Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) Construction under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)

根据 2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案 (ARRA) 建设先进技术太阳望远镜 (ATST)

• 批准号: 0415302
• 负责人: Charles Mattias Mountain
• 金额: $ 14600万
• 依托单位: Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Cooperative Agreement
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2015-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0415302&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Advanced; Technology; Solar; Telescope; ATST

AbstractAST 0415302Magnetic fields control the inconstant Sun. The key to understanding solar variability and its direct impact on the Earth rests with understanding all aspects of these magnetic fields. This is the ?dark energy? problem of solar physics since the magnetic fields lie beyond the resolution limits of current solar telescopes, are obscured by Earth's atmosphere, or hidden by the glare of the solar disk in the outer solar atmosphere. The Sun provides the laboratory where crucial properties of non-linear dynamics in highly ionized magnetic plasma can be observed and understood, and models can be tested and refined. The technology now exists to resolve and measure the Sun?s magnetic fields and how they control the solar atmosphere. All aspects of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) design are optimized to study these fields in our astrophysical backyard. With it, we will understand the life cycle of magnetic fields, how they are born by dynamo mechanisms, evolve by convective and explosive phenomena, and dissipated by resistive and reconnective magnetic events. The ATST will be a 4-m aperture, off-axis solar telescope with integrated adaptive optics, low-scattered light, infrared, coronagraphic, and polarimetric capabilities. It will resolve the essential, fine-scale magnetic features and their dynamics that dictate the varying release of energy from the Sun?s atmosphere. The ATST design is optimized (throughput, scattered light and instrumental polarization properties) to make vector magnetograms down to its diffraction limit (0.03 arcseconds at 500 nm). Its collecting area, which is a factor of 16 greater than today?s solar telescopes, will provide the sensitivity to measure both weak fields and rapidly evolving stronger fields. It has a factor of 64 greater collecting area than the largest existing coronagraph, and will provide the sensitivity and coronagraphic capability needed to measure the weak, fine-scale coronal magnetic fields. The new technologies, and our increased awareness of what we know we must learn, make ATST the necessary and logical successor to the solar telescopes built in the 1960s and 1970s, and is a natural complement to space missions such the Solar Dynamics Observatory, STEREO, and Solar Orbiter.The ATST offers tremendous opportunity for the training of students and recruitment of post-docs and faculty in solar physics who will become users of the ATST and the instrument builders and theoreticians of the future. ATST plans to establish a strong synergy with the education and outreach programs at the collaborating institutions, including programs for the K-12 classroom, internships, public outreach through tours, hands-on exhibits, and displays. The ATST program has and will continue to actively involve large segments of the US and international solar physics community, helping to strengthen solar astronomy programs at universities and national centers.

Abstractast 0415302MAGNETIC FIELDS控制Inconstant Sun。理解太阳可变性及其直接影响地球的关键在于了解这些磁场的所有方面。这是“黑能？太阳能的问题由于磁场超出了当前太阳能望远镜的分辨率限制，被地球大气所掩盖，或者被太阳磁盘在外部太阳能大气中的眩光所掩盖。太阳提供了实验室，可以观察和理解高度离子磁等离子体中非线性动力学的关键特性，并且可以测试和完善模型。现在，该技术存在解决和测量太阳的磁场及其如何控制太阳大气的情况。高级技术太阳能望远镜（ATST）设计的所有方面都进行了优化，以研究我们天体物理后院的这些领域。 有了它，我们将了解磁场的生命周期，它们是如何通过发电机机制诞生的，通过对流和爆炸现象进化的，并通过电阻和重新连接的磁性事件消散。 ATST将是一个4米的孔径，离轴太阳能望远镜，具有集成的自适应光学元件，低散射的光，红外，冠状动脉和偏光功能。它将解决必不可少的优质磁性特征及其动力学，从而决定了从太阳大气中释放能量的变化。 ATST设计已优化（吞吐量，散射的光和仪器极化特性），以使矢量磁图降低到其衍射极限（在500 nm处为0.03 Arcseconds）。它的收集区域比今天的太阳能望远镜大16倍，将提供敏感性，以测量弱场和迅速发展的更强大的场。它的收集面积比最大的冠状动脉大64倍，并将提供测量弱，细小的冠状磁场所需的灵敏度和冠状动脉能力。新技术以及我们对我们所知道的知识的越来越多的认识，使ATST成为1960年代和1970年代建造的太阳能望远镜的必要和逻辑继任者，并且自然而然地补充了太阳能任务，例如太阳能动力学观测，立体声，立体声和神经者。 ATST和未来的仪器建造者和理论家。 ATST计划在合作机构的教育和外展计划上建立强大的协同作用，包括K-12教室的计划，实习，通过旅游，动手展览和展览来建立公共宣传。 ATST计划已经并且将继续积极涉及美国和国际太阳能物理学界的大部分，有助于加强大学和国家中心的太阳天文学计划。