Airborne InfraRed Spectrograph (AIR-Spec) 2019 Eclipse Flight

2017年由机载红外光谱仪（AIR-Spec）进行的日食观测表明，NCAR的HIAPER GV平台可以实现热红外（IR）成像光谱。 这为在避免绝大多数大气吸收的平台上进行日冕的高分辨率热红外光谱分析打开了一扇新的机会之窗。 2017年AIR-Spec日食观测揭示了几个日冕位置的所有目标日冕发射线，在日珥观测中显示了氢线，并捕获了色球闪光光谱。这个为期三年的项目旨在于2019年7月2日在智利海岸附近的南太平洋日全食期间重新飞行AIR-Spec仪器。 在该项目期间，AIR-Spec将进行升级，以提高灵敏度，图像稳定性和数据收集过程的自动化。 目标是描述太阳日冕的热红外辐射，包括对各种太阳结构（冕洞、羽流、日冕等）的大量日冕红外辐射线的研究。在一个几乎未被探索过的自然环境中。 该项目的主要人员是两名非常早期的职业女性（一名科学家，一名工程师），其他REU学生将参与其中-包括飞行准备本身。 该项目团队致力于促进多样性和包容性，同时培训美国下一代仪器科学家和工程师。 第一次AIR-Spec飞行成功地测量了所有目标的五条红外（IR）日冕发射线，包括首次测量了2.845微米的日冕Fe IX线。 在2019年日食期间重新飞行AIR-Spec将使项目团队能够专注于太阳日冕不同条件下各种发射线的详细表征。 即将到来的AIR-Spec实验将测试NCAR GV飞机的不同能力。 也就是说，IR透射窗将安装在邻近光具座的侧入口上。 在这样做的过程中，项目小组将展示设计的灵活性，简化操作，并验证他们在世界任何地方观测日食的能力。 发展与未来DKIST协调观测太阳日冕的能力将大大有利于DKIST观测的校准，并将推动未来的太阳仪器。 该项目的研究和EPO议程支持AGS部门在发现、学习、多样性和跨学科研究方面的战略目标。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The 2017 eclipse observations by the Airborne InfraRed Spectrometer (AIR-Spec) demonstrated that thermal infrared (IR) imaging spectroscopy is possible from the NCAR's HIAPER GV platform. This opened a new window of opportunity for high resolutions thermal IR spectroscopy of the Sun's corona on a platform that avoids the vast majority of the atmospheric absorption. The 2017 AIR-Spec eclipse observations revealed all of the target coronal emission lines at several coronal positions, showed Hydrogen lines in the prominence observations and captured the chromospheric flash spectrum.This three-year project is intended to re-fly the AIR-Spec instrument during the 2019 July 2 total solar eclipse in the south Pacific off the coast of Chile. During this project, the AIR-Spec will be upgraded to have an improved sensitivity, image stability, and automation of the data collection process. The goal is to characterize the thermal IR emission of Sun's corona, including an investigation of numerous coronal IR emission lines, across a variety of solar structures (coronal holes, plumes, prominences, etc.) on an otherwise almost unexplored physical regime. The project's primary personnel are two very early-career women (one scientist, one engineer), and additional REU students will be involved -- including for the flight preparations themselves. The project team is committed to fostering diversity and inclusion while training the next generation of instrumentation scientists and engineers in the U.S. The first AIR-Spec flight succeeded in measuring all targeted five infrared (IR) coronal emission lines, including the first-of-its-kind measurement of the coronal Fe IX line at 2.845 microns. The re-flight of AIR-Spec during the 2019 solar eclipse will allow the project team to focus on the detailed characterization of various emission lines in different conditions of the Sun's corona. The upcoming AIR-Spec experiment will exercise a different capability of the NCAR's GV aircraft. Namely, the IR transmissive window will be mounted on a side portal adjacent to the optical bench. In doing so, the project team will demonstrate the flexibility of the design, simplify the operations and verify their ability to observe eclipses anywhere in the world. Developing the ability for coordinated observations of the Sun's corona with the future DKIST will be greatly beneficial for the calibration of DKIST observations, and it will motivate future solar instrumentation. The research and EPO agenda of this project supports the Strategic Goals of the AGS Division in discovery, learning, diversity, and interdisciplinary research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.