Peter, Hardi; Abbo, L.; Andretta, V.; Auchère, F.; Bemporad, A.; Berrilli, F.; Bommier, V.; Braukhane, A.; Casini, R.; Curdt, W.; Davila, J.; Dittus, H.; Fineschi, S.; Fludra, A.; Gandorfer, A.; Griffin, D.; Inhester, B.; Lagg, A.; Degl'Innocenti, E. Landi; Maiwald, V.; Manso-Sainz, R.; Martínez-Pillet, V.; Matthews, S.; Moses, D.; Parenti, S.; Pietarila, A.; Quantius, D.; Raouafi, N.-E.; Raymond, J.; Rochus, P.; Romberg, O.; Schlotterer, M.; Schühle, U.; Solanki, S.; Spadaro, D.; Teriaca, L.; Tomczyk, S.; Trujillo-Bueno, J.; Vial, J.-C.
Bibliographical reference
Experimental Astronomy, Volume 33, Issue 2-3, pp. 271-303
Description
The magnetic field plays a pivotal role in many fields of Astrophysics.
This is especially true for the physics of the solar atmosphere.
Measuring the magnetic field in the upper solar atmosphere is crucial to
understand the nature of the underlying physical processes that drive
the violent dynamics of the solar corona—that can also affect life
on Earth. SolmeX, a fully equipped solar space observatory for
remote-sensing observations, will provide the first comprehensive
measurements of the strength and direction of the magnetic field in the
upper solar atmosphere. The mission consists of two spacecraft, one
carrying the instruments, and another one in formation flight at a
distance of about 200 m carrying the occulter to provide an artificial
total solar eclipse. This will ensure high-quality coronagraphic
observations above the solar limb. SolmeX integrates two
spectro-polarimetric coronagraphs for off-limb observations, one in the
EUV and one in the IR, and three instruments for observations on the
disk. The latter comprises one imaging polarimeter in the EUV for
coronal studies, a spectro-polarimeter in the EUV to investigate the low
corona, and an imaging spectro-polarimeter in the UV for chromospheric
studies. SOHO and other existing missions have investigated the emission
of the upper atmosphere in detail (not considering polarization), and as
this will be the case also for missions planned for the near future.
Therefore it is timely that SolmeX provides the final piece of the
observational quest by measuring the magnetic field in the upper
atmosphere through polarimetric observations.
Related projects
Solar and Stellar Magnetism
Magnetic fields are at the base of star formation and stellar structure and evolution. When stars are born, magnetic fields brake the rotation during the collapse of the mollecular cloud. In the end of the life of a star, magnetic fields can play a key role in the form of the strong winds that lead to the last stages of stellar evolution. During
Magnetism, Polarization and Radiative Transfer in Astrophysics
Magnetic fields pervade all astrophysical plasmas and govern most of the variability in the Universe at intermediate time scales. They are present in stars across the whole Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, in galaxies, and even perhaps in the intergalactic medium. Polarized light provides the most reliable source of information at our disposal for the
