Sonification of Ace Level 2 Solar Wind Data

Abstract

This paper provides a brief overview of the sonification research conducted by the Solar and Heliospheric Research Group at the University of Michigan. The team collaborated with composer and multimedia artist Robert Alexander to gain a new perspective of the underlying patterns behind recurring solar wind phenomena. This sonification effort was one in which a high level of creative freedom was provided to the composer, while scientific accuracy was maintained through adherence to the original data set. An interface was constructed in Max/MSP that allowed ACE-SWICS Level 2 solar wind data to be graphed visually and represented aurally through both acoustic and synthesized timbres. This document will explore the sonification methods behind iteration 1.1, which is a sonification of solar wind activity from 2003.