Observing the Sun with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA): High-Resolution Interferometric Imaging
Observing the Sun with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA): High-Resolution Interferometric Imaging
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DOI：
10.1007/s11207-017-1095-2
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发表时间：
2017-04
期刊：
影响因子：
2.8
通讯作者：
M. Shimojo;T. Bastian;Antonio S. Hales;S. White;Kazumasa Iwai;Kazumasa Iwai;Richard E. Hills;A. Hirota;N. Phillips;T. Sawada;P. Yagoubov;G. Siringo;Shinichiro Asayama;M. Sugimoto;R. Braǰsa;I. Skokić;M. Bárta;S. Kim;S. Kim;I. Gregorio-Monsalvo;S. Corder;Hugh S. Hudson;Hugh S. Hudson;S. Wedemeyer;Dale Gary;B. Pontieu;M. Loukitcheva;M. Loukitcheva;Gregory D. Fleishman;Bin Chen;A. Kobelski;Yihua Yan
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
M. Shimojo;T. Bastian;Antonio S. Hales;S. White;Kazumasa Iwai;Kazumasa Iwai;Richard E. Hills;A. Hirota;N. Phillips;T. Sawada;P. Yagoubov;G. Siringo;Shinichiro Asayama;M. Sugimoto;R. Braǰsa;I. Skokić;M. Bárta;S. Kim;S. Kim;I. Gregorio-Monsalvo;S. Corder;Hugh S. Hudson;Hugh S. Hudson;S. Wedemeyer;Dale Gary;B. Pontieu;M. Loukitcheva;M. Loukitcheva;Gregory D. Fleishman;Bin Chen;A. Kobelski;Yihua Yan
在毫米和亚毫米波长下对太阳的观测为色球层的结构、动力学和加热提供了独特的探索；太阳黑子的结构；日珥和细丝的形成和喷发；以及喷射和耀斑等高能现象。由于安静的太阳发射的强烈、扩展、低对比度和动态性质，以及与高能现象相关的发射的极其强烈和可变的性质，在毫米和亚毫米波长下对太阳进行高分辨率观测具有挑战性。阿塔卡马大型毫米/亚毫米阵列 (ALMA) 的设计考虑了太阳观测。太阳观测的要求与恒星源观测有很大不同，需要采取特殊措施才能成功进行此类观测。我们描述了使用两个频段（3 毫米频段（频段 3）和 1.25 毫米频段（频段 6））的调试工作，通过 ALMA 对太阳进行连续干涉成像观测。介绍了在 2015 年 12 月举行的太阳能调试活动期间使用新调试模式获得的高分辨率合成图像的示例。尽管最终 66 个 ALMA 天线中只有 30 个用于该活动，但根据 ALMA 调试数据合成的太阳图像揭示了太阳大气的新特征，证明了 ALMA 太阳观测的潜在力量。 ALMA 和太阳能调试工作的不断扩展将继续实现新的、独特的太阳观测能力。
Observations of the Sun at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths offer a unique probe into the structure, dynamics, and heating of the chromosphere; the structure of sunspots; the formation and eruption of prominences and filaments; and energetic phenomena such as jets and flares. High-resolution observations of the Sun at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths are challenging due to the intense, extended, low-contrast, and dynamic nature of emission from the quiet Sun, and the extremely intense and variable nature of emissions associated with energetic phenomena. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) was designed with solar observations in mind. The requirements for solar observations are significantly different from observations of sidereal sources and special measures are necessary to successfully carry out this type of observations. We describe the commissioning efforts that enable the use of two frequency bands, the 3-mm band (Band 3) and the 1.25-mm band (Band 6), for continuum interferometric-imaging observations of the Sun with ALMA. Examples of high-resolution synthesized images obtained using the newly commissioned modes during the solar-commissioning campaign held in December 2015 are presented. Although only 30 of the eventual 66 ALMA antennas were used for the campaign, the solar images synthesized from the ALMA commissioning data reveal new features of the solar atmosphere that demonstrate the potential power of ALMA solar observations. The ongoing expansion of ALMA and solar-commissioning efforts will continue to enable new and unique solar observing capabilities.