Presentation
28 August 2024 Off-limb solar prominences observed near the diffraction limit of with adaptive optics
Dirk Schmidt, Vasyl Yurchyshyn, Nicolas Gorceix, Phil Goode, Thomas R. Rimmele
Author Affiliations +
Abstract
Solar prominences are dim protruding features outside the solar limb that are not routinely observed using adaptive optics yet. Conventional wavefront sensors at solar telescopes cannot use them as a target because they are designed to operate on very bright, weak contrast photospheric features. It was first demonstrated in 2013 at NSO's 0.7-meter Dunn Solar Telescope that it is possible to use prominences as a wavefront sensing reference in a correlating Shack-Hartmann sensor optimized for this purpose. The development of a wavefront sensor for prominences has since been continued at the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope in collaboration with NJIT's Big Bear Solar Observatory. With the latest revision of a wavefront sensor prototype in the summer of 2023, we were able to observe prominences in H-alpha as well as other features such as coronal rain and emerging loops with high-order adaptive optics correction. We will present stunning movies of highly dynamic and small scale events outside the solar limb, present the design of the wavefront sensor and estimate the performance of the adaptive optics correction.
Conference Presentation
© (2024) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Dirk Schmidt, Vasyl Yurchyshyn, Nicolas Gorceix, Phil Goode, and Thomas R. Rimmele "Off-limb solar prominences observed near the diffraction limit of with adaptive optics", Proc. SPIE 13097, Adaptive Optics Systems IX, 1309718 (28 August 2024); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.3013028
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KEYWORDS
Adaptive optics

Wavefront sensors

Solar telescopes

Diffraction limit

Optical instrument design

Prototyping

Rain

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