Overview

How do you predict the parameters of future solar cycles? What is the role of dynamo theory in the cyclic activity of the Sun and similar stars? And what are the implications of chaos theory for stellar cycles? This book answers these questions and offers a timely review of studies in the cyclic activity of the Sun and other stars. This authoritative reference shows the importance of reliable predictions of the parameters of future solar cycles, and carefully explains the methods currently used to determine these (with special reference to the maximum of cycle 22). Some of the latest research into solar cycles is clearly presented; this includes helioseismology, observations of the extended activity cycle and the polar fields reversal, and contributions from dynamo theory and chaos theory. For graduate students and researchers, this monograph provides a much-needed synthesis of our understanding of activity cycles in the Sun and other stars.