About the project
"Norwegian utilization of the Swedish Solar Telescope on La Palma" is a project funded by the Research Council of Norway for 2006-2010.
Objectives
Provide the necessary personnel and equipment to secure an efficient Norwegian use of the world leading Swedish 1m Solar Telescope on La Palma.
Summary
The Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) on La Palma is the world leading facility for high resolution observations of the Sun. The SST has an advanced adaptive optics system that corrects distortions of the images caused by the Earth’s atmosphere. This system improves the images dramatically but the theoretical limit of 70 km resolution is still only rarely achieved. We have developed methods of post-processing large volumes of images taken at a high data-rate which enables diffraction limited observing a larger fraction of the observing time (Multi-Object Multi-Frame Blind Deconvolution, MOMFBD).
With these techniques we are pursuing several projects where such high resolution is essential: the structure and dynamics of small scale magnetic elements, the structure and dynamics of filaments and the foot-point motion of loops, see the work plan for more details. The Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics has the right to 40 observing days per year at the SST through a contract with the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The cost for the observing time and the travel costs are covered by the Observatory Fund of the University of Oslo. The observing techniques are demanding; both in the observing phase and the data reduction phase. An efficient use of the techniques therefore necessitates support from dedicated personnel. This project provides such a support researcher (post.doc) and the necessary supplementary equipment to meet the scientific goals through an efficient Norwegian use of the unique Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope on La Palma.