Vigil/PMI: a new perspective at our Sun
Development of various analysis tools, processing pipelines, and data enhancement procedures for ESA's upcoming space weather mission
Vigil is an upcoming deep space mission from the European Space Agency. It will provide uninterrupted observations of the Sun from the L5 Lagrange point, offering a new perspective that allows us to preview space weather events as they emerge from the Sun and approach Earth. The Photospheric Magnetic field Imager, PMI, is developed at MPS to provide maps of the solar magnetic field with high reliability, continuous availability and low latency.
PMI will provide primary data products which will be calibrated and processed on-board. These data will serve as starting point for space weather monitoring, modelling and forecasting. Additionally, PMI will produce secondary data products for scientific applications, ranging from studies of the long-term behaviour of solar magnetism, to exploring the Sun’s invisible interior with helioseismic methods.
To fully exploit the opportunities presented by these observations, elaborate models are needed to create a physical context from the data, that potentially would answer long-standing open questions in heliospheric physics. Incorporating the baseline data products into these physical models requires the refinement of the inputs, which in turn necessitates an in-depth understanding of the instrument’s characteristics.
Following your interests, you could become involved in the development of various analysis tools, processing pipelines, and data enhancement procedures.
For example, the obtained magnetograms must be translated into unambiguous field vectors, synoptic charts, and coronal magnetic field line extrapolations. As an integral part of the mission development team, you will work collaboratively to ensure the project’s success and enhance its scientific return.
