This grant provides support for a joint research by a U.S. team headed by Dr. John W. Leibacher of the National Solar Observatory (NSO) in Tucson, AZ, and an Indian team headed by Dr. A. Bhatnagar, Director of the Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO) in Udaipur, India. The research, in its first phase, will cover site evaluation of Udaipur as one of six sites for the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) project. The GONG project seeks to obtain information through observations, made at different sites on the surface of the earth, of the oscillations at the surface of the sun, the earth's nearest star. Helioseismology, the study of these solar oscillations, has been developed as a new powerful tool that can probe the solar interior with considerable precision much in the same way that terrestial seismology reveals information about the interior of the earth. Because the instruments and the program of observation to be used during the second phase are quite sensitive and complicated, it is important to run certain evaluative experiments on the various sites under consideration around the globe, including the Udaipur site, before making the final selection of the six sites. Scope: Indian scientists have contributed significantly to the field of solar physics. The USO has a unique geographical location being in an area of considerable atmospheric clarity and at approximately opposite position around the globe to the NSO in Tucson. The support of the Government of India (GOI) will be crucial for the success of the experiments. This grant will enable the U.S. team to conduct the necessary preliminary tests and to negotiate with the GOI the required facilities from different governmental agencies. Funding: This project is being funded under two grants as follows: FY National Solar Observatory Udaipur Solar Obser __ __________________________ ___________________ U.S.$ Indian Currency $ Indian Currency $ 90 1,130 5,843 20,588 91 2,260 24,933 18,823
