Science Goals and Development of the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope

Abstract

The Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST) will perform high-resolution studies of the Sun's magnetic fields needed to understand their role in the fundamental processes responsible for solar variability. The generation of magnetic fields through dynamo processes, the amplification of fields through the interaction with plasma flows, and the destruction of fields remain poorly understood. There is incomplete insight as to what physical mechanisms are responsible for heating the corona, what causes variations in the radiative output of the Sun, and what mechanisms trigger flares and coronal mass ejections. Progress in answering these critical questions requires study of the interaction of the magnetic field and convection with a resolution sufficient to observe scales fundamental to these processes.

The 4-m aperture ATST is designed as a unique scientific tool, with excellent angular resolution, a large wavelength range, and low scattered light. With its integrated adaptive optics, the ATST will achieve a spatial resolution nearly 10 times better than any existing solar telescope.To search for other articles by the author(s) go to: http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abstract_service.html