Professor Sarbani Basu, Yale University
Hosted by Professor William Chaplin, School of Physics and Astronomy
July 2017
Professor Basu has long been acknowledged as one of the world’s leading experts on the study of Sun using solar oscillation and the study of the structure and evolution of other stars at different phases of their evolution. She is the chair of the Department of Astronomy at Yale University. Professor Basu is a member of the editorial board of Solar Physics, the leading international journal for refereed solar physics papers. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA), the organization that manages and operates the Hubble Space Telescope as well as telescopes of the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the National Solar Observatory, and Gemini Observatories, among others.
The Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON) has observed solar oscillations for over 35 years. Professor Basu has had a long-standing collaboration with Professor Chaplin’s group in interpreting BiSON data in terms for solar structure and changes thereof. During Professor Basu’s residency the group will look at reprocessed BiSON data to improve results about how the Sun changes over time.
A new generation of space telescopes, led by the NASA Kepler Mission, has revolutionized the study of stars by observation of their natural oscillations – the field of asteroseismology – and Professor Basu has been in the vanguard of this work. During her residency Professor Chaplin’s group will develop and pursue novel analysis techniques that will utilize Kepler data to study other stars that are similar to the Sun and thus allow us to study how robust solar properties are.
Professors Basu and Chaplin are both on the Board of the TESS Asteroseismic Science Consortium, which will oversee and coordinate the international asteroseismology community’s work on upcoming NASA TESS Mission. This mission is due for launch in 2018, and important planning work for TESS will be undertaken during the residency.
Professor Basu’s webpage at Yale.
If you would like full details of the plans for the fellowship or would like to meet with Sarbani during her visit as an Institute of Advanced Studies Distinguished Visiting Fellow, please email Sue Gilligan.