High-resolution telescope cluster I: overview and technical status

摘要

Abstract: High spatial resolution observations of the solar photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, at soft x-ray, EUV, and VUV wavelengths, are essential to the resolution of virtually every major problem pertaining to the structure and dynamics of the solar atmosphere. The Advanced Solar Observatory (ASO) is a proposed major NASA observatory that is planned to address a wide range of problems relating to the Sun. A major component of the ASO, the high resolution telescope cluster (HRTC) will be dedicated to high resolution studies of the atmosphere at soft x-ray, XUV, EUV, and VUV wavelengths. The HRTC will contain an array of telescopes that provide high resolution spectroheliograms in lines and continuum emitted over the full range of temperatures (approximately 4,500 K to 100,000,000 K) present in the outer solar atmosphere with angular resolution as high as on the order of magnitude 0.03 arc second. We analyze a model HRTC instrument complement consisting of the following instruments: (1) a 60 - 90 cm aperture vacuum-ultraviolet telescope covering the spectral range from $lambda$lambda 1200 - 3300 angstroms, (2) a 40 - 50 cm aperture EUV telescope covering the spectral range $lambda$lambda 450 - 1200 angstroms, (3) three 40 - 50 cm aperture XUV telescopes covering the spectral range $lambda$lambda 170 - 350 angstroms, (4) a 40 cm aperture soft x-ray telescope covering the spectral range $lambda$lambda 10 - 170 angstroms, (5) a 40 cm aperture x-ray telescope covering the spectral range $lambda$lambda 1.5 - 10 angstroms, (6) flare spectrometers and polarimeters covering the spectral range $lambda$lambda 0.001 - 1150 angstroms, and (7) four coronagraph/spectrographs able to image the corona to approximately 30 solar radii. We discuss the observational requirements which the HRTC must meet, the characteristics and anticipated performance of the HRTC model instruments, the technology necessary for their development, and various options for the deployment of HRTC. !73