Heliophysics: Linking the Solar Interior to Solar Activity

About the NASA Postdoctoral Program

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or at a NASA-affiliated research institute. These one- to three-year fellowships are competitive and are designed to advance NASA’s missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.

Description:

The GSFC Solar Physics Laboratory is active in all phases of obtaining and analyzing solar observations. NPP opportunities embrace research on new techniques for analyzing and interpretation of data as well as empirical and theoretical modeling of the solar interior and atmosphere, including solar activity and the solar cycle.

A program of research is being carried out to understand the coupled system of the solar interior and the solar atmosphere using a combination of theory, simulation, and data analysis investigations. Theoretical studies and computer modeling of the internal structure of the Sun are used to study how internal conditions (magnetic fields, flows, and oscillations) are manifested in observations, and conversely how observations of the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona reveal internal structure and dynamics. Observations of dynamic processes in the solar atmosphere, such as cool, dense condensations that form in coronal rain and filaments, can also be used to investigate the thermodynamic energy budget of the atmosphere.

Observations obtained with instruments on the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) are a key part of this research. SDO data comprise, at cadences ranging from 10 seconds to 10 minutes, EUV spectral irradiances, full-disk spectroheliograms at 10 wavelengths, and full-disk Dopplergrams and vector magnetograms. Data are also available from other missions such as the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), Solar Orbiter, Hinode, the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), and the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES). NASA also offers access to supercomputing systems.

Location:
Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland

Field of Science:Heliophysics Science

Advisors:
 

James E. Leake
james.e.leake@nasa.gov
301-286-7638

Applications with citizens from Designated Countries will not be accepted at this time, unless they are Legal Permanent Residents of the United States. A complete list of Designated Countries can be found at: https://www.nasa.gov/oiir/export-control.

Eligibility is currently open to:

• U.S. Citizens;
• U.S. Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR);
• Foreign Nationals eligible for an Exchange Visitor J-1 visa status; and,
• Applicants for LPR, asylees, or refugees in the U.S. at the time of application with 1) a valid EAD card and 2) I-485 or I-589 forms in pending status

Questions about this opportunity? Please email npp@orau.org