First Name:
Margaret
Last Name:
Seeds
Major Department:
Physics and Astronomy
Thesis Director:
Richard Gray
Date of Thesis:
May 2012
The earliest fossil evidence of life found on Earth is up to 3.8 billion years old (Gray 2010). Life during this time endured conditions on Earth very different from what they are today. There was no ozone layer to protect the surface from UV light, and the UV fluxes from the young Sun were much stronger than they are today. There were also enhanced solar magnetic events, such as flares and magnetic storms, and an increased variability in the solar luminosity(Gray 2010). To catch a glimpse into the Earth’s evolutionary history and the local conditions in the solar system when the Sun was young, astronomers have begun to study Young Solar Analogs (YSAs). These are stars similar in spectral type to the Sun at a younger age. These stars can be used to find commonalities and trends that can be applied to the history of the Sun. The main theme of this introduction is to examine the advances and shortcomings of several studies parallel to the YSA program, which will also be discussed in detail. These data can date back further than the 3.8 billion years of fossil evidence available for tangible study on Earth; thus it is a valuable study of the earliest happenings in the solar system.