Balloon-borne telescope for high-resolution solar imaging and polarimetry

Bernasconi, P. N.; Rust, David M.; Eaton, H.; Murphy, G. A.

doi:10.1117/12.389100

Cited by 23 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Groups in France attempted UV imaging in the wavelength range 200 -300 nm with a 20-cm telescope (Herse, 1979) and took spectra in the same wavelength range with telescopes of up to 30-cm aperture from the mid 1960s on (Lemaire and Samain, 1984;Lemaire and Blamont, 1967). More recently, flights of the Flare Genesis project in 1996 and 2000 provided magnetograms and Dopplergrams in the Ca I 6122.2 line using a 80-cm telescope (Rust et al, 1996;Bernasconi et al, 2000). The 30-cm telescope of the Solar Bolometric Imager (Bernasconi et al, 2004) provided maps of the solar disk in integrated light between 0.28 and 2.6 μm during three flights between 2003 and 2007. These projects demonstrated the advantages and the rich potential of balloon-borne solar observations at stratospheric heights: i) negligible image degradation by atmospheric seeing ii) access to the UV range down to about 200-nm wavelength iii) retrievability of the instruments, and iv) much reduced cost in comparison to space projects…”

Section: Solar Balloon Missionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sunrise Mission

et al. 2010

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The first science flight of the balloon-borne Sunrise telescope took place in June 2009 from ESRANGE (near Kiruna/Sweden) to Somerset Island in northern Canada. We describe the scientific aims and mission concept of the project and give an overview and a description of the various hardware components: the 1-m main telescope with its postfocus science instruments (the UV filter imager SuFI and the imaging vector magnetograph IMaX) and support instruments (image stabilizing and light distribution system ISLiD and correlating wavefront sensor CWS), the optomechanical support structure and the instrument mounting concept, the gondola structure and the power, pointing, and telemetry systems, and the general electronics architecture. We also explain the optimization of the structural and thermal design of the complete payload. The preparations for the science flight are described, including AIV and ground calibration of the instruments. The course of events during the science flight is outlined, up to the recovery activities. Finally, the in-flight performance of the instrumentation is discussed.

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Section: Solar Balloon Missionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sunrise Mission

et al. 2010

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“…The tube structure provided high thermal stability, and the silicon secondary mirror gave optimum heat transfer with minimum thermal distortion. For this reason, we believe that the acquired images are free from distortion due to turbulence in the telescope or in the atmosphere (Bernasconi et al 2000(Bernasconi et al , 2001. The focal plane instrumentation consisted of a polarization analyzer unit (two liquid-crystal polarization modulators and a linear polarizing filter), a selection of 1.25 Å order-isolation filters, a 0.16 Å tunable etalon filter (Rust 1994b), and refractive optics to record a 160 00 diameter section of the Sun on a 1024 Â 1024 pixel CCD camera.…”

Section: Flare Genesis Experiments and Noaa Active Region 8844mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…We used the first '' seeing-free '' sample of EBs, obtained by the balloon-borne Flare Genesis Experiment (FGE; Rust 1994a; Bernasconi et al 2000;Bernasconi, Rust, & Eaton 2001). Several hundreds of EBs appear in our data, therefore making our sample adequate for statistical treatment.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Statistics, Morphology, and Energetics of Ellerman Bombs

Georgoulis¹,

Rust²,

Bernasconi³

et al. 2002

ApJ

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199

287

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We investigate the statistical properties of Ellerman bombs in the dynamic emerging flux region NOAA Active Region 8844, underneath an expanding arch filament system. High-resolution chromospheric H filtergrams (spatial resolution 0>8), as well as photospheric vector magnetograms (spatial resolution 0>5) and Dopplergrams, have been acquired by the balloon-borne Flare Genesis Experiment. H observations reveal the first '' seeing-free '' data set on Ellerman bombs and one of the largest samples of these events. We find that Ellerman bombs occur and recur in preferential locations in the low chromosphere, either above or in the absence of photospheric neutral magnetic lines. Ellerman bombs are associated with photospheric downflows, and their loci follow the transverse mass flows on the photosphere. They are small-scale events, with typical size 1>8 Â 1>1 , but this size depends on the instrumental resolution. A large number of Ellerman bombs are probably undetected, owing to limited spatial resolution. Ellerman bombs occur in clusters that exhibit fractal properties. The fractal dimension, with an average value $1.4, does not change significantly in the course of time. Typical parameters of Ellerman bombs are interrelated and obey power-law distribution functions, as in the case of flaring and subflaring activity. We find that Ellerman bombs may occur on separatrix, or quasi-separatrix, layers, in the low chromosphere. A plausible triggering mechanism of Ellerman bombs is stochastic magnetic reconnection caused by the turbulent evolution of the low-lying magnetic fields and the continuous reshaping of separatrix layers. The total energies of Ellerman bombs are estimated in the range (10 27 , 10 28 ) ergs, the temperature enhancement in the radiating volume is $2 Â 10 3 K, and the timescale of radiative cooling is short, of the order of a few seconds. The distribution function of the energies of Ellerman bombs exhibits a power-law shape with an index $À2.1. This suggests that Ellerman bombs may contribute significantly to the heating of the low chromosphere in emerging flux regions.

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“…But even "normal" observations, which could per se be done from ground, are worth being done from space: The fact that most solar observatories are located in low to mid geographic latitudes excludes a 24 hour view on our target, a severe drawback considering the dynamic timescales of solar activity. For a limited time of up to several days, stratospheric ballooning in high geographic latitudes essentially offers uninterrupted observations, as demonstrated by the Flare Genesis Experiment (Bernasconi et al 2000) and by Sunrise Solanki et al 2010). But only space guarantees uninterrupted viewing for weeks, months, or even years, with constantly high data quality and without the effects of seeing.…”

Section: Advantages and Disadvantages Of Ground-and Space-based Telesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prospects of Solar Magnetometry—From Ground and in Space

Kleint¹,

Gandorfer²

2015

Space Sci Rev

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In this review we present an overview of observing facilities for solar research, which are planned or will come to operation in near future. We concentrate on facilities, which harbor specific potential for solar magnetometry. We describe the challenges and science goals of future magnetic measurements, the status of magnetic field measurements at different major solar observatories, and provide an outlook on possible upgrades of future instrumentation.

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Balloon-borne telescope for high-resolution solar imaging and polarimetry

Cited by 23 publications

References 2 publications

The Sunrise Mission

The Sunrise Mission

Statistics, Morphology, and Energetics of Ellerman Bombs

Prospects of Solar Magnetometry—From Ground and in Space

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