Harnessing a New Generation of Solar Facilities and Machine Learning to Unveil the Quiet Sun's Hidden Magnetism

ended

This proposal will advance our understanding of solar magnetism to unravel the mystery of how the outer solar atmosphere is heated by leveraging a new generation of European observational facilities. The objectives are threefold: (1) Investigate the contribution of small-scale magnetic fields in the quiet Sun (QS) to chromospheric heating by tracking magnetic features across multiple atmospheric layers using high-resolution data from the SUNRISE III balloon-borne observatory. This facility offers unique advantages, such as providing high resolution observations in 14 spectral lines with three instruments while avoiding atmospheric distortions. (2) Reveal hidden magnetism in the QS using the Hanle effect, with observations from SUNRISE III's unprecedented suite of instruments, allowing simultaneous Zeeman and Hanle diagnostics for the first time ever. This will help determine the relationship between the magnetism below the Zeeman detection limit and the granulation pattern observed in the photosphere. I will apply novel machine learning techniques to maximize the physical insight achieved in objectives 1 and 2 from these observations. (3) Disentangle global and local dynamo contributions to QS magnetism by utilizing the first ever out-of-ecliptic observations of higher solar latitudes from the Solar Orbiter (SO) spacecraft. These observations will address key unresolved questions about the generation and evolution of small-scale magnetism and its contribution to solar activity. The proposal is underpinned by secured access to SUNRISE III data, with additional observations planned with SO and potentially the Daniel K Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), ensuring a comprehensive and risk-mitigated approach to achieving the objectives. The outcomes will provide significant new insights into the magnetic mechanisms driving solar atmospheric heating, with broader implications for stellar magnetism and space weather phenomena.