Waves and Magnetism in the Solar Atmosphere (WAMIS)

Abstract:

Magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere provide the energy for most varieties of solar activity, including high-energy electromagnetic radiation, solar energetic particles, flares, and coronal mass ejections, as well as powering the solar wind. Despite the fundamental role of magnetic fields in solar and heliospheric physics, there exists only very limited measurements of the field above the base of the corona. What is needed are direct measurements of not only the strength and orientation of the magnetic field but also the signatures of wave motions in order to better understand coronal structure, solar activity and the role of MHD waves in heating and accelerating the solar wind. Fortunately, the remote sensing instrumentation used to make magnetic field measurements is also well suited for measuring the Doppler signature of waves in the solar structures.

With this in mind, we are proposing the WAMIS (Waves and Magnetism in the Solar Atmosphere) investigation. WAMIS will take advantage of greatly improved infrared (IR) detectors, forward models, advanced diagnostic tools and inversion codes to obtain a breakthrough in the measurement of coronal magnetic fields and in the understanding of the interaction of these fields with space plasmas. This will be achieved with a high altitude balloon borne payload consisting of a coronagraph with an IR spectro-polarimeter focal plane assembly. The balloon platform provides minimum atmospheric absorption and scattering at the IR wavelengths in which these observations are made. Additionally, a NASA long duration balloon flight mission from the Antarctic can achieve continuous observations over most of a solar rotation, covering all of the key time scales for the evolution of coronal magnetic fields. With these improvements in key technologies along with experience gained from current ground-based instrumentation, WAMIS will provide a low-cost mission with a high technology readiness leve.