Simultaneous 2-D Spatial Spectra Using a Microlens Array
Abstract
Simultaneous spatial spectra of extended solar structures, at a high spatial resolution and temporal cadence is important to track and understand the physics of dynamical evolutionary phenomena. Replacing the slit of a conventional spectrograph with a micro-lens array will then help to capture simultaneous spatial spectra using a large format CCD camera. Such a technique will be useful to study small structures (a few arcseconds across) such as Ellerman bombs, kernels of flares, filamentary evolution and spicules. At the NSO/Richard B. Dunn Solar Telescope, we have used a micro-lens array (0.6 mm pitch, 50 x 50 lens-lets) to observe structures with a spatial sampling of 0.24 arcseconds in Hα \ spectral line. The spectral sampling is 0.93 Angstroms/pixel over a 10- Angstroms bandwidth. The field-of-view is however limited to about 12 arcseconds. We have also explored the microlens array the observations to magnetic spectral lines such as FeI 6301.5 and FeI 6302.5 Angstroms for variation of line-of-sight of subarcsecond magnetic fields. We present initial results from an engineering observational experiment at the Dunn Solar Telescope.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #194
- Pub Date:
- May 1999
- Bibcode:
- 1999AAS...194.9306B