Specialization: Solar and Space Physics

The space physics group is actively engaged in a diverse range of research topics in modern astronomy, focusing on the Sun, other stars and their associated planets, the Milky Way, other galaxies, and the broader universe. Below is a more detailed list of the research topics and descriptions of the work being conducted by the group.

• Frontier activities in multi-wavelength observations and modeling of the transient events like spicules and various kinds of jets; study of the dynamics of large-scale active regions to understand the role of instabilities, flux-rope evolution, and different plasma processes in flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs); observations and modelling of various kinds of magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) waves in a variety of small- and large-scale magnetic structures to diagnose local plasma conditions and study the MHD mode coupling in the solar atmosphere; study of stellar flares, CMEs, and MHD seismology analogous to the Sun; the symbiosis of waves and reconnection (SWAR) in the solar atmosphere to understand its heating and plasma dynamics.
• MHD and its application for the Sun and other stars; origin of the magnetic field in the Sun and other astrophysical objects and dynamo theory; astrophysical fluids, turbulence, and convection; sunspot and solar cycle; chaotic behaviors of astrophysical objects.
• Internal structure and evolution and stars; asteroseismology and its applications; stellar properties such as mass, radius, age, and helium abundance; Galactic chemical evolution and Galactic archaeology; exoplanet transit modeling and exoplanetary science; Machine learning.
• Physical properties, structure, and dynamics of the interstellar medium (ISM) and star formation therein; radio interferometric techniques and their application to the epoch of reionization (EoR) studies; gravitational lensing to study ISM of first galaxies; novel techniques for estimating the sky brightness statistics from radio interferometric data; observations of large-scale turbulence in galaxies.
• Cosmic microwave background (CMB): component separation, power spectrum estimation methods, tests of isotropy; modified theories of gravity; cosmological principle.

The group members actively participate in various national and international projects, including Aditya-L1, Kepler, TESS, PLATO, GMRT, VLA, SKA, and CMB-Bharat.