Imaging Grating Spectrometer (I-GRASP) for Solar Soft X-Ray Spectral Measurements in Critically Under-Observed 0.5 - 7 nm Spectral Range
Abstract
We discuss science and technology advantages of the Imaging Grating Spectrometer (I-GRASP) based on a novel transmission diffracting grating (TDG) made possible by technology for fabricating Fresnel zone plates (ZPs) developed at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). Older version TDGs with 200 nm period available in the 1990s became a proven technology for providing 21 years of regular measurements of solar EUV irradiance. I-GRASP incorporates an advanced TDG with a grating period of 50 nm providing four times better diffraction dispersion than the 200 nm period gratings used in the SOHO/CELIAS/SEM, the SDO/EVE/ESP flight spectrophotometers, and the EVE/SAM sounding rocket channel. Such new technology for the TDG combined with a back-illuminated 2000 x 1504 CMOS image sensor with 7 micron pixels, will provide spatially-and-spectrally resolved images and spectra from individual Active Regions (ARs) and solar flares with high (0.15 nm) spectral resolution. Such measurements are not available in the spectral band from about 2 to 6 nm from existing or planned spectrographs and will be significantly important to study ARs and solar flare temperatures and dynamics, to improve existing spectral models, e.g. CHIANTI, and to better understand processes in the Earth's atmosphere processes. To test this novel technology, we have proposed to the NASA LCAS program an I-GRASP version for a sounding rocket flight to increase the TDG TRL to a level appropriate for future CubeSat projects.
- Publication:
-
AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AGUFMSH13A2284D
- Keywords:
-
- 2479 Solar radiation and cosmic ray effects;
- IONOSPHEREDE: 7509 Corona;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMYDE: 7538 Solar irradiance;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMYDE: 7554 X-rays;
- gamma rays;
- and neutrinos;
- SOLAR PHYSICS;
- ASTROPHYSICS;
- AND ASTRONOMY