New Perspective in Solar Coronal Physics: Giant Externally-occulted Coronagraphs Using Satellites in Flight Formation
- Paper number
IAC-07-A3.1.02
- Author
Mr. Philippe Lamy, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille d'Astrophysique de Marseille, France
- Year
2007
- Abstract
Classical externally-occulted coronagraphs are presently limited in their performances by the distance between the external occulter and the front objective. The diffraction fringe from the occulter and the vignetted pupil which degrades the spatial resolution prevent observing the inner corona inside typically 2-2.5 solar radii. Formation flyers open new perspectives and allow conceiving giant, externally-occulted coronagraphs using a two-component space system with the external occulter on one spacecraft and the optical instrument on the other spacecraft at approximately 100 m from the first one. ASPIICS (Association de Satellites Pour l’Imagerie et l’Interférométrie de la Couronne Solaire) is a mission proposed to ESA in the framework of the PROBA-3 program of formation flyers which is presently under study to exploit this technique for coronal observations. ASPIICS is composed of a single coronagraph which performs high spatial resolution imaging of the corona as well as 2-dimensional spectroscopy of several emission lines (in particular the forbidden line of FeXIV at 530.285 nm) from the coronal base out to 3 Rs. The classical design of an externally occulted coronagraph is adapted to the detection of the very inner corona, and the addition of a Fabry-Perot interferometer. ASPIICS will address the question of the heating of the corona by investigating the turbulence as well as the acceleration mechanism of the coronal mass ejections (CME). By tuning the position of the occulter spacecraft, it will be possible to reach the chromosphere and the upper part of the spicules. Filtergrams on the helium D3 line or even better, the hydrogen H-beta line (which is optically thin contrary to H-alpha) will give access to the “cold corona”, and could allow measuring the chromospheric prolateness.
Co-author: Sebastien Vivès - Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Marseille
- Abstract document
- Manuscript document
IAC-07-A3.1.02.pdf (🔒 authorized access only).
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