Leading experts present the current state of knowledge of the subject of magnetoconvection from the viewpoint of applied mathematics.

This research contract investigating the radiative transfer and dynamic physics of the smallest observable magnetic structures in the solar photosphere. Due to the lack of a high-resolution visible light satellite instrument for solar studies, all data were acquired using ground-based instrumentation. The primary goal of the investigation was to understand the formation and evolution of "G-band bright points" in relation to the associated magnetic elements. G-band bright points are small (on the order of 100 kin or less in diameter) bright signatures associated with magnetic flux elements in the photosphere. They are seen in the A2A-X2 4308 A molecular bandhead of the CH radical ill the solar spectrum and offer the highest spatial resolution and highest contrast "tracers" of small magnetic structure on the Sun.Berger, Thomas E.Unspecified CenterMAGNETIC FIELD CONFIGURATIONS; RADIATIVE TRANSFER; SOLAR MAGNETIC FIELD; HIGH RESOLUTION; SUN; SPATIAL RESOLUTION; SOLAR SPECTRA; SIGNATURES; SATELLITE INSTRUMENTS; RADICALS; PHOTOSPHERE

High resolution observations of quiet sun magnetic fields have been made at Sacramento Peak Observatory using the Lockheed Universal Filter. The existence of 'salt and pepper' fields described by other observers has been called into question. (Author).

Solar and stellar photospheres constitute the layers most accessible to observations, forming the interface between the interior and the outside of the stars. The solar atmosphere is a rich physics laboratory, in which the whole spectrum of radiative, dynamical, and magnetic processes that tranfer energy into space can be observed. As the fundamental processes take place on very small spatial scales, we need high· resolution observations to explore them. On the other hand the small-scale processes act together to form global properties of the sun, which have their origins in the solar interior. The rapid advances in observational techniques and theoreticallllodelling over the past decade made it very timely to bring together scientists from east and west to the first lAU Symposium on this topic. The physics of the photosphere involves complicated interactions between magnetic fields, convection, waves, and radiation. During the past decade our understanding of these gener ally small-scale structures and processes has been dramatically advanced. New instrumen tations, on ground and in space, have given us new means to study the granular convection. Diagnostic methods in Stokes polarimetry have allowed us to go beyond the limitations of spatial resolution to explore the structure and dynamics of the subarcsec magnetic struc tures. Extensive numerical simulations of the interaction between convection and magnetic fields using powerful supercomputers are providing deepened physical insight. Granulation, magnetic fields, and dynamo processes are being explored in the photospheres of other stars, guided by our improved understanding of the solar photosphere.

This timely volume provides the first comprehensive review and synthesis of current understanding of magnetic fields in the Sun and similar stars. Magnetic activity results in a wealth of phenomena - including starspots, non-radiatively heated outer atmospheres, activity cycles, deceleration of rotation rates, and even, in close binaries, stellar cannibalism - all of which are covered clearly and authoritatively. This book brings together for the first time recent results in solar studies and stellar studies. The result is an illuminating new view of stellar magnetic activity. Key topics include radiative transfer, convective simulations, dynamo theory, outer-atmospheric heating, stellar winds and angular momentum loss. Researchers are provided with a state-of-the-art review of this exciting field, and the pedagogical style and introductory material make the book an ideal and welcome introduction for graduate students.