Scientific Motivation
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) are large-scale eruptions of solar plasma and magnetic fields into the interplanetary space. They were first detected with space born coronagraphs in the early 1970s. Today, they are observed routinely by telescopes onboard several space missions, namely SOHO, STEREO, Parker Solar Probe, and Solar Orbiter from different vantage points. It took several decades from the first solar CME observations until the first models of CMEs were developed. While the observations of stellar CMEs remain challenging, their modelling greatly benefitted from the existing solar CME models which can be adapted for different stars.
The solar source regions of CMEs are related to bipolar photospheric magnetic fields, magnetic reconnection and associated flares and prominence eruptions. Stellar flares and their corresponding CMEs can be up to four orders of magnitude stronger than solar events.
The solar CMEs are one of the most important phenomena affecting the Heliosphere and its planetary environment. They are the major drivers of Space Weather. Space Weather can have adverse effects on space and ground-based technologies such as spacecraft, satellites, navigation systems, communications, pipelines, and electric power grids. In the case of stellar CMEs, they can alter the atmospheres of exoplanets which is disadvantageous for hosting life. Stellar CMEs may also play an important role in the mass- and angular momentum loss of young Sun-like stars.
The splinter session Solar and Stellar Coronal Mass Ejection aims at bringing together observers and theoreticians investigating solar and stellar CMEs. The goal of the session is to discuss the following fundamental questions:
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What is the current status of the observational capabilities for stellar coronal mass ejections?
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How can we use our knowledge about solar CMEs for understanding stellar CMEs?
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How can we identify the source regions of stellar CMEs?
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How do we model stellar CMEs?
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How do stellar CMEs impact their environment?
The session will cover three main topics: solar observations and simulations; stellar CME observations and simulations, and stellar CME sources.
Invited Speakers
Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology
France
Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam
Germany
Institute of Physics, University of Graz
Austria
University of Colorado Boulder
USA
Program
Click on each topic to see a detailed program.
A PDF document with the program you can find here.
Session Organizers
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Iulia Chifu (Institute for Astrophysics and Geophysics, University of Goettingen, Germany)
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Angela Santos (Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of Porto, Portugal)
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Ricardo Gafeira (Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences, University of Coimbra, Portugal)
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Volker Bothmer (Institute for Astrophysics and Geophysics, University of Goettingen, Germany)
Contact
Questions about this splinter session can be directed to Iulia Chifu
If you experience problems with the website, please send an e-mail to Ricardo Gafeira