Outlook on future Solar-Terrestrial missions

D. Berghmans & J.-F. Hochedez

Royal Observatory of Belgium

Solar Physics at ROBObservational Solar Physics

(pure science)Scientific services (applied science)

Solar Physics

macroscalesmicroscales

Scientific services

Space WeatherMonitoring

Data collectionand distribution

Solar Physics at ROB

Solar Physics (pure science)

macroscalesmicroscales

Scientific services (applied science)

Understanding the small-scale plasma behavior,

coronal heating

Understanding the large scale dynamics of the solar

atmosphere, flares & CMEs.

Space WeatherMonitoring

Data collectionand distribution

Bulletins, forecasts and alerts

Solar Physics at ROB

Solar Physics (pure science)

macroscalesmicroscales

Scientific services (applied science)

Understanding the small-scale plasma behavior,

coronal heating

Understanding the large scale dynamics of the solar

atmosphere, flares & CMEs.

Space WeatherMonitoring

Data collectionand distribution

Bulletins, forecasts and alerts

Solar Physics at ROB

Solar Physics at the Microscales

Smallest flares contribute most Smallest flares are also fastest

Solar Physics at the Microscales

• State-of-the-art instruments • Highest spatial resolution imaging• Image cadence correspondingly fast• Multi-wavelength

Smallest flares contribute most Smallest flares are also fastest

Instrumentrequirements

AIA &

Solar Physics at the Macroscales

Precursors to coronal mass ejections? CME statistics?

SOHO - EIT SOHO - LASCO

Solar Physics at the Macroscales

• fast EUV full disk imaging• coronagraphy & heliospheric imaging

Precursors to coronal mass ejections? CME statistics?

Instrumentrequirements

Space weather monitoring

Space weather monitoring

• EUV full disk imaging and coronagraphy• Emphasis on continuous coverage, stability of operations and calibration• Solar indices

Instrumentrequirments

Overview priorities

1. High resolution & multi-wavelength

2. Continuous fast EUV full disk observations

3. Coronagraphy & heliospheric imaging

4. Solar activity indices

mac

rosc

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micro

scal

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Spac

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+ +

Future solar space missions

Being built

• Stereo (2006)

– CMEs

• Solar-B (2006)

– Magnetism in the Corona

• PROBA2 (2007)

– CMEs & flares

• SDO (2008)

– 1st LWS mission

• PICARD (2009)

Being defined

• PROBA3 (2011)

– Advanced coronagraph

• SMESE

• Kuafu-A (2012)

– Space Weather Science

• Solar Orbiter (2015)

– Connecting in-situ and remote sensing

– High resolution

• Cosmic Vision solar mission

– 2020+ ?

PROBA3

• Inner coronographic Science investigations– Link X-ray and/or EUV disc imaging with higher

Corona observations

• SpW monitoring value– No other coronagraph at the time of operations

(2012)– 18h/day, but for only 1 year– Complementary payload TBD

• Similar to Stereo-HI or PROBA2-LYRA?

KUAFU

• Successful fast-progressing program• Focus on the Science of Space Weather

– Strong ILWS blessing, complement SDO

• Flexible remote sensing payload– Innovative concepts, significant ressources

• Permanent stereo?• Moses (spectro-imaging)• (polarimetric) Ly-alpha imager (S.O. preparation)

• Important role of Belgium– Pierre Rochus (CSL) EDI PI

Solar Orbiter

• Quasi-total Science Community support– The one ESA solar mission after SOHO

• Mission profile– Explore inner-heliosphere, Co-rotation vantage point, out-of-

the ecliptic (38° but in 2024)

• Large interest for In Situ Remote Sensing connection

• Belgian (ROB/CSL) interest for the Full Sun Imager

• Schedule and funding unclear(@ Time of writing)

Parameters limiting Solar (Orbiter) UV observations

2

2

d

PA

TA

SNR eff

ExpTimeSun

Distance to Sun.From 1 to 0.2 AU

the S.O. orbit brings 25.

Area @ Sun.From 500 km (TRACE) to 35-75 km, Solar Orbiter needs to

divide ASun by ~100

Time constants.To be divided by 100 (or more!)

The higher effective area ,the better

Radiance of Solar features

(filling factor will help?)

Signal-to-Noise ratio should be maintained or increased.

ROB assets in Solar space experiments

• Heritage in EUV observations– Data exploitation, innovative instrument design, calibrations,

advanced processing, Science operations…

• Development of UV detectors– LYRA (2002), BOLD (2006)

• Science Operation Data centre– PROBA2, PICARD, Kuafu TBC

• On-board S/W– Advanced compression schemes, onboard algoritmics– SWAP, LYRA, Smese tbc, S.O.-EUI tbc

Beyond 2018

• Forthcoming ESA Cosmic Vision call– Might be only one A.O.– Community not very ready (energy put to maintain

S.O.)– RISE: powerful obs at Earth orbit + probe– Solarnet: very high resolution mission by

interferometry. SIDC offered to lead• NASA

– Sentinels– Solar Probe??

• the “evolving Great Observatory” concept

Timeline

soho C

IR

C

IR

C

IR

C

IR

Stereo C

IS

C

IS

C

IS

C

IS

C

IS

Solar B I I I

SDO IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR IR

PROBA2 IR IR IR

PROBA3 C C C

KUAFU CIH?S?

CIH?S?

CIH?S?

CIH?S?

CIH?S?

S.O. C

IH

C

IH

C

IH

C

IH

C

IH

C

IH

06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Gre

at O

bser

vato

ry

R: UV radiometerI: UV imagingC: Coronagraph

S: stereo abilityH: High resolution

Int’l conf in Gent