Presenter:	Brandon Panos
Affiliation:	FHNW
Title:	A Spin-Glass Formulation for Solar Magnetic Field Disambiguation
Authors:	Brandon Panos
Abstract:	Resolving the 180-degree ambiguity in solar magnetic field measurements is a foundational challenge in space weather physics. Essentially, this is an NP-hard combinatorial optimization problem, where an incorrect choice for even a small fraction of vectors can "poison" the critical downstream datasets used for flare prediction. This talk presents an exploratory framework that recasts the solar physics problem by mapping it directly onto a spin-glass model. In this formulation, finding the global ground-state of the spin-glass is directly analogous to identifying the most physically plausible, lowest-energy configuration of the solar magnetic field. This mapping makes the problem an ideal testbed for emerging technologies. We will discuss its potential for a solution via quantum annealing. This work explores a path toward a new generation of robustly disambiguated magnetic field data for improving the reliability of space weather forecasting.
Last update:	06-10-2025