RUI: Coronal Plasma Observed at Eclipses and Otherwise Simultaneously

日食在可以观测到日食的国家引起了公众的广泛兴趣，因此，日食提供了一个重要的机会，可以对公众进行天文学教育，并努力在国内传播关于安全观测太阳的信息。 PI是国际天文学联合会日食工作组的主席，也是美国天文学会日食工作组2017年大美国日食和即将到来的2024年日食的联络人。对日食日冕的研究一直是威廉姆斯学院系成功吸引和培训学生的主要部分。本科生，越来越多地包括通过威廉姆斯的需求盲目招生政策的代表性不足的群体的成员，一直与日食探险和相关的数据减少和分析密切相关;这个项目使学生的积极参与和培训继续下去。具体来说，这项建议是进行高分辨率的光学观测，日冕的快速成像，以及无线电和光谱测量。该项目将包括与其他空间和地面观测的比较以及与最先进的计算机模型的比较。这个特殊的项目是利用2017年日全食的数据，并观察2019年和2020年的日全食。该项目的重点是观察白光日冕，并使用经过高度处理的图像，以显示细节和极端对比度。这将有助于更好地测量日冕羽流和其他日冕特征，特别是日冕物质抛射的动态。此外，绿线（Fe XIV）和红线（Fe X）日冕的滤光图和光谱将用于检查不同温度区域的对比度。建议的观测包括使用Lyot/Halle滤波器的高分辨率观测。该团队还将完成对日冕环的高频（1 Hz）功率谱的分析，以比较日冕加热机制，并在2020年日食时进行类似的观测。光谱观测是重要的，因为光谱线比率在太阳活动周期中不断变化，现在经过一个低的最大值，并通过最小值。该团队还将利用射电望远镜的数据完成2017年日食分析，其中包括Jansky超大阵列，该阵列提供了有史以来最好的活动区域地图，以确定无线电和EUV爆发起源的不同位置，该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的学术价值和更广泛的影响评审标准。

Solar eclipses are of widespread public interest in the countries from which they are visible, and they therefore provide an important opportunity for public education about astronomy as well as for efforts on spreading information domestically on safe solar observing. The PI was Chair of the International Astronomical Union's Working Group on Eclipses and liaison to the American Astronomical Society's Eclipse Task Force for the 2017 Great American Eclipse, and for the upcoming 2024 eclipse. Studies of the solar corona at eclipses have been a major part of the success of the Williams College department in attracting and training students. Undergraduate students, increasingly including members of underrepresented groups through Williams's need-blind admissions policy, have been intimately connected with the eclipse expeditions and the associated data reduction and analysis; this project enables the active involvement and training of students to continue. Specifically, this proposal is to perform high resolution optical observations, rapid imaging of the corona, and radio and spectroscopic measurements. The project will include comparisons with other space and ground based observations as well as comparisons with state of the art computer models. This particular project is to take advantage of the data from the 2017 total solar eclipse and to observe the 2019 and 2020 total eclipses. The focus of the project is on observing the white-light corona and working with highly processed images that bring out detail and extreme contrast. This will allow improved measurements of dynamics of coronal plumes and other coronal features, especially coronal mass ejections. Additionally, filtergrams and spectra of the green-line (Fe XIV) and red-line (Fe X) coronas will be used to examine the contrast of regions of different temperatures. The proposed observations include exquisitely high-resolution observations with Lyot/Halle filters. The team will also complete the analysis of high-frequency (1 Hz) power spectra of coronal loops to compare mechanisms of coronal heating and carry out similar observations at the 2020 eclipse. Spectrographic observations are important as the spectral-line ratios continue to change over the solar-activity cycle, which now past a low maximum and passing through minimum. The team will also complete 2017 eclipse analysis with data from radio telescopes, including the Jansky Very Large Array, which is providing the best-ever mapping of active regions to pinpoint the different locations of radio and EUV eruption origins, and use an Argentian radiotelescope in 2019 and 2020.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.