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HINODE Operation Plan (HOP)

accepted on

21-aug-2014

 HOP No.

  HOP title

HOP 0263
Joint Flare Observations in Support of DST Service Mode Operations with ROSA, IBIS and FIRS

plan term

ToO
2014/10/01-2014/10/31

 　 　

proposer

  name : Tritschler, Milligan, Cauzzi 　  e-mail : r.milligan[at]qub.ac.uk

contact person in HINODE team

  name : Mariska 　  e-mail : jtmariska[at]gmail.com

 abstract of observational proposal
The Dunn Solar Telescope (DST) of NSO will conduct a full month of Service Mode Operations dedicated to observations of solar flares, scheduled for October 2014. The whole suite of DST state-of-the-art instrumentation will be employed: ROSA (Jess et al. 2010) will operate in the blue wavelength range, with fast imaging in: CaIIK, G-Band, H-Beta, blue continuum at 417 nm; IBIS (Cavallini 2006) will operate in the visible wavelength range with spectroscopy in FeI 543.4 nm; and spectroscopy/spectropolarimetry in: HeD3 587.56 nm, NaD 589.6 nm, H-alpha, FeI 617.3 nm, CaII 854.2nm; FIRS (Jaeggli et al. 2010) will operate in the near-infrared wavelength range, with spectropolarimetry in HeI 1083 nm or FeI 1565 nm.

A call for proposals has been issued, with deadline August 15, 2014. We expect that participating PI's will submit proposals focusing on various topics of flare physics. Those different proposals will be scientifically ranked, and on a daily basis the local staff will make decisions on which proposal will be executed, considering solar conditions (predicted flare activity i.e. target availability) and observing conditions (i.e. seeing).

The DST service mode operations will be supported by IRIS in the local morning hours, 15-18 UT, if no other conflicts arise (precise OBSID is still under discussion). The EVE Team has agreed on MEGS-B support during the same hours.

The purpose of this HOP is to secure EIS support to the DST flare observations, as concomitant EUV spectroscopy will greatly enhance the diagnostics capabilities of ground-based observations. Obvious examples concern the analysis of co-temporal chromospheric evaporation flows in plasma at vastly different temperatures; their relation to (spatially resolved) WL kernels and their evolution; the constraints imposed by simultaneous diagnostics of coronal and chromospheric temperatures and densities on flare heating mechanisms.

The support is only requested when solar and Sunspot observing conditions are suitable and as such not for every day during October. It is noteworthy to mention that the NSO DST Service Mode has an open data policy. All data acquired during any DST SMO is openly available to all of the solar community not just participating PI’s. There is no data embargo imposed either.

 request to SOT
The SOT should run a modification of "SOT-Case #4" (Flare mode, impulsive phase of a flare, see http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/home/solar/hinode_op/flare_observation/SOT_AR_FL_obs_plan.htm). We request that the 109"x109" FOV is observed in CaIIH and the G-band all at a cadence of 1 min, until a XRT Flare Trigger, at which point the standard 20 s cadence should be used. The program should be run for
the same 3 hrs as EIS.

 request to XRT
XRT should run its Standard Core Flare Program: Thin-Be (Thin-Be+Thick-Be) and Med-Be (Med-Be+Thick- Al) with Q95, AEC 1, 20 second cadence for the first 5 minutes, then 60 second cadence (http://xrt.cfa.harvard.edu/missionops/observing/AR_Flare_ops.php).

The program should be run when a XRT Flare Trigger occurs.

 request to EIS
Following previous experience, we identified what we believe could be an optimal EIS study, highly complementary to the varied ground-based observations that we expect to conduct.

The proposed EIS study is a slightly modified version of program 5 of the EIS Flare Study Options (http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/www_solar/eisflarestudy.html), in particular with an increased exposure time (from 2 s to 4 s) and a reduced raster size of 104" to 72", in order to maintain raster cadence at an acceptable level. The increased exposure time has been decided after analyzing previous data, which showed high noise levels in several lines. Raster duration and data volumes need to be verified by the EIS Team.

EIS study:
This is a raster study measuring plasma dynamics and density changes during solar flares over a broad range of temperatures. The EIS diagnostics, combined with information on chromospheric and TR dynamics (IBIS, IRIS), as well as photospheric and magnetic evolution (SOT, ROSA, FIRS), will represent a very complete dataset for analysis of many aspects of flare physics.

EIS STUDY TITLE: qub_hi-cad_flare_v2
EIS STUDY ACRONYM: qub_hi-cad_flare_4s_exp_72"x104"
TARGET: Flare
EXPOSURE TIME: 4 sec
RASTER: Scanning
SLIT: 2"
STEP SIZE 2"
FOV: 72"x104"
RASTER DURATION: 3 m 42 s
LINES: He II, O V (density sensitive pair), O VI, Mg VI, Mg VII, Si X, S XIII, Fe VIII, Fe X, Fe XI (density sensitive pair), Fe XII (density sensitive pair), Fe XIII (density sensitive pair), Fe XIV (density sensitive pair), Fe XV, Fe XVI, Fe XVII, Ca XV (density sensitive pair), Fe XXIII, Fe XXIV.

DATA VOLUME: 15.2 Mbits per raster (x16 repeats per hour = 243 MBits per hour = 973 Mbits for 4 hours)

 other participating instruments
DST: ROSA, IBIS, FIRS; see description in the introduction. The FOV ranges from 60"x60" of ROSA, to 98" diameter of IBIS, to active region size of FIRS (variable).

IRIS: from 15-18 UT whenever possible and no other conflicts arise

SDO/EVE (MEGS-B): daily from 15-18 UT

RHESSI should be back in full operation end of August 2014, after the latest annealing.

 remarks
We do not request daily support during this total time period (see below for details).

Daily Time Window: 15– 18 UT

Solar AND local Sunspot observing conditions will determine whether support is requested.

Solar conditions: we will predominantly rely on the Max Millennium Program to determine whether solar conditions are favorable triggering the request for support. As such, the support is not expected for every day during the month but only when an MM#19, MM#003 (Major Flare Watch) or MM#018 (Great Flare Watch) is issued. However, under special circumstances we would like to ask for additional support even if no MM message is issued.

POINTING/TARGET SELECTION:
The program should be run on a flare producing active region (C-class flares or greater) or if a MM#019(20?) (DST Flare Campaign), MM#003 (Major Flare Watch), or MM#018 (Great Flare Watch) is issued AND local Sunspot observing conditions are foreseen to be suitable. The target region can be anywhere on the solar surface, although limb observations are more difficult from the ground. We understand that discussion will be ongoing daily between DST, MM_CO and Hinode/EIS personnel to decide when / where to activate the present HOP.

INSTRUCTIONS TO PLANNERS:
The scheduling of the proposed HOP is determined by typical seeing conditions at Sunspot, NM at the time of the observing campaign (1-31 October, 2014). Seeing conditions are typically optimal during the first few hours after sunrise (15:00-18:00 UT). We therefore request that EIS continuously rasters over the chosen Target of Opportunity (ToO) during a 3 hrs period during this time window, whether on the disk or at the limb. Even though we do not intent to request support when local Sunspot observing conditions are not favorable or foreseen to be favorable, we would like to point out that we believe that
the proposed Hinode dataset will have great scientific merit on its own and in conjunction with other space-based instruments, and should be considered to be run if solar activity is favorable.

Bibliography:
Cavallini F., 2006, Solar Physics 236, 415
Jess, D. et al., 2010, Solar Physics 261, 363
Jaeggli, S. et al, 2010, MemSAIt 81, 763

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