New telescopes for ground-based solar observations at submillimeter and mid-infrared
2008
The solar submillimeter-wave telescope (SST) is the only one of its kind dedicated to solar continuous observations.
Two radiometers at 0.740 mm (405 GHz), and four at 1.415 mm (212 GHz) are placed in the Cassegrain focal plane of
the 1.5-m dish at El Leoncito high altitude site, San Juan, Argentina. The aperture efficiencies are close to design
predictions: 20% and 35% for 2 and 4 arcminutes beam sizes at 405 and 212 GHz, respectively. The positioner absolute
pointing accuracy is 10 arcseconds. Spectral coverage is complemented by ground-based mid-infrared telescopes
developed for high cadence observations in the continuum 10 micron band (30 THz), using small apertures and room-temperature
microbolometer cameras. Using the system, a new solar burst spectral component was discovered,
exhibiting fluxes increasing for smaller wavelengths, separated from the well known microwave component. Rapid sub-second
pulsations are common for all bursts. The pulsations onset times of appear to be connected to the launch times of
CMEs. Active regions are brighter for shorter submillimeter-waves. Mid-IR bright regions are found closely associated
with calcium plages and magnetic structures near the solar photosphere. Intense and rapid 10 micron brightening was
detected on active centers in association with weak flares. These results raise challenging difficulties for interpretation.
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