I. Formulation and Application to Isothermal ModelsAlthough the spectral lines of hydrogen contain valuable information on the physical properties of a variety of astrophysical plasmas, including the upper solar...
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PublicationScattering Polarization of the Ca II IR Triplet for Probing the Quiet Solar ChromosphereThe chromosphere of the quiet Sun is a very important stellar atmospheric region whose thermal and magnetic structure we need to decipher in order to unlock new...
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PublicationSearch for surface magnetic fields in Mira stars. First detection in χ CygniContext. So far, surface magnetic fields have never been detected on Mira stars. Only recently have the spectropolarimetric capabilities of measuring it via the...
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PublicationSearch for torsional oscillations in isolated sunspotsIn this work we seek evidence for global torsional oscillations in alpha sunspots. We have used long time series of continuum intensity and magnetic field...
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PublicationSearching for technosignatures in exoplanetary systems with current and future missionsTechnosignatures refer to observational manifestations of technology that could be detected through astronomical means. Most previous searches for...
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PublicationSelf-similar Approach for Rotating Magnetohydrodynamic Solar and Astrophysical StructuresRotating magnetic structures are common in astrophysics, from vortex tubes and tornadoes in the Sun all the way to jets in different astrophysical systems. The...
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PublicationSemi-empirical Models of Spicule from Inversion of Ca II 8542 Å LineWe study a solar spicule observed off-limb using high-resolution imaging spectroscopy in the Ca II 8542 Å line obtained with the CRisp Imaging...
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TalkSeminario de Instrumentación: Desfile de modelos del Telescopio Solar Europeo (EST)La creación y uso de modelos es una parte fundamental de la ingeniería. En esta charla se presentará una visión descriptiva de alto nivel sobre los modelos...
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PublicationShear Photospheric Forcing and the Origin of Turbulence in Coronal LoopsWe present a series of numerical simulations aimed at understanding the nature and origin of turbulence in coronal loops in the framework of the Parker model...