High-Precision Spectro-Polarimetry in the SUNRISE Balloon-Borne Solar Observatory
Y. Katsukawa

The Sunrise observatory carries a 1 m aperture optical telescope, and allows us to perform seeing-free visible-IR observations as well as observations in the 200 - 300 nm UV range from an altitude higher than 35 km. In the third flight, a new spectro-polarimeter is expected to be implemented for observing chromospheric lines. Targets of the spectro-polarimeter are to study driving mechanisms of spicules and jets in the chromosphere and to clarify an energy flow along chromospheric structures based on the spectro-polarimetric observations combined with the imaging ones. For doing them, a spectro-polarimeter is designed to observe both Ca II 854 nm and Na I D 589 nm lines simultaneously, as a baseline, to have good magnetic sensitivity from the photosphere to the middle chromosphere. The spatial resolution and FOV are 0.2" and 50"x50", respectively, and 3e-4 polarimetric sensitivity can be achieved within 15 sec integration. The third flight is desired to be in 2020 not to significantly fall behind DKIST.


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