HAO Instrumentation Overview

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HAO InstrumentationOverview
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HAO Instrumentation Group

• Engineering group with seven members developing
• instruments for the observation of
• Sun from the solar interior through the corona
  (structure, dynamics, magnetism)
• Earths upper atmosphere (temperature, winds)
• From the ground, balloons and from space
• Complete 1-2 instruments/year
• Apply technology to create innovative
  instruments
• that address specific scientific
  questions

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Solar Corona

• Starting in 1940, Walt Roberts observed solar
  coronal emission to investigate the effects of
  solar activity on communications in support of
  war effort.

• K-coronagraph (electron scattered corona)
• invented at HAO in 1957, observations of coronal
  density since 1965.
• Upgrade in progress.
• Recently CoMP Instrument - Full circular and
  linear polarization state to determine direction
  and strength of coronal magnetic field
• Future Coronal Solar Magnetism Observatory
  Large Coronagraph

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New Technology K-coronagraph
Scientific Objectives Determination of global
density in low corona Physical understanding of
CME formation and space weather
consequences Observation of halo CMEs and
coronal holes Technical Advances Upgrade from
1D to 2D detector Improved signal to noise 15 x
better temporal resolution Increased
Field-of-view Community Demand HAO Advisory
Committee recommendations COSMO advisory panel
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Mauna Loa Solar Observatory
392 registered users 36 U.S. 35 Intl.
universities, 22 U.S. 46 Intl.
labs/observatories 106 new registered users
since July 30, 2008 6200 Hits/day, 2.26 million
in the past year
PICS H? Limb CHIP He-I
Chromosphere PICS H? Chromosphere
PSPT CaII Chromosphere
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Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP)
CoMP observes coronal magnetism and dynamics
(1074.7 nm FeXIII)
Alfven Waves in Velocity
Will make copy for Slovakia
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Photospheric Magnetic Fields

• HAO Skumanich, Lites 1980s - Improved
  understanding of polarized radiative transfer in
  solar atmosphere
• Succession of polarimeters with improved
  capabilities
• Facility instruments SPINOR at Sac Peak,
• Hinode SpectroPolarimeter, Helioseismic and
  Magnetic Imager on SDO
• Future Visible SpectroPolarimeter on ATST

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Solar Interior Seismology (Helioseismology)

• Infer solar interior structure and rotation
  properties from observation of acoustic
  oscillations at the solar surface
• HAO Fourier Tachometer (1980s) first to detect
  transition from solid body core rotation to
  convection
• zone differential rotation

• Later HAO instrument (LOWL )
• pushed observations into core
• GONG instrument (NSO)
• followed Fourier Tachometer design

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Upper Atmosphere

• Biff Williams 1996 MODA instrument - winds in
  mesopause region from Sodium nightglow
• Qian Wu mesosphere and thermosphere winds and
  temperature using Fabry Perot interferrometers
• FPI for China, HiWind balloon, FPI in Antartica

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Upper Atmosphere
FPI Resolute
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Ballooning

• Coronascope I and II - (1960s) Observe corona
  with reduced sky scattering at high altitudes
• Sunrise - 1 m telescope with high spatial
  resolution UV imaging, visible polarimetry
  successful science flight this Summer
• Currently developing HiWind Balloon to observe
  winds and temperature of terrestrial upper
  atmosphere

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HAO Instrumentation

• New technology produces new instruments that
• lead directly to new scientific discoveries
• What we do is important but not easy
• Group is very busy the future is exciting