A Support Facility for ROSA operations in the UK

太阳中心核聚变产生的能量流到太阳表面，随后加热大气层的各个组成部分，包括光球层、色球层和日冕。大气的加热常常导致在不同大气区域形成的光谱线强度的快速变化。因此，观察和模拟这种快速变化（通常发生在非常短的时间尺度上（不到1秒））对于正确理解太阳中的能量外流以及大气如何被加热至关重要。然而，不幸的是，很少有仪器能够以足够高的频率观测太阳，以便可靠地检测大气的快速变化。特别是，由于遥测技术的限制，卫星仪器无法以很高的频率观测太阳。然而，在2006年，我们从STFC和我们的主办机构，女王大学贝尔法斯特（QUB）获得资金，以建立一个国家的最先进的成像仪-快速振荡在太阳大气层（ROSA）。这是一个6-CCD系统，能够以高达200赫兹的频率在多个波段同时观测太阳。ROSA于去年在美国萨克拉门托峰国家太阳天文台（NSO）的邓恩太阳望远镜（DST）上成功投入使用。它将很快作为一个普通用户的工具，并提供在DST从2009年夏天的第一个3年期。作为我们与国家统计局协议的一部分，英国将在这3年期间获得每年至少20天的夏令时观测时间。重要的是，英国太阳物理界从STFC对ROSA的投资中受益，并充分利用DST的保证时间分配。ROSA提供了前所未有的时间分辨率（5毫秒）和空间分辨率，因为我们已经开发了图像重建技术，可以在DST上使用ROSA获得非常清晰的太阳图像。事实上，我们可以分辨出距离地球1.5亿公里的太阳表面上小于100公里的结构。这相当于分辨15公里外直径小于1厘米的物体。此外，ROSA的多个波段允许同时观察太阳大气的6个区域。因此，从低光球层到高色球层的整个大气可以作为一个耦合系统有效地观测和分析。特别是，ROSA将允许以前所未有的详细程度调查振荡和瞬态现象，无论是作为一个独立的仪器，还是与STFC支持的卫星飞行任务结合使用。在这份提案中，我们寻求适度的STFC资金，以建立一个支持设施，ROSA业务在英国，将设在QUB。这将为联合王国社区与ROSA观测计划有关的所有活动提供支持，包括（一）提案准备，（二）DST的观测支持，（三）数据简化，包括图像重建的应用，（四）ROSA档案的开发和维护。

Energy generated at the centre of the Sun by nuclear fusion flows out to the surface, and subsequently heats the various components of the atmosphere, including the photosphere, chromosphere and corona. The heating of the atmosphere often leads to rapid changes in the intensities of spectral lines which are formed in different atmospheric regions. Observing and modelling such rapid changes, which often take place on very short timescales (less than 1 second) are hence vital in order to properly understand energy outflow in the Sun and how the atmosphere is heated. Unfortunately however, there are few instruments capable of observing the Sun at sufficiently high cadence in order to reliably detect rapid changes in the atmosphere. In particular, satellite-based instrumentation has not been able to observe the Sun at very high cadence due to telemetry restrictions. However, in 2006 we obtained funding from both the STFC and our host institute, Queen's University Belfast (QUB), to construct a state-of-the-art imager - Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA). This is a 6-CCD system capable of observing the Sun simultaneously in multiple wavebands at a cadence of up to 200 Hz. ROSA was successfully commissioned last year on the Dunn Solar Telescope (DST) at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) Sacramento Peak in the USA. It will shortly be delivered as a common-user instrument and be available on the DST for an initial 3-year period from Summer 2009. As part of our agreement with the NSO, the UK will receive a guaranteed minimum of 20 days per year observing time on the DST during this 3-year period. It is important that the UK solar physics community benefits from the STFC investment in ROSA, and fully exploits the guaranteed time allocation on the DST. ROSA provides both unprecedented time resolution (5 milliseconds) and spatial resolution, as we have developed image reconstruction techniques that allow extremely sharp images of the Sun to be obtained with ROSA on the DST. Indeed, we can resolve structures smaller than 100 km in size on the solar surface, which lies at a distance of 150 million km from Earth. This is equivalent to resolving an object less than 1 cm across which is 15 km away. Additionally, the multiple wavebands of ROSA permit up to 6 regions of the solar atmosphere to be observed simultaneously. Hence effectively the whole atmosphere from the low photosphere to the upper chromosphere can be observed and analysed as one coupled system. In particular, ROSA will allow the investigation of oscillatory and transitory phenomena at an unprecedented level of detail, either as a standalone instrument or in conjunction with STFC-supported satellite missions. In this proposal we seek modest STFC funding to establish a Support Facility for ROSA operations in the UK, to be based at QUB. This will provide support for all activities associated with ROSA observing programmes by the UK community, including (i) proposal preparation, (ii) observing support at the DST, (iii) data reduction, including the application of image reconstruction, (iv) development and maintenance of a ROSA archive.