Author name code: bando ADS astronomy entries on 2022-09-14 author:"Bando, Takamasa" ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Title: Empirical relations between the intensities of Lyman lines of H and He+ Authors: Gordino, M.; Auchère, F.; Vial, J. -C.; Bocchialini, K.; Hassler, D. M.; Bando, T.; Ishikawa, R.; Kano, R.; Kobayashi, K.; Narukage, N.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Winebarger, A. Bibcode: 2022A&A...657A..86G Altcode: 2022arXiv220101519G Context. Empirical relations between major UV and extreme UV spectral lines are one of the inputs for models of chromospheric and coronal spectral radiances and irradiances. They are also needed for the interpretation of some of the observations of the Solar Orbiter mission.
Aims: We aim to determine an empirical relation between the intensities of the H I 121.6 nm and He II 30.4 nm Ly-α lines.
Methods: Images at 121.6 nm from the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro Polarimeter (CLASP) and Multiple XUV Imager (MXUVI) sounding rockets were co-registered with simultaneous images at 30.4 nm from the EIT and AIA orbital telescopes in order to derive a spatially resolved relationship between the intensities.
Results: We have obtained a relationship between the H I 121.6 nm and He II 30.4 nm intensities that is valid for a wide range of solar features, intensities, and activity levels. Additional SUMER data have allowed the derivation of another relation between the H I 102.5 nm (Ly-β) and He II 30.4 nm lines for quiet-Sun regions. We combined these two relationships to obtain a Ly-α/Ly-β intensity ratio that is comparable to the few previously published results.
Conclusions: The relationship between the H I 121.6 nm and He II 30.4 nm lines is consistent with the one previously obtained using irradiance data. We have also observed that this relation is stable in time but that its accuracy depends on the spatial resolution of the observations. The derived Ly-α/Ly-β intensity ratio is also compatible with previous results. Title: High-frequency Wave Propagation Along a Spicule Observed by CLASP Authors: Yoshida, Masaki; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Ishikawa, Ryohko; Okamoto, Takenori J.; Kubo, Masahito; Kano, Ryouhei; Narukage, Noriyuki; Bando, Takamasa; Winebarger, Amy R.; Kobayashi, Ken; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Auchère, Frédéric Bibcode: 2019ApJ...887....2Y Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) sounding rocket experiment, launched in 2015 September, observed the hydrogen Lyα line (121.6 nm) in an unprecedented high temporal cadence of 0.3 s. CLASP performed sit-and-stare observations of the quiet Sun near the limb for 5 minutes with a slit perpendicular to the limb and successfully captured an off-limb spicule evolving along the slit. The Lyα line is well suited for investigating how spicules affect the corona because it is sensitive to higher temperatures than other chromospheric lines, owing to its large optical thickness. We found high-frequency oscillations of the Doppler velocity with periods of 20-50 s and low-frequency oscillation of periods of ∼240 s on the spicule. From a wavelet analysis of the time sequence data of the Doppler velocity, in the early phase of the spicule evolution, we found that waves with a period of ∼30 s and a velocity amplitude of 2-3 km s-1 propagated upward along the spicule with a phase velocity of ∼470 km s-1. In contrast, in the later phase, possible downward and standing waves with smaller velocity amplitudes were also observed. The high-frequency waves observed in the early phase of the spicule evolution would be related with the dynamics and the formation of the spicules. Our analysis enabled us to identify the upward, downward, and standing waves along the spicule and to obtain the velocity amplitude of each wave directly from the Doppler velocity for the first time. We evaluated the energy flux by the upward-propagating waves along the spicule, and discussed the impact to the coronal heating. Title: Modeling the Scattering Polarization of the Hydrogen Lyα Line Observed by CLASP in a Filament Channel Authors: Štěpán, J.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Gunár, S.; Heinzel, P.; del Pino Alemán, T.; Kano, R.; Ishikawa, R.; Narukage, N.; Bando, T.; Winebarger, A.; Kobayashi, K.; Auchère, F. Bibcode: 2019ASPC..526..165S Altcode: The 400 arcsec spectrograph slit of CLASP crossed mainly quiet regions of the solar chromosphere, from the limb towards the solar disk center. Interestingly, in the CLASP slit-jaw images and in the SDO images of the He II line at 304 Å, we can identify a filament channel (FC) extending over more than 60 arcsec crossing the slit of the spectrograph. In order to interpret the peculiar spatial variation of the Q/I and U/I signals observed by CLASP in the hydrogen Lyα line (1216 Å), we perform multi-dimensional radiative transfer modeling in given filament models. In this contribution, we show the first results of the two-dimensional calculations we have carried out, with the aim of determining the filament thermal and magnetic structure by comparing the theoretical and the observed polarization signals. Our results suggest that the temperature gradients in the filament observed by CLASP are significantly larger than previously thought. Title: Comparison of Scattering Polarization Signals Observed by CLASP: Possible Indication of the Hanle Effect Authors: Ishikawa, R.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Uitenbroek, H.; Kubo, M.; Tsuneta, S.; Goto, M.; Kano, R.; Narukage, N.; Bando, T.; Katsukawa, Y.; Ishikawa, S.; Giono, G.; Suematsu, Y.; Hara, H.; Shimizu, T.; Sakao, T.; Winebarger, A.; Kobayashi, K.; Cirtain, J.; Champey, P.; Auchère, F.; Štěpán, J.; Belluzzi, L.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Manso Sainz, R.; De Pomtieu, B.; Ichimoto, K.; Carlsson, M.; Casini, R. Bibcode: 2019ASPC..526..305I Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP; Kano et al. 2012; Kobayashi et al. 2012; Kubo et al. 2014) observed, for the first time, the linear polarization produced by scattering processes in the hydrogen Lyman-α (121.57 nm) and Si III (120.56 nm) lines of the solar disk radiation. The complexity of the observed scattering polarization (i.e., conspicuous spatial variations in Q/I and U/I at spatial scales of 10″-20″ and the absence of center-to- limb variation at the Lyman-α center; see Kano et al. 2017) motivated us to search for possible hints of the operation of the Hanle effect by comparing: (a) the Lyman-α line center signal, for which the critical field strength (BH) for the onset of the Hanle effect is 53 G, (b) the Lyman-α wing, which is insensitive to the Hanle effect, and (c) the Si III line, whose BH = 290 G. We focus on four regions with different total unsigned photospheric magnetic fluxes (estimated from SDO/HMI observations), and compare the corresponding U/I spatial variations in the Lyman-α wing, Lyman-α center, and Si III line. The U/I signal in the Lyman-α wing shows an antisymmetric spatial distribution, which is caused by the presence of a bright structure in all the selected regions, regardless of the total unsigned photospheric magnetic flux. In an internetwork region, the Lyman-α center shows an antisymmetric spatial variation across the selected bright structure, but it does not show it in other more magnetized regions. In the Si III line, the spatial variation of U/I deviates from the above-mentioned antisymmetric shape as the total unsigned photospheric magnetic flux increases. We argue that a plausible explanation of this differential behavior is the operation of the Hanle effect.

This work, presented in an oral contribution at this Workshop, has been published on The Astrophysical Journal (Ishikawa et al. 2017). Title: CLASP Constraints on the Magnetization and Geometrical Complexity of the Chromosphere-Corona Transition Region Authors: Trujillo Bueno, J.; Štěpán, J.; Belluzzi, L.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Manso Sainz, R.; del Pino Alemán, T.; Casini, R.; Ishikawa, R.; Kano, R.; Winebarger, A.; Auchère, F.; Narukage, N.; Kobayashi, K.; Bando, T.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kubo, M.; Ishikawa, S.; Giono, G.; Hara, H.; Suematsu, Y.; Shimizu, T.; Sakao, T.; Tsuneta, S.; Ichimoto, K.; Cirtain, J.; Champey, P.; De Pontieu, B.; Carlsson, M. Bibcode: 2018ApJ...866L..15T Altcode: 2018arXiv180908865T The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is a suborbital rocket experiment that on 2015 September 3 measured the linear polarization produced by scattering processes in the hydrogen Lyα line of the solar disk radiation. The line-center photons of this spectral line radiation mostly stem from the chromosphere-corona transition region (TR). These unprecedented spectropolarimetric observations revealed an interesting surprise, namely that there is practically no center-to-limb variation (CLV) in the Q/I line-center signals. Using an analytical model, we first show that the geometric complexity of the corrugated surface that delineates the TR has a crucial impact on the CLV of the Q/I and U/I line-center signals. Second, we introduce a statistical description of the solar atmosphere based on a 3D model derived from a state-of-the-art radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulation. Each realization of the statistical ensemble is a 3D model characterized by a given degree of magnetization and corrugation of the TR, and for each such realization we solve the full 3D radiative transfer problem taking into account the impact of the CLASP instrument degradation on the calculated polarization signals. Finally, we apply the statistical inference method presented in a previous paper to show that the TR of the 3D model that produces the best agreement with the CLASP observations has a relatively weak magnetic field and a relatively high degree of corrugation. We emphasize that a suitable way to validate or refute numerical models of the upper solar chromosphere is by confronting calculations and observations of the scattering polarization in ultraviolet lines sensitive to the Hanle effect. Title: Characterizing vibrations at the Subaru Telescope for the Subaru coronagraphic extreme adaptive optics instrument Authors: Lozi, Julien; Guyon, Olivier; Jovanovic, Nemanja; Takato, Naruhisa; Singh, Garima; Norris, Barnaby; Okita, Hirofumi; Bando, Takamasa; Martinache, Frantz Bibcode: 2018JATIS...4d9001L Altcode: 2018arXiv180908296L Vibrations are a key source of image degradation in ground-based instrumentation, especially for high-contrast imaging instruments. Vibrations reduce the quality of the correction provided by the adaptive optics system, blurring the science image, and reducing the sensitivity of most science modules. We studied vibrations using the Subaru coronagraphic extreme adaptive optics instrument at the Subaru Telescope as it is the most vibration-sensitive system installed on the telescope. We observed vibrations for all targets, usually at low frequency, below 10 Hz. Using accelerometers on the telescope, we confirmed that these vibrations were introduced by the telescope itself, and not the instrument. It was determined that they were related to the pitch of the encoders of the telescope drive system, both in altitude and azimuth, with frequencies evolving proportionally to the rotational speed of the telescope. Another strong vibration was found in the altitude axis of the telescope, around the time of transit of the target, when the altitude rotational speed is below 0.12 arc sec / s. These vibrations are amplified by the 10-Hz control loop of the telescope, especially in a region between 4 and 6 Hz. We demonstrate an accurate characterization of the frequencies of the telescope vibrations using only the coordinates-right ascension and declination-of the target and provide a means by which we can predict them for any telescope pointing. This will be a powerful tool that can be used by more advanced wavefront control algorithms, especially predictive control that uses information about the disturbance to calculate the best correction. Title: A Statistical Inference Method for Interpreting the CLASP Observations Authors: Štěpán, J.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Belluzzi, L.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Manso Sainz, R.; del Pino Alemán, T.; Casini, R.; Kano, R.; Winebarger, A.; Auchère, F.; Ishikawa, R.; Narukage, N.; Kobayashi, K.; Bando, T.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kubo, M.; Ishikawa, S.; Giono, G.; Hara, H.; Suematsu, Y.; Shimizu, T.; Sakao, T.; Tsuneta, S.; Ichimoto, K.; Cirtain, J.; Champey, P.; De Pontieu, B.; Carlsson, M. Bibcode: 2018ApJ...865...48S Altcode: 2018arXiv180802725S On 2015 September 3, the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) successfully measured the linear polarization produced by scattering processes in the hydrogen Lyα line of the solar disk radiation, revealing conspicuous spatial variations in the Q/I and U/I signals. Via the Hanle effect, the line-center Q/I and U/I amplitudes encode information on the magnetic field of the chromosphere-corona transition region, but they are also sensitive to the three-dimensional structure of this corrugated interface region. With the help of a simple line-formation model, here we propose a statistical inference method for interpreting the Lyα line-center polarization observed by CLASP. Title: Current State of UV Spectro-Polarimetry and its Future Direction Authors: Ishikawa, Ryohko; Sakao, Taro; Katsukawa, Yukio; Hara, Hirohisa; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Kubo, Masahito; Auchere, Frederic; De Pontieu, Bart; Winebarger, Amy; Kobayashi, . Ken; Kano, Ryouhei; Narukage, Noriyuki; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Song, Dong-uk; Manso Sainz, Rafael; Asensio Ramos, Andres; Leenaarts, Jorritt; Carlsson, Mats; Bando, Takamasa; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Tsuneta, Saku; Belluzzi, Luca; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Giono, Gabriel; Yoshida, Masaki; Goto, Motoshi; Del Pino Aleman, Tanausu; Stepan, Jiri; Okamoto, Joten; Tsuzuki, Toshihiro; Uraguchi, Fumihiro; Champey, Patrick; Alsina Ballester, Ernest; Casini, Roberto; McKenzie, David; Rachmeler, Laurel; Bethge, Christian Bibcode: 2018cosp...42E1564I Altcode: To obtain quantitative information on the magnetic field in low beta regions (i.e., upper chromosphere and above) has been increasingly important to understand the energetic phenomena of the outer solar atmosphere such as flare, coronal heating, and the solar wind acceleration. In the UV range, there are abundant spectral lines that originate in the upper chromosphere and transition region. However, the Zeeman effect in these spectral lines does not give rise to easily measurable polarization signals because of the weak magnetic field strength and the larger Doppler broadening compared with the Zeeman effect. Instead, the Hanle effect in UV lines is expected to be a suitable diagnostic tool of the magnetic field in the upper atmospheric layers. To investigate the validity of UV spectro-polarimetry and the Hanle effect, the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP), which is a NASA sounding- rocket experiment, was launched at White Sands in US on September 3, 2015. During its 5 minutes ballistic flight, it successfully performed spectro-polarimetric observations of the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line (121.57 nm) with an unprecedentedly high polarization sensitivity of 0.1% in this wavelength range. CLASP observed the linear polarization produced by scattering process in VUV lines for the first time and detected the polarization signals which indicate the operation of the Hanle effect. Following the success of CLASP, we are confident that UV spectro-polarimetry is the way to proceed, and we are planning the second flight of CLASP (CLASP2: Chromospheric LAyer SpectroPolarimeter 2). For this second flight we will carry out spectro-polarimetry in the Mg II h and k lines around 280 nm, with minimum modifications of the CLASP1 instrument. The linear polarization in the Mg II k line is induced by scattering processes and the Hanle effect, being sensitive to magnetic field strengths of 5 to 50 G. In addition, the circular polarizations in the Mg II h and k lines induced by the Zeeman effect can be measurable in at least plage and active regions. The combination of the Hanle and Zeeman effects could help us to more reliably infer the magnetic fields of the upper solar chromosphere. CLASP2 was selected for flight and is being developed for launch in the spring of 2019.Based on these sounding rocket experiments (CLASP1 and 2), we aim at establishing the strategy and refining the instrument concept for future space missions to explore the enigmatic atmospheric layers via UV spectro-polarimetry. Title: Comparison of Solar Fine Structure Observed Simultaneously in Lyα and Mg II h Authors: Schmit, D.; Sukhorukov, A. V.; De Pontieu, B.; Leenaarts, J.; Bethge, C.; Winebarger, A.; Auchère, F.; Bando, T.; Ishikawa, R.; Kano, R.; Kobayashi, K.; Narukage, N.; Trujillo Bueno, J. Bibcode: 2017ApJ...847..141S Altcode: 2017arXiv170900035S The Chromospheric Lyman Alpha Spectropolarimeter (CLASP) observed the Sun in H I Lyα during a suborbital rocket flight on 2015 September 3. The Interface Region Imaging Telescope (IRIS) coordinated with the CLASP observations and recorded nearly simultaneous and co-spatial observations in the Mg II h and k lines. The Mg II h and Lyα lines are important transitions, energetically and diagnostically, in the chromosphere. The canonical solar atmosphere model predicts that these lines form in close proximity to each other and so we expect that the line profiles will exhibit similar variability. In this analysis, we present these coordinated observations and discuss how the two profiles compare over a region of quiet Sun at viewing angles that approach the limb. In addition to the observations, we synthesize both line profiles using a 3D radiation-MHD simulation. In the observations, we find that the peak width and the peak intensities are well correlated between the lines. For the simulation, we do not find the same relationship. We have attempted to mitigate the instrumental differences between IRIS and CLASP and to reproduce the instrumental factors in the synthetic profiles. The model indicates that formation heights of the lines differ in a somewhat regular fashion related to magnetic geometry. This variation explains to some degree the lack of correlation, observed and synthesized, between Mg II and Lyα. Our analysis will aid in the definition of future observatories that aim to link dynamics in the chromosphere and transition region. Title: CLASP/SJ Observations of Rapid Time Variations in the Lyα Emission in a Solar Active Region Authors: Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Kubo, Masahito; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kano, Ryouhei; Narukage, Noriyuki; Ishikawa, Ryohko; Bando, Takamasa; Winebarger, Amy; Kobayashi, Ken; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Auchère, Frédéric Bibcode: 2017ApJ...846..127I Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyα SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) is a sounding rocket experiment launched on 2015 September 3 to investigate the solar chromosphere and transition region. The slit-jaw (SJ) optical system captured Lyα images with a high time cadence of 0.6 s. From the CLASP/SJ observations, many variations in the solar chromosphere and transition region emission with a timescale of <1 minute were discovered. In this paper, we focus on the active region within the SJ field of view and investigate the relationship between short (<30 s) temporal variations in the Lyα emission and the coronal structures observed by Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). We compare the Lyα temporal variations at the coronal loop footpoints observed in the AIA 211 Å (≈2 MK) and AIA 171 Å (≈0.6 MK) channels with those in the regions with bright Lyα features without a clear association with the coronal loop footpoints. We find more short (<30 s) temporal variations in the Lyα intensity in the footpoint regions. Those variations did not depend on the temperature of the coronal loops. Therefore, the temporal variations in the Lyα intensity at this timescale range could be related to the heating of the coronal structures up to temperatures around the sensitivity peak of 171 Å. No signature was found to support the scenario that these Lyα intensity variations were related to the nanoflares. Waves or jets from the lower layers (lower chromosphere or photosphere) are possible causes for this phenomenon. Title: Indication of the Hanle Effect by Comparing the Scattering Polarization Observed by CLASP in the Lyα and Si III 120.65 nm Lines Authors: Ishikawa, R.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Uitenbroek, H.; Kubo, M.; Tsuneta, S.; Goto, M.; Kano, R.; Narukage, N.; Bando, T.; Katsukawa, Y.; Ishikawa, S.; Giono, G.; Suematsu, Y.; Hara, H.; Shimizu, T.; Sakao, T.; Winebarger, A.; Kobayashi, K.; Cirtain, J.; Champey, P.; Auchère, F.; Štěpán, J.; Belluzzi, L.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Manso Sainz, R.; De Pontieu, B.; Ichimoto, K.; Carlsson, M.; Casini, R. Bibcode: 2017ApJ...841...31I Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter is a sounding rocket experiment that has provided the first successful measurement of the linear polarization produced by scattering processes in the hydrogen Lyα line (121.57 nm) radiation of the solar disk. In this paper, we report that the Si III line at 120.65 nm also shows scattering polarization and we compare the scattering polarization signals observed in the Lyα and Si III lines in order to search for observational signatures of the Hanle effect. We focus on four selected bright structures and investigate how the U/I spatial variations vary between the Lyα wing, the Lyα core, and the Si III line as a function of the total unsigned photospheric magnetic flux estimated from Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager observations. In an internetwork region, the Lyα core shows an antisymmetric spatial variation across the selected bright structure, but it does not show it in other more magnetized regions. In the Si III line, the spatial variation of U/I deviates from the above-mentioned antisymmetric shape as the total unsigned photospheric magnetic flux increases. A plausible explanation of this difference is the operation of the Hanle effect. We argue that diagnostic techniques based on the scattering polarization observed simultaneously in two spectral lines with very different sensitivities to the Hanle effect, like Lyα and Si III, are of great potential interest for exploring the magnetism of the upper solar chromosphere and transition region. Title: Polarization Calibration of the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter for a 0.1% Polarization Sensitivity in the VUV Range. Part II: In-Flight Calibration Authors: Giono, G.; Ishikawa, R.; Narukage, N.; Kano, R.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kubo, M.; Ishikawa, S.; Bando, T.; Hara, H.; Suematsu, Y.; Winebarger, A.; Kobayashi, K.; Auchère, F.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Tsuneta, S.; Shimizu, T.; Sakao, T.; Cirtain, J.; Champey, P.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Štěpán, J.; Belluzzi, L.; Manso Sainz, R.; De Pontieu, B.; Ichimoto, K.; Carlsson, M.; Casini, R.; Goto, M. Bibcode: 2017SoPh..292...57G Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter is a sounding rocket instrument designed to measure for the first time the linear polarization of the hydrogen Lyman-α line (121.6 nm). The instrument was successfully launched on 3 September 2015 and observations were conducted at the solar disc center and close to the limb during the five-minutes flight. In this article, the disc center observations are used to provide an in-flight calibration of the instrument spurious polarization. The derived in-flight spurious polarization is consistent with the spurious polarization levels determined during the pre-flight calibration and a statistical analysis of the polarization fluctuations from solar origin is conducted to ensure a 0.014% precision on the spurious polarization. The combination of the pre-flight and the in-flight polarization calibrations provides a complete picture of the instrument response matrix, and a proper error transfer method is used to confirm the achieved polarization accuracy. As a result, the unprecedented 0.1% polarization accuracy of the instrument in the vacuum ultraviolet is ensured by the polarization calibration. Title: Discovery of Scattering Polarization in the Hydrogen Lyα Line of the Solar Disk Radiation Authors: Kano, R.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Winebarger, A.; Auchère, F.; Narukage, N.; Ishikawa, R.; Kobayashi, K.; Bando, T.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kubo, M.; Ishikawa, S.; Giono, G.; Hara, H.; Suematsu, Y.; Shimizu, T.; Sakao, T.; Tsuneta, S.; Ichimoto, K.; Goto, M.; Belluzzi, L.; Štěpán, J.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Manso Sainz, R.; Champey, P.; Cirtain, J.; De Pontieu, B.; Casini, R.; Carlsson, M. Bibcode: 2017ApJ...839L..10K Altcode: 2017arXiv170403228K There is a thin transition region (TR) in the solar atmosphere where the temperature rises from 10,000 K in the chromosphere to millions of degrees in the corona. Little is known about the mechanisms that dominate this enigmatic region other than the magnetic field plays a key role. The magnetism of the TR can only be detected by polarimetric measurements of a few ultraviolet (UV) spectral lines, the Lyα line of neutral hydrogen at 121.6 nm (the strongest line of the solar UV spectrum) being of particular interest given its sensitivity to the Hanle effect (the magnetic-field-induced modification of the scattering line polarization). We report the discovery of linear polarization produced by scattering processes in the Lyα line, obtained with the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) rocket experiment. The Stokes profiles observed by CLASP in quiet regions of the solar disk show that the Q/I and U/I linear polarization signals are of the order of 0.1% in the line core and up to a few percent in the nearby wings, and that both have conspicuous spatial variations with scales of ∼10 arcsec. These observations help constrain theoretical models of the chromosphere-corona TR and extrapolations of the magnetic field from photospheric magnetograms. In fact, the observed spatial variation from disk to limb of polarization at the line core and wings already challenge the predictions from three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamical models of the upper solar chromosphere. Title: High-Reflectivity Coatings for a Vacuum Ultraviolet Spectropolarimeter Authors: Narukage, Noriyuki; Kubo, Masahito; Ishikawa, Ryohko; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kobiki, Toshihiko; Giono, Gabriel; Kano, Ryouhei; Bando, Takamasa; Tsuneta, Saku; Auchère, Frédéric; Kobayashi, Ken; Winebarger, Amy; McCandless, Jim; Chen, Jianrong; Choi, Joanne Bibcode: 2017SoPh..292...40N Altcode: Precise polarization measurements in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region are expected to be a new tool for inferring the magnetic fields in the upper atmosphere of the Sun. High-reflectivity coatings are key elements to achieving high-throughput optics for precise polarization measurements. We fabricated three types of high-reflectivity coatings for a solar spectropolarimeter in the hydrogen Lyman-α (Lyα ; 121.567 nm) region and evaluated their performance. The first high-reflectivity mirror coating offers a reflectivity of more than 80 % in Lyα optics. The second is a reflective narrow-band filter coating that has a peak reflectivity of 57 % in Lyα , whereas its reflectivity in the visible light range is lower than 1/10 of the peak reflectivity (∼5 % on average). This coating can be used to easily realize a visible light rejection system, which is indispensable for a solar telescope, while maintaining high throughput in the Lyα line. The third is a high-efficiency reflective polarizing coating that almost exclusively reflects an s-polarized beam at its Brewster angle of 68° with a reflectivity of 55 %. This coating achieves both high polarizing power and high throughput. These coatings contributed to the high-throughput solar VUV spectropolarimeter called the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP), which was launched on 3 September, 2015. Title: Polarization Calibration of the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter for a 0.1 % Polarization Sensitivity in the VUV Range. Part I: Pre-flight Calibration Authors: Giono, G.; Ishikawa, R.; Narukage, N.; Kano, R.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kubo, M.; Ishikawa, S.; Bando, T.; Hara, H.; Suematsu, Y.; Winebarger, A.; Kobayashi, K.; Auchère, F.; Trujillo Bueno, J. Bibcode: 2016SoPh..291.3831G Altcode: 2016SoPh..tmp..177G The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) is a sounding rocket experiment designed to measure for the first time the linear polarization of the hydrogen Lyman-α line (121.6 nm) and requires a 0.1 % polarization sensitivity, which is unprecedented for a spectropolarimeter in the vacuum UV (VUV) spectral range. Title: Discovery of Ubiquitous Fast-Propagating Intensity Disturbances by the Chromospheric Lyman Alpha Spectropolarimeter (CLASP) Authors: Kubo, M.; Katsukawa, Y.; Suematsu, Y.; Kano, R.; Bando, T.; Narukage, N.; Ishikawa, R.; Hara, H.; Giono, G.; Tsuneta, S.; Ishikawa, S.; Shimizu, T.; Sakao, T.; Winebarger, A.; Kobayashi, K.; Cirtain, J.; Champey, P.; Auchère, F.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Štěpán, J.; Belluzzi, L.; Manso Sainz, R.; De Pontieu, B.; Ichimoto, K.; Carlsson, M.; Casini, R.; Goto, M. Bibcode: 2016ApJ...832..141K Altcode: High-cadence observations by the slit-jaw (SJ) optics system of the sounding rocket experiment known as the Chromospheric Lyman Alpha Spectropolarimeter (CLASP) reveal ubiquitous intensity disturbances that recurrently propagate in either the chromosphere or the transition region or both at a speed much higher than the speed of sound. The CLASP/SJ instrument provides a time series of two-dimensional images taken with broadband filters centered on the Lyα line at a 0.6 s cadence. The multiple fast-propagating intensity disturbances appear in the quiet Sun and in an active region, and they are clearly detected in at least 20 areas in a field of view of 527″ × 527″ during the 5 minute observing time. The apparent speeds of the intensity disturbances range from 150 to 350 km s-1, and they are comparable to the local Alfvén speed in the transition region. The intensity disturbances tend to propagate along bright elongated structures away from areas with strong photospheric magnetic fields. This suggests that the observed fast-propagating intensity disturbances are related to the magnetic canopy structures. The maximum distance traveled by the intensity disturbances is about 10″, and the widths are a few arcseconds, which are almost determined by a pixel size of 1.″03. The timescale of each intensity pulse is shorter than 30 s. One possible explanation for the fast-propagating intensity disturbances observed by CLASP is magnetohydrodynamic fast-mode waves. Title: Optical alignment of the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter using sophisticated methods to minimize activities under vacuum Authors: Giono, G.; Katsukawa, Y.; Ishikawa, R.; Narukage, N.; Kano, R.; Kubo, M.; Ishikawa, S.; Bando, T.; Hara, H.; Suematsu, Y.; Winebarger, A.; Kobayashi, K.; Auchère, F.; Trujillo Bueno, J. Bibcode: 2016SPIE.9905E..3DG Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is a sounding-rocket instrument developed at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) as a part of an international collaboration. The instrument main scientific goal is to achieve polarization measurement of the Lyman-α line at 121.56 nm emitted from the solar upper-chromosphere and transition region with an unprecedented 0.1% accuracy. The optics are composed of a Cassegrain telescope coated with a "cold mirror" coating optimized for UV reflection and a dual-channel spectrograph allowing for simultaneous observation of the two orthogonal states of polarization. Although the polarization sensitivity is the most important aspect of the instrument, the spatial and spectral resolutions of the instrument are also crucial to observe the chromospheric features and resolve the Ly-α profiles. A precise alignment of the optics is required to ensure the resolutions, but experiments under vacuum conditions are needed since Ly-α is absorbed by air, making the alignment experiments difficult. To bypass this issue, we developed methods to align the telescope and the spectrograph separately in visible light. We explain these methods and present the results for the optical alignment of the CLASP telescope and spectrograph. We then discuss the combined performances of both parts to derive the expected resolutions of the instrument, and compare them with the flight observations performed on September 3rd 2015. Title: Development of a near-infrared detector and a fiber-optic integral field unit for a space solar observatory SOLAR-C Authors: Katsukawa, Yukio; Kamata, Yukiko; Anan, Tetsu; Hara, Hirohisa; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Bando, Takamasa; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Shimizu, Toshifumi Bibcode: 2016SPIE.9904E..5IK Altcode: We are developing a high sensitivity and fast readout near-infrared (NIR) detector and an integral field unit (IFU) for making spectro-polarimetric observations of rapidly varying chromospheric spectrum lines, such as He I 1083 nm and Ca II 854 nm, in the next space-based solar mission SOLAR-C. We made tests of a 1.7 μm cutoff H2RG detector with the SIDECAR ASIC for the application in SOLAR-C. It's important to verify its perfor- mance in the temperature condition around -100 °C, which is hotter than the typical temperature environment used for a NIR detector. We built a system for testing the detector between -70 °C and -140 °C. We verified linearity, read-out noise, and dark current in both the slow and fast readout modes. We found the detector has to be cooled down lower than -100 °C because of significant increase of the number of hot pixels in the hotter environment. The compact and polarization maintenance IFU was designed using fiber-optic ribbons consisting of rectangular cores which exhibit good polarization maintenance. A Silicone adhesive DC-SE9187L was used to hold the fragile fiber-optic ribbons in a metal housing. Polarization maintenance property was confirmed though polarization calibration as well as temperature control are required to suppress polarization crosstalk and to achieve the polarization accuracy in SOLAR-C. Title: In-flight performance of the polarization modulator in the CLASP rocket experiment Authors: Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Kano, Ryohei; Bando, Takamasa; Ishikawa, Ryoko; Giono, Gabriel; Beabout, Dyana L.; Beabout, Brent L.; Nakayama, Satoshi; Tajima, Takao Bibcode: 2016SPIE.9905E..2UI Altcode: We developed a polarization modulation unit (PMU), a motor system to rotate a waveplate continuously. In polarization measurements, the continuous rotating waveplate is an important element as well as a polarization analyzer to record the incident polarization in a time series of camera exposures. The control logic of PMU was originally developed for the next Japanese solar observation satellite SOLAR-C by the SOLAR-C working group. We applied this PMU for the Chromospheric Lyman-alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP). CLASP is a sounding rocket experiment to observe the linear polarization of the Lyman-alpha emission (121.6 nm vacuum ultraviolet) from the upper chromosphere and transition region of the Sun with a high polarization sensitivity of 0.1 % for the first time and investigate their vector magnetic field by the Hanle effect. The driver circuit was developed to optimize the rotation for the CLASP waveplate (12.5 rotations per minute). Rotation non- uniformity of the waveplate causes error in the polarization degree (i.e. scale error) and crosstalk between Stokes components. We confirmed that PMU has superior rotation uniformity in the ground test and the scale error and crosstalk of Stokes Q and U are less than 0.01 %. After PMU was attached to the CLASP instrument, we performed vibration tests and confirmed all PMU functions performance including rotation uniformity did not change. CLASP was successfully launched on September 3, 2015, and PMU functioned well as designed. PMU achieved a good rotation uniformity, and the high precision polarization measurement of CLASP was successfully achieved. Title: Spectro-polarimetric observation in UV with CLASP to probe the chromosphere and transition region Authors: Kano, Ryouhei; Ishikawa, Ryohko; Winebarger, Amy R.; Auchère, Frédéric; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Narukage, Noriyuki; Kobayashi, Ken; Bando, Takamasa; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kubo, Masahito; Ishikawa, Shin-Nosuke; Giono, Gabriel; Hara, Hirohisa; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Sakao, Taro; Tsuneta, Saku; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Goto, Motoshi; Cirtain, Jonathan W.; De Pontieu, Bart; Casini, Roberto; Manso Sainz, Rafael; Asensio Ramos, Andres; Stepan, Jiri; Belluzzi, Luca; Carlsson, Mats Bibcode: 2016SPD....4710107K Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is a NASA sounding-rocket experiment that was performed in White Sands in the US on September 3, 2015. During its 5-minute ballistic flight, CLASP successfully made the first spectro-polarimetric observation in the Lyman-alpha line (121.57 nm) originating in the chromosphere and transition region. Since the Lyman-alpha polarization is sensitive to magnetic field of 10-100 G by the Hanle effect, we aim to infer the magnetic field information in such upper solar atmosphere with this experiment.The obtained CLASP data showed that the Lyman-alpha scattering polarization is about a few percent in the wings and the order of 0.1% in the core near the solar limb, as it had been theoretically predicted, and that both polarization signals have a conspicuous spatio-temporal variability. CLASP also observed another upper-chromospheric line, Si III (120.65 nm), whose critical field strength for the Hanle effect is 290 G, and showed a measurable scattering polarization of a few % in this line. The polarization properties of the Si III line could facilitate the interpretation of the scattering polarization observed in the Lyman-alpha line.In this presentation, we would like to show how the upper chromosphere and transition region are seen in the polarization of these UV lines and discuss the possible source of these complicated polarization signals. Title: Development of a Precise Polarization Modulator for UV Spectropolarimetry Authors: Ishikawa, S.; Shimizu, T.; Kano, R.; Bando, T.; Ishikawa, R.; Giono, G.; Tsuneta, S.; Nakayama, S.; Tajima, T. Bibcode: 2015SoPh..290.3081I Altcode: 2015arXiv150905716I; 2015SoPh..tmp..120I We developed a polarization modulation unit (PMU) to rotate a waveplate continuously in order to observe solar magnetic fields by spectropolarimetry. The non-uniformity of the PMU rotation may cause errors in the measurement of the degree of linear polarization (scale error) and its angle (crosstalk between Stokes-Q and -U ), although it does not cause an artificial linear polarization signal (spurious polarization). We rotated a waveplate with the PMU to obtain a polarization modulation curve and estimated the scale error and crosstalk caused by the rotation non-uniformity. The estimated scale error and crosstalk were <0.01 % for both. This PMU will be used as a waveplate motor for the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) rocket experiment. We confirm that the PMU performs and functions sufficiently well for CLASP. Title: CLASP: A UV Spectropolarimeter on a Sounding Rocket for Probing theChromosphere-Corona Transition Regio Authors: Ishikawa, Ryohko; Kano, Ryouhei; Winebarger, Amy; Auchere, Frederic; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Bando, Takamasa; Narukage, Noriyuki; Kobayashi, Ken; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kubo, Masahito; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Giono, Gabriel; Tsuneta, Saku; Hara, Hirohisa; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Sakao, Taro; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Cirtain, Jonathan; De Pontieu, Bart; Casini, Roberto; Manso Sainz, Rafael; Asensio Ramos, Andres; Stepan, Jiri; Belluzzi, Luca Bibcode: 2015IAUGA..2254536I Altcode: The wish to understand the energetic phenomena of the outer solar atmosphere makes it increasingly important to achieve quantitative information on the magnetic field in the chromosphere-corona transition region. To this end, we need to measure and model the linear polarization produced by scattering processes and the Hanle effect in strong UV resonance lines, such as the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line. A team consisting of Japan, USA, Spain, France, and Norway has been developing a sounding rocket experiment called the Chromospheric Lyman-alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP). The aim is to detect the scattering polarization produced by anisotropic radiation pumping in the hydrogen Lyman-alpha line (121.6 nm), and via the Hanle effect to try to constrain the magnetic field vector in the upper chromosphere and transition region. In this talk, we will present an overview of our CLASP mission, its scientific objectives, ground tests made, and the latest information on the launch planned for the Summer of 2015. Title: Precision VUV Spectro-Polarimetry for Solar Chromospheric Magnetic Field Measurements Authors: Ishikawa, R.; Bando, T.; Hara, H.; Ishikawa, S.; Kano, R.; Kubo, M.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kobiki, T.; Narukage, N.; Suematsu, Y.; Tsuneta, S.; Aoki, K.; Miyagawa, K.; Ichimoto, K.; Kobayashi, K.; Auchère, F.; Clasp Team Bibcode: 2014ASPC..489..319I Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is a VUV spectro-polarimeter optimized for measuring the linear polarization of the Lyman-α line (121.6 nm) to be launched in 2015 with NASA's sounding rocket (Ishikawa et al. 2011; Narukage et al. 2011; Kano et al. 2012; Kobayashi et al. 2012). With this experiment, we aim to (1) observe the scattering polarization in the Lyman-α line, (2) detect the Hanle effect, and (3) assess the magnetic fields in the upper chromosphere and transition region for the first time. The polarization measurement error consists of scale error δ a (error in amplitude of linear polarization), azimuth error Δφ (error in the direction of linear polarization), and spurious polarization ɛ (false linear polarization signals). The error ɛ should be suppressed below 0.1% in the Lyman-α core (121.567 nm ±0.02 nm), and 0.5% in the Lyman-α wing (121.567 nm ±0.05 nm), based on our scientific requirements shown in Table 2 of Kubo et al. (2014). From scientific justification, we adopt Δ φ<2° and δ a<10% as the instrument requirements. The spectro-polarimeter features a continuously rotating MgF2 waveplate (Ishikawa et al. 2013), a dual-beam spectrograph with a spherical grating working also as a beam splitter, and two polarization analyzers (Bridou et al. 2011), which are mounted at 90 degree from each other to measure two orthogonal polarization simultaneously. For the optical layout of the CLASP instrument, see Figure 3 in Kubo et al. (2014). Considering the continuous rotation of the half-waveplate, the modulation efficiency is 0.64 both for Stokes Q and U. All the raw data are returned and demodulation (successive addition or subtraction of images) is done on the ground.

We control the CLASP polarization performance in the following three steps. First, we evaluate the throughput and polarization properties of each optical component in the Lyman-α line, using the Ultraviolet Synchrotron ORbital Radiation Facility (UVSOR) at the Institute for Molecular Science. The second step is polarization calibration of the spectro-polarimeter after alignment. Since the spurious polarization caused by the axisymmetric telescope is estimated to be negligibly small because of the symmetry (Ishikawa et al. 2014), we do not perform end-to-end polarization calibration. As the final step, before the scientific observation near the limb, we make a short observation at the Sun center and verify the polarization sensitivity, because the scattering polarization is expected to be close to zero at the Sun center due to symmetric geometry. In order to clarify whether we will be able to achieve the required polarization sensitivity and accuracy via these steps, we exercise polarization error budget, by investigating all the possible causes and their magnitudes of polarization errors, all of which are not necessarily verified by the polarization calibration. Based on these error budgets, we conclude that a polarization sensitivity of 0.1% in the line core, δ a<10% and Δ φ<2° can be achieved combined with the polarization calibration of the spectro-polarimeter and the onboard calibration at the Sun center(refer to Ishikawa et al. 2014, for the detail).

We are currently conducting verification tests of the flight components and development of the UV light source for the polarization calibration. From 2014 spring, we will begin the integration, alignment, and calibration. We will update the error budgets throughout the course of these tests. Title: A Sounding Rocket Experiment for the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) Authors: Kubo, M.; Kano, R.; Kobayashi, K.; Bando, T.; Narukage, N.; Ishikawa, R.; Tsuneta, S.; Katsukawa, Y.; Ishikawa, S.; Suematsu, Y.; Hara, H.; Shimizu, T.; Sakao, T.; Ichimoto, K.; Goto, M.; Holloway, T.; Winebarger, A.; Cirtain, J.; De Pontieu, B.; Casini, R.; Auchère, F.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Manso Sainz, R.; Belluzzi, L.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Štěpán, J.; Carlsson, M. Bibcode: 2014ASPC..489..307K Altcode: A sounding-rocket experiment called the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is presently under development to measure the linear polarization profiles in the hydrogen Lyman-alpha (Lyα) line at 121.567 nm. CLASP is a vacuum-UV (VUV) spectropolarimeter to aim for first detection of the linear polarizations caused by scattering processes and the Hanle effect in the Lyα line with high accuracy (0.1%). This is a fist step for exploration of magnetic fields in the upper chromosphere and transition region of the Sun. Accurate measurements of the linear polarization signals caused by scattering processes and the Hanle effect in strong UV lines like Lyα are essential to explore with future solar telescopes the strength and structures of the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region of the Sun. The CLASP proposal has been accepted by NASA in 2012, and the flight is planned in 2015. Title: Current progress of optical alignment procedure of CLASP's Lyman-alpha polarimetry instrument Authors: Giono, G.; Ishikawa, R.; Katsukawa, Y.; Bando, T.; Kano, R.; Suematsu, Y.; Narukage, N.; Sakao, Taro; Kobayashi, K.; Auchère, F. Bibcode: 2014SPIE.9144E..3EG Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is a sounding-rocket instrument currently under development at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ) as a part of an international collaboration. CLASP's optics are composed of a Cassegrain telescope and a spectro-polarimeter which are designed to achieve an unprecedentedly accurate polarization measurement of the Ly-α line at 121.6nm emitted from the solar upper-chromosphere and transition region. CLASP's first flight is scheduled for August 2015. Reaching such accuracy requires a careful alignment of the optical elements to optimize the image quality at 121.6 nm. However Ly-α is absorbed by air and therefore the optics alignment has to be done under vacuum condition which makes any experiment difficult. To bypass this issue, we proposed to align the telescope and the spectrograph separately in visible light. Hence we present our alignment procedure for both telescope and spectro-polarimeter. We will explain details about the telescope preliminary alignment before mirrors coating, which was done in April 2014, present the telescope combined optical performance and compare them to CLASP tolerance. Then we will present details about an experiment designed to confirm our alignment procedure for the CLASP spectro-polarimeter. We will discuss the resulting image quality achieved during this experiment and the lessons learned. Title: Chromospheric Lyman-alpha spectro-polarimeter (CLASP) Authors: Kano, Ryouhei; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kubo, Masahito; Auchere, Frederic; Ishikawa, Ryohko; Kobayashi, Ken; Narukage, Noriyuki; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Bando, Takamasa; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke Bibcode: 2014cosp...40E1383K Altcode: In the solar chromosphere, magneto-hydrodynamic waves and super-sonic jets ubiquitously happen as revealed by the Japanese solar satellite Hinode. Now, we understand that the solar chromosphere is not a simple intermediate layer smoothly connecting the photosphere and corona, but a site where those dynamics may play an important role in the chromospheric and coronal heating. Such discoveries imply that the next frontier in solar physics lies in simultaneous observations between the dynamics and magnetic structures in the chromosphere and transition region, where the gas-dominant photosphere changes to the magnetic-dominant corona. Therefore, we promote the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP), which is a NASA's sounding rocket experiment scheduled in 2015 for aiming to infer the magnetic field information in the solar chromosphere and transition region. CLASP makes precise measurement (0.1%) of the polarization profile of the Lyman-alpha line, and aims to make the first ever measurement of the Hanle effect polarization caused by magnetic fields in the upper solar atmosphere. It is also a pathfinder to establish a new measurement tool for chromospheric and transition-region magnetic fields, and to make progress on chromospheric studies in future missions. Title: UV spectropolarimeter design for precise polarization measurement and its application to the CLASP for exploration of magnetic fields in solar atmosphere Authors: Narukage, Noriyuki; Katsukawa, Yukio; Hara, Hirohisa; Kubo, Masahito; Auchere, Frederic; Ishikawa, Ryohko; Kano, Ryouhei; Bando, Takamasa; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Tsuneta, Saku Bibcode: 2014cosp...40E2232N Altcode: In order to measure the magnetic field in the region where the hot plasma from 10 (4) K to 10 (6) K is occupied, e.g., for solar atmosphere, the polarimetric measurements in ultra violet (UV) with 0.1% accuracy are required. In this paper, we propose a new UV spectropolarimeter design with 0.1% sensitivity in polarization measurement. This spectropolarimeter has two devices for the 0.1% accuracy. First, all optical components except the waveplate are the reflective type ones that can be equipped with the high reflectivity coating for the high throughput. Secondly, it equips the optically symmetric dual channels to measure the orthogonal linear polarization state simultaneously, using a concave diffraction grating as both the spectral dispersion element and the beam splitter. These two devices make the spurious polarizations caused by the photon noise, by the intensity variation of the observation target, and, by the instrument itself, enough small to achieve the 0.1% accuracy in polarization measurement. The spectropolarimeter thus designed is currently under fabrication for the sounding rocket project of Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) that aims at the direct measurement of the magnetic fields in solar atmosphere with Lyman-alpha line (121.6 nm) for the first time. Title: Chromospheric Lyman Alpha SpectroPolarimeter: CLASP Authors: Kobayashi, Ken; Kano, R.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Winebarger, A. R.; Cirtain, J. W.; Bando, T.; De Pontieu, B.; Ishikawa, R.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kubo, M.; Narukage, N.; Sakao, T.; Tsuneta, S.; Auchère, F.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Belluzzi, L.; Carlsson, M.; Casini, R.; Hara, H.; Ichimoto, K.; Manso Sainz, R.; Shimizu, T.; Stepan, J.; Suematsu, Y.; Holloway, T. Bibcode: 2013SPD....44..142K Altcode: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is a VUV spectropolarimeter optimized for measuring the linear polarization of the Lyman-alpha line (121.6 nm). The Lyman-alpha line is predicted to show linear polarization caused by atomic scattering in the chromosphere and modified by the magnetic field through the Hanle effect. The Hanle effect is sensitive to weaker magnetic fields than Zeeman effect, and is not canceled by opposing fields, making it sensitive to tangled or unresolved magnetic field structures. These factors make the Hanle effect a valuable tool for probing the magnetic field in the chromosphere above the quiet sun. To meet this goal, CLASP is designed to measure linear polarization with 0.1% polarization sensitivity at 0.01 nm spectral resolution and 10" spatial resolution. CLASP is scheduled to be launched in 2015. Title: Chromospheric Lyman-alpha spectro-polarimeter (CLASP) Authors: Kano, Ryouhei; Bando, Takamasa; Narukage, Noriyuki; Ishikawa, Ryoko; Tsuneta, Saku; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kubo, Masahito; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Hara, Hirohisa; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Sakao, Taro; Goto, Motoshi; Kato, Yoshiaki; Imada, Shinsuke; Kobayashi, Ken; Holloway, Todd; Winebarger, Amy; Cirtain, Jonathan; De Pontieu, Bart; Casini, Roberto; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Štepán, Jiří; Manso Sainz, Rafael; Belluzzi, Luca; Asensio Ramos, Andres; Auchère, Frédéric; Carlsson, Mats Bibcode: 2012SPIE.8443E..4FK Altcode: One of the biggest challenges in heliophysics is to decipher the magnetic structure of the solar chromosphere. The importance of measuring the chromospheric magnetic field is due to both the key role the chromosphere plays in energizing and structuring the outer solar atmosphere and the inability of extrapolation of photospheric fields to adequately describe this key boundary region. Over the last few years, significant progress has been made in the spectral line formation of UV lines as well as the MHD modeling of the solar atmosphere. It is found that the Hanle effect in the Lyman-alpha line (121.567 nm) is a most promising diagnostic tool for weaker magnetic fields in the chromosphere and transition region. Based on this groundbreaking research, we propose the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) to NASA as a sounding rocket experiment, for making the first measurement of the linear polarization produced by scattering processes and the Hanle effect in the Lyman-alpha line (121.567 nm), and making the first exploration of the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region of the Sun. The CLASP instrument consists of a Cassegrain telescope, a rotating 1/2-wave plate, a dual-beam spectrograph assembly with a grating working as a beam splitter, and an identical pair of reflective polarization analyzers each equipped with a CCD camera. We propose to launch CLASP in December 2014. Title: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter: CLASP Authors: Kobayashi, K.; Kano, R.; Trujillo-Bueno, J.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Bando, T.; Belluzzi, L.; Carlsson, M.; De Pontieu, R. C. B.; Hara, H.; Ichimoto, K.; Ishikawa, R.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kubo, M.; Manso Sainz, R.; Narukage, N.; Sakao, T.; Stepan, J.; Suematsu, Y.; Tsuneta, S.; Watanabe, H.; Winebarger, A. Bibcode: 2012ASPC..456..233K Altcode: The magnetic field plays a crucial role in the chromosphere and the transition region, and our poor empirical knowledge of the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region is a major impediment to advancing the understanding of the solar atmosphere. The Hanle effect promises to be a valuable alternative to Zeeman effect as a method of measuring the magnetic field in the chromosphere and transition region; it is sensitive to weaker magnetic fields, and also sensitive to tangled, unresolved field structures.

CLASP is a sounding rocket experiment that aims to observe the Hanle effect polarization of the Lyman α (1215.67Å) line in the solar chromosphere and transition region, and prove the usefulness of this technique in placing constraints on the magnetic field strength and orientation in the low plasma-β region of the solar atmosphere. The Ly-α line has been chosen because it is a chromospheric/transition-region line, and because the Hanle effect polarization of this line is predicted to be sensitive to 10-250 Gauss, encompassing the range of interest. The CLASP instrument is designed to measure linear polarization in the Ly-α line with a polarization sensitivity of 0.1%. The instrument is currently funded for development. The optical design of the instrument has been finalized, and an extensive series of component-level tests are underway to validate the design. Title: Ly-alpha polarimeter design for CLASP rocket experiment Authors: Kubo, M.; Watanabe, H.; Narukage, N.; Ishikawa, R.; Bando, T.; Kano, R.; Tsuneta, S.; Kobayashi, K.; Ichimoto, K.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Song, D. Bibcode: 2011AGUFM.P11F1627K Altcode: A sounding-rocket program called the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is proposed to be launched in the Summer of 2014. CLASP will observe the upper solar chromosphere in Ly-alpha (121.567 nm), aiming to detect the linear polarization signal produced by scattering processes and the Hanle effect for the first time. The CLASP needs a rotating half-waveplate and a polarization analyzer working at the Ly-alpha wavelength to measure the linear polarization signal. We select Magnesium Fluoride (MgF2) as a material of the optical components because of its birefringent property and high transparency at UV wavelength. We have confirmed that the reflection at the Brewster's Angle of MgF2 plate is a good polarization analyzer for the Ly-alpha line by deriving its ordinary refractive index and extinction coefficient along the ordinary and extraordinary axes. These optical parameters are calculated with a least-square fitting in such a way that the reflectance and transmittance satisfy the Kramers-Kronig relation. The reflectance and transmittance against oblique incident angles for the s-polarized and the p-polarized light are measured using the synchrotron beamline at the Ultraviolet Synchrotron Orbital Radiation Facility (UVSOR). We have also measured a retardation of a zeroth-order waveplate made of MgF2. The thickness difference of the waveplate is 14.57 um.This waveplate works as a half-waveplate at 121.74 nm. From this measurement, we estimate that a waveplate with the thickness difference of 15.71 um will work as a half-waveplate at the Ly-alpha wavelength. We have developed a rotating waveplate - polarization analyzer system called a prototype of CLASP polarimeter, and input the perfect Stokes Q and U signals. The modulation patterns that are consistent with the theoretical prediction are successfully obtained in both cases. Title: The Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP)j Authors: Kobayashi, K.; Tsuneta, S.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Bando, T.; Belluzzi, L.; Casini, R.; Carlsson, M.; Cirtain, J. W.; De Pontieu, B.; Hara, H.; Ichimoto, K.; Ishikawa, R.; Kano, R.; Katsukawa, Y.; Kim, T.; Kubo, M.; Manso Sainz, R.; Narukage, N.; Asensio Ramos, A.; Robinson, B.; Sakao, T.; Shimizu, T.; Stepan, J.; Suematsu, Y.; Watanabe, H.; West, E.; Winebarger, A. R. Bibcode: 2011AGUFM.P14C..05K Altcode: We present an overview of the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) program. CLASP is a proposed sounding rocket experiment currently under development as collaboration between Japan, USA and Spain. The aim is to achieve the first measurement of magnetic field in the upper chromosphere and transition region of the Sun through the detection and measurement of Hanle effect polarization of the Lyman alpha line. The Hanle effect (i.e. the magnetic field induced modification of the linear polarization due to scattering processes in spectral lines) is believed to be a powerful tool for measuring the magnetic field in the upper chromosphere, as it is more sensitive to weaker magnetic fields than the Zeeman effect, and also sensitive to magnetic fields tangled at spatial scales too small to be resolved. The Lyman-alpha (121.567 nm) line has been chosen because it is a chromospheric/transition-region line, and because the Hanle effect polarization of the Lyman-alpha line is predicted to be sensitive to 10-250 Gauss, encompassing the range of interest. Hanle effect is predicted to be observable as linear polarization or depolarization, depending on the geometry, with a fractional polarization amplitude varying between 0.1% and 1% depending on the strength and orientation of the magnetic field. This quantification of the chromospheric magnetic field requires a highly sensitive polarization measurement. The CLASP instrument consists of a large aperture (287 mm) Cassegrain telescope mated to a polarizing beamsplitter and a matched pair of grating spectrographs. The polarizing beamsplitter consists of a continuously rotating waveplate and a linear beamsplitter, allowing simultaneous measurement of orthogonal polarizations and in-flight self-calibration. Development of the instrument is underway, and prototypes of all optical components have been tested using a synchrotron beamline. The experiment is proposed for flight in 2014. Title: Ly-alpha polarimeter design for CLASP rocket experiment Authors: Watanabe, H.; Narukage, N.; Kubo, M.; Ishikawa, R.; Bando, T.; Kano, R.; Tsuneta, S.; Kobayashi, K.; Ichimoto, K.; Trujillo-Bueno, J. Bibcode: 2011SPIE.8148E..0TW Altcode: 2011SPIE.8148E..25W; 2014arXiv1407.4577W A sounding-rocket program called the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is proposed to be launched in the summer of 2014. CLASP will observe the solar chromosphere in Ly-alpha (121.567 nm), aiming to detect the linear polarization signal produced by scattering processes and the Hanle effect for the first time. The polarimeter of CLASP consists of a rotating half-waveplate, a beam splitter, and a polarization analyzer. Magnesium Fluoride (MgF2) is used for these optical components, because MgF2 exhibits birefringent property and high transparency at ultraviolet wavelength. The development and comprehensive testing program of the optical components of the polarimeter is underway using the synchrotron beamline at the Ultraviolet Synchrotron Orbital Radiation Facility (UVSOR). The first objective is deriving the optical constants of MgF2 by the measurement of the reflectance and transmittance against oblique incident angles for the s-polarized and the p-polarized light. The ordinary refractive index and extinction coefficient along the ordinary and extraordinary axes are derived with a least-square fitting in such a way that the reflectance and transmittance satisfy the Kramers-Krönig relation. The reflection at the Brewster's Angle of MgF2 plate is confirmed to become a good polarization analyzer at Ly-alpha. The second objective is the retardation measurement of a zeroth-order waveplate made of MgF2. The retardation of a waveplate is determined by observing the modulation amplitude that comes out of a waveplate and a polarization analyzer. We tested a waveplate with the thickness difference of 14.57 um. The 14.57 um waveplate worked as a half-waveplate at 121.74 nm. We derived that a waveplate with the thickness difference of 15.71 um will work as a half-waveplate at Ly-alpha wavelength. We developed a prototype of CLASP polarimeter using the MgF2 half-waveplate and polarization analyzers, and succeeded in obtaining the modulation patterns that are consistent with the theoretical prediction. We confirm that the performance of the prototype is optimized for measuring linear polarization signal with the least effect of the crosstalk from the circular polarization. Title: Overview of Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) Authors: Narukage, Noriyuki; Tsuneta, Saku; Bando, Takamasa; Kano, Ryouhei; Kubo, Masahito; Ishikawa, Ryoko; Hara, Hirohisa; Suematsu, Yoshinori; Katsukawa, Yukio; Watanabe, Hiroko; Ichimoto, Kiyoshi; Sakao, Taro; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Kobayashi, Ken; Robinson, Brian; Kim, Tony; Winebarger, Amy; West, Edward; Cirtain, Jonathan; De Pontieu, Bart; Casini, Roberto; Trujillo Bueno, Javier; Stepan, Jiri; Manso Sainz, Rafael; Belluzzi, Luca; Asensio Ramos, Andres; Carlsson, Mats Bibcode: 2011SPIE.8148E..0HN Altcode: 2011SPIE.8148E..16N The solar chromosphere is an important boundary, through which all of the plasma, magnetic fields and energy in the corona and solar wind are supplied. Since the Zeeman splitting is typically smaller than the Doppler line broadening in the chromosphere and transition region, it is not effective to explore weak magnetic fields. However, this is not the case for the Hanle effect, when we have an instrument with high polarization sensitivity (~ 0.1%). "Chromospheric Lyman- Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP)" is the sounding rocket experiment to detect linear polarization produced by the Hanle effect in Lyman-alpha line (121.567 nm) and to make the first direct measurement of magnetic fields in the upper chromosphere and lower transition region. To achieve the high sensitivity of ~ 0.1% within a rocket flight (5 minutes) in Lyman-alpha line, which is easily absorbed by materials, we design the optical system mainly with reflections. The CLASP consists of a classical Cassegrain telescope, a polarimeter and a spectrometer. The polarimeter consists of a rotating 1/2-wave plate and two reflecting polarization analyzers. One of the analyzer also works as a polarization beam splitter to give us two orthogonal linear polarizations simultaneously. The CLASP is planned to be launched in 2014 summer. Title: A Sounding Rocket Experiment for Spectropolarimetric Observations with the Lyα Line at 121.6 nm (CLASP) Authors: Ishikawa, R.; Bando, T.; Fujimura, D.; Hara, H.; Kano, R.; Kobiki, T.; Narukage, N.; Tsuneta, S.; Ueda, K.; Wantanabe, H.; Kobayashi, K.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Manso Sainz, R.; Stepan, J.; de Pontieu, B.; Carlsson, M.; Casini, R. Bibcode: 2011ASPC..437..287I Altcode: A team consisting of Japan, USA, Spain, and Norway is developing a high-throughput Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP), which is proposed to fly with a NASA sounding rocket in 2014. CLASP will explore the magnetism of the upper solar chromosphere and transition region via the Hanle effect of the Lyα line for the first time. This experiment requires spectropolarimetric observations with high polarimetric sensitivity (∼0.1%) and wavelength resolution (0.1 Å). The final spatial resolution (slit width) is being discussed taking into account the required high signal-to-noise ratio. We have demonstrated the performance of the Lyα polarimeter by extensively using the Ultraviolet Synchrotron ORbital Radiation Facility (UVSOR) at the Institute for Molecular Sciences. In this contribution, we report these measurements at UVSOR together with the current status of the CLASP project. Title: Coronal-Temperature-Diagnostic Capability of the Hinode/ X-Ray Telescope Based on Self-Consistent Calibration Authors: Narukage, N.; Sakao, T.; Kano, R.; Hara, H.; Shimojo, M.; Bando, T.; Urayama, F.; DeLuca, E.; Golub, L.; Weber, M.; Grigis, P.; Cirtain, J.; Tsuneta, S. Bibcode: 2011SoPh..269..169N Altcode: 2010arXiv1011.2867N; 2011SoPh..tmp....1N The X-Ray Telescope (XRT) onboard the Hinode satellite is an X-ray imager that observes the solar corona with unprecedentedly high angular resolution (consistent with its 1″ pixel size). XRT has nine X-ray analysis filters with different temperature responses. One of the most significant scientific features of this telescope is its capability of diagnosing coronal temperatures from less than 1 MK to more than 10 MK, which has never been accomplished before. To make full use of this capability, accurate calibration of the coronal temperature response of XRT is indispensable and is presented in this article. The effect of on-orbit contamination is also taken into account in the calibration. On the basis of our calibration results, we review the coronal-temperature-diagnostic capability of XRT. Title: The Chromospheric Lyman Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) Authors: Kobayashi, K.; Tsuneta, S.; Trujillo Bueno, J.; Cirtain, J. W.; Bando, T.; Kano, R.; Hara, H.; Fujimura, D.; Ueda, K.; Ishikawa, R.; Watanabe, H.; Ichimoto, K.; Sakao, T.; de Pontieu, B.; Carlsson, M.; Casini, R. Bibcode: 2010AGUFMSH11B1632K Altcode: Magnetic fields in the solar chromosphere play a key role in the energy transfer and dynamics of the solar atmosphere. Yet a direct observation of the chromospheric magnetic field remains one of the greatest challenges in solar physics. While some advances have been made for observing the Zeeman effect in strong chromospheric lines, the effect is small and difficult to detect outside sunspots. The Hanle effect offers a promising alternative; it is sensitive to weaker magnetic fields (e.g., 5-500 G for Ly-Alpha), and while its magnitude saturates at stronger magnetic fields, the linear polarization signals remain sensitive to the magnetic field orientation. The Hanle effect is not only limited to off-limb observations. Because the chromosphere is illuminated by an anisotropic radiation field, the Ly-Alpha line is predicted to show linear polarization for on-disk, near-limb regions, and magnetic field is predicted to cause a measurable depolarization. At disk center, the Ly-Alpha radiation is predicted to be negligible in the absence of magnetic field, and linearly polarized to an order of 0.3% in the presence of an inclined magnetic field. The proposed CLASP sounding rocket instrument is designed to detect 0.3% linear polarization of the Ly-Alpha line at 1.5 arcsecond spatial resolution (0.7’’ pixel size) and 10 pm spectral resolution. The instrument consists of a 30 cm aperture Cassegrain telescope and a dual-beam spectropolarimeter. The telescope employs a ``cold mirror’’ design that uses multilayer coatings to reflect only the target wavelength range into the spectropolarimeter. The polarization analyzer consists of a rotating waveplate and a polarizing beamsplitter that comprises MgF2 plates placed at Brewster’s Angle. Each output beam of the polarizing beamsplitter, representing two orthogonal linear polarizations, is dispersed and focused using a separate spherical varied-line-space grating, and imaged with a separate 512x512 CCD camera. Prototypes of key optical components have been fabricated and tested. Instrument design is being finalized, and the experiment will be proposed for a 2014 flight aboard a NASA sounding rocket. Title: EUV Solar Instrument Development at the Marshall Space Flight Center Authors: Kobayashi, K.; Cirtain, J. W.; Davis, J. M.; West, E.; Golub, L.; Korreck, K. E.; Tsuneta, S.; Bando, T. Bibcode: 2009AGUFMSH33B1500K Altcode: The three sounding rocket instrument programs currently underway at the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center represent major advances in solar observations, made possible by improvements in EUV optics and detector technology. The Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Instrument (SUMI) is an EUV spectropolarimeter designed to measure the Zeeman splitting of two chromospheric EUV lines, the 280 nm MgII and 155 nm CIV lines. SUMI directly observes the magnetic field in the low-beta region where most energetic phenomena are though to originate. In conjunction with visible-light magnetographs, this observation allows us to track the evolution of the magnetic field as it evolves from the photosphere to the upper chromosphere. SUMI incorporates a normal incidence Cassegrain telescope, a MgF2 double-Wollaston polarizing beam splitter and two TVLS (toroidal varied line space) gratings, and is capable of observing two orthogonal polarizations in two wavelength bands simultaneously. SUMI has been fully assembled and tested, and currently scheduled for launch in summer of 2010. The High-resolution Coronal Imager is a normal-incidence EUV imaging telescope designed to achieve 0.2 arcsecond resolution, with a pixel size of 0.1 arcsecond. This is a factor of 25 improvement in aerial resolution over the Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE). Images obtained by TRACE indicate presence of unresolved structures; higher resolution images will reveal the scale and topology of structures that make up the corona. The telescope mirrors are currently being fabricated, and the instrument has been funded for flight. In addition, a Lyman alpha spectropolarimeter is under development in collaboration with the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan. This aims to detect the linear polarization in the chromosphere caused by the Hanle effect. Horizontal magnetic fields in the chromosphere are expected to be detectable as polarization near disk center, and off-limb observations will reveal the magnetic field structure of filaments and prominences. Laboratory tests of candidate optical components are currently underway. Title: Vertical Temperature Structures of the Solar Corona Derived with the Hinode X-Ray Telescope Authors: Kano, Ryouhei; Sakao, Taro; Narukage, Noriyuki; Tsuneta, Saku; Kotoku, Jun'ichi; Bando, Takamasa; Deluca, Edward; Lundquist, Loraine; Golub, Leon; Hara, Hirohisa; Matsuzaki, Keiichi; Shimojo, Masumi; Shibasaki, Kiyoto; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Nakatani, Ichiro Bibcode: 2008PASJ...60..827K Altcode: We obtained temperature structures in faint coronal features above and near the solar limb with the X-Ray Telescope aboard the Hinode satellite by accurately correcting the scattered X-rays from surrounding bright regions with occulted images during the solar eclipses. Our analysis yields a polar coronal hole temperature of about 1.0MK and an emission measure in the range of 1025.5-1026.0cm-5. In addition, our methods allow us to measure the temperature and emission measure of two distinct quiet-Sun structures: radial (plume-like) structures near the boundary of the coronal-hole and diffuse quiet Sun regions at mid-latitudes. The radial structures appear to have increasing temperature with height during the first 100Mm, and constant temperatures above 100Mm. For the diffuse quiet-Sun region the temperatures are the highest just above the limb, and appear to decrease with height. These differences may be due to different magnetic configurations. Title: Molecular Contamination Assessments on <i>Hinode</i> X-Ray Telescope Authors: Urayama, Fumitaka; Bando, Takamasa; Kano, Ryouhei; Hara, Hirohisa; Narukage, Noriyuki; Sakao, Taro Bibcode: 2008JSASS..56..536U Altcode: The <i>Hinode</i> (Solar-B) was launched by M-V rocket on 22 September 2006 UT. The telemetry data of the <i>Hinode</i> X-ray Telescope (XRT) showed that the X-ray count rate detected with the XRT had decreased rapidly since the operational heaters on the XRT telescope tube were turned on. This is attributed to the fact that molecular contaminants accumulated onto the CCD with the temperature of -60ºC resulting in the degradation of the XRT sensitivity. We baked the CCD at the temperature of 35ºC in order to remove the contaminants from the CCD surface. However many contaminant spots appeared on the surface. We found that major contaminant source existed in the telescope tube, and identified the contaminants as diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) or DEHP-like organics. The mechanisms to yield the contaminant spots were discussed. Title: Continuous Plasma Outflows from the Edge of a Solar Active Region as a Possible Source of Solar Wind Authors: Sakao, Taro; Kano, Ryouhei; Narukage, Noriyuki; Kotoku, Jun'ichi; Bando, Takamasa; DeLuca, Edward E.; Lundquist, Loraine L.; Tsuneta, Saku; Harra, Louise K.; Katsukawa, Yukio; Kubo, Masahito; Hara, Hirohisa; Matsuzaki, Keiichi; Shimojo, Masumi; Bookbinder, Jay A.; Golub, Leon; Korreck, Kelly E.; Su, Yingna; Shibasaki, Kiyoto; Shimizu, Toshifumi; Nakatani, Ichiro Bibcode: 2007Sci...318.1585S Altcode: The Sun continuously expels a huge amount of ionized material into interplanetary space as the solar wind. Despite its influence on the heliospheric environment, the origin of the solar wind has yet to be well identified. In this paper, we report Hinode X-ray Telescope observations of a solar active region. At the edge of the active region, located adjacent to a coronal hole, a pattern of continuous outflow of soft-x-ray emitting plasmas was identified emanating along apparently open magnetic field lines and into the upper corona. Estimates of temperature and density for the outflowing plasmas suggest a mass loss rate that amounts to ~1/4 of the total mass loss rate of the solar wind. These outflows may be indicative of one of the solar wind sources at the Sun. Title: Continuous Upflow of Plasmas at the Edge of an Active Region as Revealed by the X-ray Telescope (XRT) aboard Hinode Authors: Sakao, Taro; Kano, R.; Narukage, N.; Kotoku, J.; Bando, T.; DeLuca, E. E.; Lundquist, L. L.; Golub, L.; Kubo, M.; Katsukawa, Y.; Tsuneta, S.; Hara, H.; Matsuzaki, K.; Shimojo, M.; Shibasaki, K.; Shimizu, T.; Nakatani, I. Bibcode: 2007AAS...210.7205S Altcode: 2007BAAS...39Q.179S We present X-ray imaging observations with Hinode X-Ray Telescope (XRT) of an active region NOAA AR 10942 made in the period of 20-22 February 2007. A prominent feature that drew our particular attention is that there revealed continuous upflow of soft-X-ray-emitting plasmas along apparently-open field lines towards the outer corona emanating from the edge of the active region.

The field lines are originated from an ensamble of small spots of following polarity, and are located at a border between the active region and an adjacent equatorial coronal hole(s) located to the east. The upflow was observed to be continuous throughout the three days of observation intervals with projected velocity of 140 km/s, accompanied with undulating motion of the field lines.

We assert that these upflowing plasmas would be a possible source of slow solar wind material, which supports a foresighted notion which grew out of interplanetary scintillation observations that slow solar wind most likely has its origin in the vicinity of active regions with large flux expansion (Kojima et al. 1999).

A preliminaty analysis indicates that the temperature of the upflowing material near the base of the field lines is 1.3 MK with number density of 2 × 109 /cm3. Assuming that all the material is to escape to the interplanetary space, this leads to a mass loss rate of 2 × 1011 g/s which amounts to a good fraction of the total mass loss rate for solar wind. It is noteworthy that, even apart from this unique upflow, we see continuous (up)flows of plasmas anywhere around (surrounding) the active region.

Details of the upflow will be presented and their possible implication to slow solar wind discussed. Title: Temperature Structures Above Coronal Hole and Quiet Sun Authors: Kano, Ryouhei; Sakao, T.; Narukage, N.; Kotoku, J.; Bando, T.; DeLuca, E. E.; Lundquist, L.; Golub, L.; Tsuneta, S.; Hara, H.; Shibasaki, K.; Shimojo, M. Bibcode: 2007AAS...210.9436K Altcode: 2007BAAS...39..223K The X-ray Telescope (XRT) on board Hinode satelite has the capability to derive the temperature structure in the solar corona. We present the hieght dependence of the temperature above the limb. Because X-ray intensity above the limb is so faint, it is important to estimate the scattered light from disk corona. The eclipses happened on February 17 and March 19 in 2007 at Hinode orbit. On February 17, we took X-ray images above the south polar coronal hole, while Moon passed it. On March 19, we took the data for quiet Sun in the same way.

We can estimated the scattered light from the eclipse data, and derived the scatter-free X-ray images above the solar limb. In this meeting, we will present the temperatures above coronal hole and quiet Sun, based on the eclipse data.