Sun: atmosphere; Magnetic fields; Space vehicles: instruments; Techniques: polarimetic; ESA Cosmic Vision
Abstract :
[en] The magnetic field plays a pivotal role in many fields of Astrophysics. This is especially true for the physics of the solar atmosphere. Measuring the magnetic field in the upper solar atmosphere is crucial to understand the nature of the underlying physical processes that drive the violent dynamics of the solar corona—that can also affect life on Earth. SolmeX, a fully equipped solar space observatory for remote-sensing observations, will provide the first comprehensive measurements of the strength and direction of the magnetic field in the upper solar atmosphere. The mission consists of two spacecraft, one carrying the instruments, and another one in formation flight at a distance of about 200 m carrying the occulter to provide an artificial total solar eclipse. This will ensure high-quality coronagraphic observations above the solar limb. SolmeX integrates two spectro-polarimetric coronagraphs for off-limb observations, one in the EUV and one in the IR, and three instruments for observations on the disk. The latter comprises one imaging polarimeter in the EUV for coronal studies, a spectro-polarimeter in the EUV to investigate the low corona, and an imaging spectro-polarimeter in the UV for chromospheric studies. SOHO and other existing missions have investigated the emission of the upper atmosphere in detail (not considering polarization), and as this will be the case also for missions planned for the near future. Therefore it is timely that SolmeX provides the final piece of the observational quest by measuring the magnetic field in the upper atmosphere through polarimetric observations.
Disciplines :
Space science, astronomy & astrophysics
Author, co-author :
Peter, Hardi; Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung
Abbo, L.; INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino
Andretta, V.; INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte
Auchère, F.; Institut d'Astrophysique Spatiale
Bemporad, A.; INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino
Berrilli, F.; Università degli Studi di Roma "Tor Vergata"
Bommier, V.; LESIA, Observatoire de Paris-Meudon
Braukhane, A.; DLR Institute of Space Systems
Casini, R.; NCAR/High Altitude Observatory
Curdt, W.; Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung
Davila, J.; NASA/GSFC
Dittus, H.; DLR Institute of Space Systems
Fineschi, S.; INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Torino
Fludra, A.; STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Gandorfer, A.; Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung
Griffin, D.; STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
Inhester, B.; Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung
Lagg, A.; Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung
Degl'Innocenti, E Landi; Università degli Studi di Firenze
Maiwald, V.; DLR Institute of Space Systems
Sainz, R Manso; Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
Pillet, V Martínez; Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias
Fineschi, S., Solanki, S., COMPASS Team: COMPASS: coronal magnetism, plasma and activity studies from space: a formation flying mission to measure the solar magnetism. Proposal to ESA Cosmic Vision, pp. 2015-2025 (2007).
De Pontieu, B., McIntosh, S. W., Carlsson, M., et al.: Science 318, 1574 (2007).
McIntosh, S. W., De Pontieu, B.: Astrophys. J. 707, 524 (2009).
Peter, H.: Astron. Astrophys. 521, A51 (2010).
Centeno, R., Trujillo Bueno, J., Asensio Ramos, A.: Astrophys. J. 708, 1579 (2010).
Feldman, U., Dammasch, I. E., Wilhelm, K.: Astrophys. J. 558, 423 (2001).
Judge, P., Carlsson, M.: Astrophys. J. 719, 469 (2010).
Forbes, T. G., Linker, J. A., Chen, J., et al.: Space Sci. Rev. 123, 251 (2006).
Stix, M.: The Sun, 2nd edn. Springer, Berlin (2002).
Harvey, J. W.: Magnetic fields associated with solar active-region prominences. PhD thesis, Univ. Colorado, Boulder (1969).
Charvin, P.: Ann. Astrophys. 28, 877 (1965).
Fineschi, S.: ASP Conf. Series 248, 597 (2001).
Bommier, V., Sahal-Brechot, S.: Solar Phys. 78, 157 (1982).
Raouafi, N. E., Lemaire, P., Sahal-Bréchot, S.: Astron. Astrophys. 345, 999 (1999).
Raouafi, N. E., Sahal-Bréchot, S., Lemaire, P.: Astron. Astrophys. 396, 1019 (2002).
Casini, R., Judge, P. G.: Astrophys. J. 522, 524 (1999).
Tomczyk, S., McIntosh, S. W., Keil, S. L., et al.: Science 317, 1192 (2007).
Lin, H., Penn, M. J., Tomczyk, S.: Astrophys. J. 541, L83 (2000).
Lin, H., Kuhn, J. R., Coulter, R.: Astrophys. J. 613, L177 (2004).
Manso Sainz, R., Trujillo Bueno, J.: In: Berdyugina, S. V., et al. (eds.) Solar Polarization 5. ASP Conf. Series, vol. 405, pp. 423-428 (2009).
Trujillo Bueno, J., Štěpán, J., Casini, R.: Astrophys. J. 738, L11 (2011).
Trujillo Bueno, J.: In: Kuhn, J., et al. (eds.) Solar Polarization 6. ASP Conf. Series, vol. 437, pp. 83-98 (2011).
Trujillo Bueno, J., Landi Degl'Innocenti, E., Collados, M., et al.: Nature 415, 403 (2002).
Kobayashi, K., Tsuneta, S., Trujillo Bueno, J., et al.: AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts, p. B1632 (2010).
Henze, W. Jr., Tandberg-Hanssen, E., Hagyard, M. J., et al.: Solar Phys. 81, 231 (1982).
Hagyard, M. J., Teuber, D., West, E. A., et al.: Solar Phys. 84, 13 (1983).
Lites, B.: In: Mathys, G., Solanki, S. K., Wickramasinghe, D. T. (eds.) Magnetic Fields Across the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram. ASP Conf. Series, vol. 248, pp. 553-561 (2001).
Cebula, R. P., Thuillier, G. O., Vanhoosier, M. E., et al.: Geophys. Res. Lett. 23, 2289 (1996).
Solanki, S. K., Barthol, P., Danilovic, S., et al.: Astrophys. J. 723, L127 (2010).
Trujillo Bueno, J., Landi Degl'Innocenti, E., Casini, R., Martinez Pillet, V.: In: Favata, F., et al. (eds.) Trends in Space Science and Cosmic Vision 2020, (ESA SP-588), p. 203 (2005).
Domingo, V., Fleck, A. I., und Poland, B.: Solar Phys. 162, 1 (1995).
Handy, B. N., et al.: Solar Phys. 187, 229 (1999).
Kosugi, T., Matsuzaki, K., Sakao, T., et al.: Solar Phys. 243, 3 (2007).
Pesnell, W. D., Thompson, B. T., Chamberlin, P. C.: The Solar Dynamics Observatory, Solar Phys. (2011, submitted). doi: 10. 1007/s11207-011-9841-3.