- My name is Sascha Ornig, and I’m from Austria (no, not kangaroos). I started working at RoCS September 1st, perfectly in time to experience the transition from 20 + degree weather to the freezing cold they call “autumn” here.
- What brought you to RoCS?
- Honestly, it was 50% preference / 50% coincidence. I wanted to stay in Europe for my PhD, preferably Scandinavia or the Benelux countries.
The position at RoCS was the first I applied for, and I got it!
Before coming to RoCS, I did both my bachelor’s and master’s in Physics, with a specialization in astrophysics, in my hometown of Graz.
- What do you expect from your time at RoCS?
- I want to advance my own understanding of the workings of the energetic Sun, as well as to contribute to the great environment here at RoCS. Also, learning some tips and tricks on how to not freeze or slip during the Norwegian winter sounds like some great intel to me.
- What are you going to study?
- I will investigate the formation mechanism of white-light emission in flares:
- Where does the emission actually come from?
- What physics are involved?
There have been debates about whether the emission comes from the layers that emit at these wavelengths in non-flaring conditions (i.e., the photosphere), or from the layer above (the chromosphere).
Both the energy transport mechanism from the corona to these lower layers as well as the actual emitting mechanisms responsible for the emission are in question. On top of that, I also want to find out which conditions facilitate white-light emission.
- What are the differences from or similarities to your current project?
- My bachelor’s thesis was about understanding the occasionally appearing, double-maximum of the 11-year solar cycle. For my master’s thesis, I focused on the most energetic events in the solar system: solar flares. Specifically, I investigated a certain type called EUV Late Phase flares, its characteristics and how its role evolves throughout the solar cycle.
My PhD thesis will again be focused on flares, but this time on their optical “white-light” emissions.
I will try to understand its formation by comparing high-resolution observations from the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST) with state-of-the-art simulations
.- How do you plan to answer the main question?
- To solve these questions, I aim at using high-resolution observations of white-light flares from the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST), complemented with space-borne observations by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), and compare them with state-of-the-art simulations (using the RADYN code).
- How can you describe your experience at RoCS so far?
- Having been here for a few months now, I can in all honesty say that I love it here! The people at the institute are so welcoming and kind, I felt like I belonged here as soon as I started. Plus, as an introvert, what I experienced from the Norwegian culture so far really appeals to me (nobody wants to sit next to me on the metro? LOVE IT).
- What do you like to do in your spare time?
- My body is not made for the hikes I would love to go on, so instead I like going for walks in (more or less) even terrain. However, sometimes I cheat by taking a cable car up the mountains, but ssshhh, don’t tell anyone! I also love going on city trips, or just visiting countries in general. Apart from that, I like showing my non-existent skills in activities like billiard, minigolf or bowling.