Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

We propose to continue studying the connection between normal modes of the Sun (specific geometric configurations that oscillate at specific frequencies), propagation in space plasmas, and the effects of these modes on Earth. Our 1995 discovery of these modes has snowballed from a curiosity in scientific data, to dropped calls on cellular phone systems, and most recently, to their detection in atmospheric pressure and seismic data. This is gradually changing people's views of how propagation in space plasmas works and, with it, views of solar-terrestrial coupling. I anticipate that this will lead to eventual improvements in space weather forecasts with applications ranging from geological prospecting to air traffic control. A major task of the next few years will be to continue the basic scientific research, including refinements in our statistical characterization of the modes, their propagation properties, and more intensive study of the mechanisms that couple them into various terrestrial systems. For example, we know that these modes are responsible for a large fraction of the dropped calls in cellular phone systems, but do not know the atmospheric or ionospheric physics responsible. Simultaneously, I plan to continue refining the statistical and analytic tools that make such transformative research possible. The scientific and engineering discoveries have only been possible because of better data analysis methods, in particular the multitaper method of estimating spectra and coherences. The work of the last five years has resulted in favourable publicity for Canadian science from Science Magazine to the European Space Agency's website. Training another 40 or more students in these methods should help spread these methods into Canadian industry.