HR: 08:15h
AN: SH51E-02    [Abstracts]
TI: Finding the Sources of Irradiance Variation at Sunspot Minimum
AU: * Rust, D M
EM: dave.rust@jhuapl.edu
AF: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: Bernasconi, P N
EM: bernasconi@jhuapl.edu
AF: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AU: Foukal, P V
EM: pfoukal@world.std.com
AF: Heliophysics, Inc, 192 Willow Road, Nahant, MA 01908 United States
AU: LaBonte, B J
EM: barry.labonte@jhuapl.edu
AF: Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Rd., Laurel, MD 20723 United States
AB: In 2006-2007 the Solar Bolometric Imager (SBI) and the Multi-Spectral Imager (MSI) will operate in the polar stratosphere where near-space conditions can be attained for 10 to 20 days. The instruments will provide bolometric (wavelength-integrated light) and color temperature images of the Sun. At the upcoming sunspot minimum, SBI observations will be able to detect subtle sources of solar irradiance variation with the least confusion by signals from the magnetic fields. This is the best observational approach to characterizing potential causes of the long-term irradiance variations. Possible predicted sources of secular variability include torsional waves and meridional flow variations. SBI uses a 30-cm diameter F/12 Dall-Kirkham telescope with uncoated mirrors, and neutral density filters to provide broadband (bolometric) sensitivity that varies only by ñ7 percent over the wavelengths from 0.28 microns to 2.6 microns. The MSI is a CCD-based imager that will provide diagnostics of solar magnetic and thermal structures while SBI assesses their radiance. Sunspots, faculae and magnetic network will be identified from the MSI images. Sonic filtering of the MSI images will isolate the oscillatory signal. That signal will be used to remove oscillations from SBI averages to reduce the solar noise. Inferred solar irradiance variations will be compared with SORCE/TIM and ACRIMSAT measurements. The images and data products will be openly available via the Web.
UR: http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/SBI/
DE: 7538 Solar irradiance
DE: 1650 Solar variability
SC: SPA-Solar and Heliospheric Physics [SH]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting