Stellar and Solar Physics

Our team aims at providing answers to some key questions of solar and stellar physics, such as the heating process of the corona or the structure of solar and stellar interiors. The magnetic field playing a fundamental role in structuring the atmospheres of solar-type stars, it becomes possible to understand the coupling between the internal generation of magnetic field and its external signatures. The two major research topics are thus the dynamic and internal structure of the Sun and stars, and diagnostic and heating of the outer layers.

Dernières news

Another milestone for PLATO

2 years 9 months ago

The PLATO project has reached a new decisive stage in the development of the calibration structure for the cameras intended for flight at IAS. The first EM (Engineering Model) camera to be calibrated by the three Test Houses of the PLATO consortium has just arrived at the IAS. This measurement campaign will allow the three production sites to be validated with the same functional camera, which is a prerequisite for being authorised to host all the flight cameras.

Successful validation tests for the PLATO cameras calibration

3 years 2 weeks ago

The PLATO project has reached a new stage in the development at IAS of the calibration structure for the flight cameras. The validation tests of the installations started at the beginning of March, on cryogenic vacuum infrastructures deployed in the Saturn thermal chamber, at the IAS calibration station. All the tests have just been successfully completed.

Zooming into the Sun with Solar Orbiter

3 years 1 month ago

Solar Orbiter’s latest images shows the full Sun in unprecedented detail. They were taken on 7 March, at a distance of roughly 75 million kilometres, half way between the Earth and Sun. One of the images, taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) is the highest resolution image of the Sun’s full disc and outer atmosphere, the corona, ever taken. Another image, taken by the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument, represents the first full Sun image of its kind in 50 years, and by far the best one, taken at the Lyman-beta wavelength of ultraviolet light that is emitted by hydrogen gas.

Start of the validation tests for the PLATO camera calibration

3 years 1 month ago

The PLATO project at IAS has reached a new stage in the development of the flight camera calibration structure. Indeed, after an intense phase of studies, development, and tuning of the integration and validation activities, the validation tests of the cryogenic and vacuum elements around and inside the Saturn tank are starting this week. All the infrastructures and the control/command for this cryogenic test have been realized under the responsibility of the calibration station team.

A giant solar eruption seen by Solar Orbiter

3 years 2 months ago

On February 16, the EUI/FSI telescope on Solar Orbiter has observed an impressively large prominence eruption, and traced it up to 6 solar radii, as it was as large as the Sun itself. This type of event can have consequences on technological applications (loss of satellites, degradation of the GPS signal, etc.)

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