Wavelength Calibration of the Full-Sun Ultraviolet Rocket SpecTrometer (FURST)

The Full-sun Ultraviolet Rocket SpecTrometer (FURST) is a sounding rocket payload being developed by Montana State University (MSU) alongside the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Solar Physics Group. Scheduled to launch at the end of 2021, this sounding rocket is unique in that it will produce the highest resolution full-disk FUV spectra to-date of the Sun; this will allow for direct comparison of stars by way of comparable resolution data gathered by Hubble (HST). The main purpose of this research is to develop a simulation of an incident signal with approximations for photon noise, CCD electronic readout noise, and statistical error, to be used during the calibration of FURST. This crucial step will allow us to develop the necessary error budget to meet the 3 km/s Doppler-shift required to resolve the relative motion of the low-temperature plasma in the chromosphere and lower corona. The simulation results and their impact on the calibration process shall be discussed. Future work includes absolute radiometric and wavelength calibration in collaboration with NIST.

This material is based upon work supported by the NSF EPSCoR RII-Track-1.2a (Non-invasive plasma diagnostics for LTP) Cooperative Agreement OIA-1655280. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.