Sun-as-a-Star Workshop:

Exploring Solar Variability with Disk-Integrated Spectra

March 13-17, 2023 / Flatiron Institute / New York City

In recent years, disk-integrated high-resolution solar spectra with broad optical wavelength coverage have become available in large quantities from ground-based spectrographs such as NEID, EXPRES, HARPS-N, PEPSI, and others. These high-fidelity Sun-as-a-star spectra give us a detailed view of how thousands of spectral lines vary on timescales from minutes to years. The primary motivation for gathering these data sets is to understand how stellar variability in Sun-like stars impacts the detection of exoplanets. Along the way, however, we stand to learn more about the Sun itself.

This workshop aims to bring together experts in heliophysics, stellar astrophysics, and exoplanetary observations to explore the scientific uses of Sun-as-a-star spectra. What can we learn about the Sun’s physical processes from convection to magnetic surface features? What synergies exist with other Solar observations? What work has already been done with these spectra and how does it fit into the broader landscape of research questions in solar and stellar physics? How, in turn, can current heliophysics research inform future work in radial velocity exoplanet searches?

This interdisciplinary gathering will focus on identifying opportunities for new cross-field collaborations and cross-pollination of ideas. To this end, the event will include unstructured time for breakout sessions, hacking, and interactive tutorials, as well as traditional presentations.

Schedule and Location

The Sun-as-a-Star Workshop will take place from March 13 to March 17, 2023 at the Flatiron Institute in New York City. Virtual participation will be possible for the majority of the event.

The full workshop schedule is available here.

A block schedule for the workshop is available here.

In-Person Logistics

Breakfast, lunch, and light snacks at morning/afternoon coffee breaks will be catered in the conference space for in-person attendees. A reception with drinks and hors d'oeuvres will take place at the end of the day on Monday. There is no conference dinner.

Wednesday afternoon will be free time for all participants. We encourage you to go and explore the city! Some ideas of possible activities:

• See a Broadway show: most have matinee showings on Wednesdays. Advance planning to book tickets is recommended.
• Check out one of the many excellent museums in NYC. The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History are must-sees. The Whitney, the Guggenheim, and MoMA are all great for modern art.
• See the city from the top deck of a ferry: the Staten Island ferry (free) goes past the Statue of Liberty, or the East River ferry ($4) offers great sights up and down the length of Manhattan.
• Close to the conference venue: Chelsea High Line and/or the Little Island are nice spots to walk around, then stop in at Chelsea Food Hall for snacks.
• Take a walk through through Central Park to do some birdwatching (and people-watching!).

Covid vaccination and regular rapid testing is strongly encouraged for all in-person participants. By making entry to our buildings all staff, vendors and guests will implicitly attest to being symptom/COVID free.

Collaboration Policy

A portion of this event will be spent in collaboration mode, with unstructured time for participants to work together on new projects. To ensure transparency and openness, we have adopted the collaboration policy developed for the Gaia Sprints. This policy requires that participants agree to the following:

All participants will be expected to openly share their ideas, expertise, code, and interim results. Project development will proceed out in the open, among participants and in the world.

Participants will be encouraged to change gears, start new collaborations, and combine projects. Any participant who contributes significantly to a project can expect co-authorship on resulting scientific papers, and any participant who gets significant contributions to a project is expected to include those contributors as co-authors.

These rules make it inadvisable to bring proprietary data sets or proprietary code, unless the participant bringing such assets has the rights to open them or add collaborators.

Code of Conduct

We are dedicated to providing an equitable and harassment-free conference experience for everyone. We expect all participants to read and abide by the Flatiron Institute Code of Conduct.

Scientific Organizing Committee

• Megan Bedell (chair) (Flatiron)
• Ruth Angus (AMNH/Flatiron)
• Matteo Cantiello (Flatiron)
• Serena Criscuoli (NSO)
• Dan Foreman-Mackey (Flatiron)
• Annelies Mortier (Birmingham)
• Meetu Verma (AIP Potsdam)
• Mariela Vieytes (IAFE Buenos Aires)
• Lily Zhao (Flatiron)

Participant List