Eclipse Observations: Pathfinder for DKIST Coronal Science

在2019年和2020年的日全食期间，月球阴影将穿越一千多英里的地面，从而使多个陆基观测站能够在几分钟的时间尺度上探测和研究日冕中的动态事件。 该团队以前进行的日食探险已经产生了一个独特观测数据库，这些观测数据增加了我们对太阳风和空间天气的总体了解。 这些观测只能在日全食期间获得，日全食很少经过陆地，只持续几分钟。首席研究员将发表公开讲座，强调只有在日全食期间才能做的科学，以及如何利用它们来提高我们理解和预测空间天气的能力。 学生将参与这些国际考察，对所得数据的分析将形成至少一篇博士论文的基础。在两次日食中，相同的成像和光谱仪器将部署在三个相隔数百英里的主要地点。这些观测将扩展该团队之前的日食观测，覆盖Fe的电离态套件，从Xi到XV，并在Ar，Ni和S中成像。这套仪器将能够更深入地探索日冕和太阳风动力学的过程，并将补充NSF即将完成的丹尼尔K。Inouye太阳望远镜。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。

During the 2019 and 2020 total solar eclipses, the lunar shadow will traverse over a thousand miles of ground, thus enabling multiple land-based observing sites to probe and study dynamic events in the solar corona on timescales of a few minutes. Previous solar eclipse expeditions conducted by this team have produced a database of unique observations that have increased our understanding of the solar wind and space weather in general. These observations can only be obtained during total solar eclipses, which pass over land very rarely and last only a few minutes. The principal investigator will deliver public lectures emphasizing science that can only be done during total solar eclipses and how they can be used to enhance our ability to understand and predict space weather. Students will be involved in these international expeditions, and analysis of the resulting data will form the basis of at least one PhD thesis.At both eclipses, identical instrumentation for imaging and spectroscopy will be deployed at three primary sites separated by hundreds of miles. The observations will expand upon the team's previous eclipse observaions by covering the suite of ionization states of Fe, from XI to XV, and by imaging in Ar, Ni and S. This suite of instruments will enable a more in-depth exploration of the processes responsible for the dynamics of the corona and solar wind and will complement the science return from NSF's soon-to-be-completed Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope.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.