The long-term goal of this work is an understanding of the magneto-hydrodynamics of the solar surface at scales from granules to sup-granules. Here sophisticated numerical simulations which include realistic three-dimensional, compressible, magneto-convection will be used to model the solar surface and investigate the interaction of convection, magnetic fields, and oscillations. The simulations will be used to interpret observations from GONG, SOHO/MDI, and the Swedish 1m Solar Telescope, to test inversion procedures, and model the subsurface behavior of solar magneto-convection. Specific objectives include: 1) To uncover the physical processes that determine the solar surface structure through the interaction of convection and magnetic fields on scales from granulation to supergranulation. 2) To improve our ability to probe the internal structure of the Sun via helioseismology. 3) To calibrate local helioseismic inversion procedures for determining temperatures, flows and magnetic fields near the solar surface. 4) To investigate p-mode physics (dynamic, magnetic and radiative effects on mode frequencies, amplitudes and line asymmetries). 5) To probe the creation, emergence, dispersion and disappearance of magnetic flux in the quiet Sun. And 6) to examine the origin and maintenance of the magnetic network. The data sets from these simulations will be made available to the community. The design of future solar telescopes will be facilitated through the quantitative information on observables that will result from this work. These calculations will also improve space weather modeling by providing realistic statistical boundary conditions for numerical studies of the dynamic solar chromosphere and corona.
