Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Scharmer, G. B.

Publications and source records attributed to Scharmer, G. B..

Design and Performance Analysis of a Highly Efficient Polychromatic Full Stokes Polarization Modulator for the CRISP Imaging Spectrometer

We present the design and performance of a polychromatic polarization modulator for the CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter (CRISP) Fabry–Perot tunable narrow-band imaging spectropolarimer at the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope (SST). We discuss the design process in depth, compare two possible modulator designs through a tolerance analysis, and investigate thermal sensitivity of the selected design. The trade-offs and procedures described in this paper are generally applicable in the development of broadband polarization modulators. The modulator was built and has been operational since 2015. Its measured performance is close to optimal between 500 and 900 nm, and differences between the design and as-built modulator are largely understood. We show some example data, and briefly review scientific work that used data from SST/CRISP and this modulator.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Very high spatial resolution two-dimensional solar spectroscopy with video CCDs

We have developed techniques for recording and reducing spectra of solar fine structure with complete coverage of two-dimensional areas at very high spatial resolution and with a minimum of seeing-induced distortions. These new techniques permit one, for the first time, to place the quantitative measures of atmospheric structure that are afforded only by detailed spectral measurements into their proper context. The techniques comprise the simultaneous acquisition of digital spectra and slit-jaw images at video rates as the solar scene sweeps rapidly by the spectrograph slit. During data processing the slit-jaw images are used to monitor rigid and differential image motion during the scan, allowing measured spectrum properties to be remapped spatially. The resulting quality of maps of measured properties from the spectra is close to that of the best filtergrams. We present the techniques and show maps from scans over pores and small sunspots obtained at a resolution approaching 1/3 arcsec in the spectral region of the magnetically sensitive Fe I lines at 630.15 and 630.25 nm. The maps shown are of continuum intensity and calibrated Doppler velocity. More extensive spectral inversion of these spectra to yield the strength of the magnetic field and other parameters is now underway, and the results of that analysis will be presented in a following paper.

Johanneson, A.↗

High-resolution spectra of solar magnetic features. II - Magnetic fields of umbral brightenings

The spectra of Fe I and Fe II Zeeman-sensitive lines enhanced by video processing of CCD images are considered. The magnetic-field variation within umbras is obtained from the nearly complete Zeeman splitting of the Stokes I profile. It is shown that small brightenings within umbrae have magnetic fields nearly equal to or slightly smaller than that of the darker surroundings; these features are also nearly at rest with respect to their surroundings. It is noted that the absence of significant motions in umbral dots implies that radiation transports most of the energy at and immediately below the surface. The small size of the dots implies that, if convective plumes transport energy below the surface of sunspot umbrae, they should have both a lateral extent and a depth of their upper boundary comparable to or smaller than the size of the dot.

Lites, Bruce W.↗