The Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope (LST) for the ASO-S mission——Ⅰ. Scientific objectives and overview

As one of the payloads for the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S)mission,the Lyman-alpha(Lyα)Solar Telescope(LST)is aimed at imaging the Sun and the inner corona up to 2.5 R⊙(mean solar radius)in both the Lyα(121.6 nm)and visible wavebands with high temporo-spatial resolution,mainly targeting solar flares,coronal mass ejections(CMEs)and filaments/prominences.LST observations allow us to trace solar eruptive phenomena from the disk center to the inner corona,to study the relationships between eruptive prominences/filaments,solar flares and CMEs,to explore the dynamical processes and evolution of solar eruptions,to diagnose solar winds,and to derive physical parameters of the solar atmosphere.LST is actually an instrument suite,which consists of a Solar Disk Imager(SDI),a Solar Corona Imager(SCI),a White-light Solar Telescope(WST)and two Guide Telescopes(GTs).This is the first paper in a series of LST-related papers.In this paper,we introduce the scientific objectives,present an overview of the LST payload and describe the planned observations.The detailed design and data along with potential diagnostics are described in the second(Paper II)and third(Paper III)papers,respectively,appearing in this issue.

The Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope(LST) for the ASO-S mission——Ⅲ. data and potential diagnostics

The Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope(LST)is one of the three payloads onboard the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S)mission.It aims at imaging the Sun from the disk center up to 2.5 R⊙targeting solar eruptions,particularly coronal mass ejections(CMEs),solar flares,prominences/filaments and related phenomena,as well as the fast and slow solar wind.The most prominent speciality of LST is the simultaneous observation of the solar atmosphere in both Lyαand white light(WL)with high temporospatial resolution both on the solar disk and the inner corona.New observations in the Lyαline together with traditional WL observations will provide us with many new insights into solar eruptions and solar wind.LST consists of a Solar Corona Imager(SCI)with a field of view(FOV)of 1.1–2.5 R⊙,a Solar Disk Imager(SDI)and a full-disk White-light Solar Telescope(WST)with an identical FOV up to 1.2 R⊙.SCI has a dual waveband in Lyα(121.6±10 nm)and in WL(700±40 nm),while SDI works in the Lyαwaveband of 121.6±7.5 nm and WST works in the violet narrow-band continuum of 360±2.0 nm.To produce high quality science data,careful ground and in-flight calibrations are required.We present our methods for different calibrations including dark field correction,flat field correction,radiometry,instrumental polarization and optical geometry.Based on the data calibration,definitions of the data levels and processing procedures for the defined levels from raw data are described.Plasma physical diagnostics offer key ingredients to understand ejecta and plasma flows in the inner corona,as well as different features on the solar disk including flares,filaments,etc.Therefore,we are making efforts to develop various tools to detect the different features observed by LST,and then to derive their physical parameters,for example,the electron density and temperature of CMEs,the outflow velocity of the solar wind,and the hydrogen density and mass flows of prominences.Coordinated observations and data analyses with the coronagraphs onboard Solar Orbiter,PROBA-3,and Aditya are also briefly discussed.

The Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope(LST) for the ASO-S mission——Ⅱ. design of LST

As one of the three payloads for the Advanced Space-based Solar Observatory(ASO-S)mission,the Lyman-alpha(Lyα)Solar Telescope(LST)is composed of three instruments:a Solar Corona Imager(SCI),a LyαSolar Disk Imager(SDI)and a full-disk White-light Solar Telescope(WST).When working in-orbit,LST will simultaneously perform high-resolution imaging observations of all regions from the solar disk to the inner corona up to 2.5 R⊙(R⊙stands for the mean solar radius)with a spatial resolution of 4.8′′and 1.2′′for coronal and disk observations,respectively,and a temporal resolution of 30–120 s and 1–120 s for coronal and disk observations,respectively.The maximum exposure time can be up to20 s due to precise pointing and image stabilization function.Among the three telescopes of LST,SCI is a dual-waveband coronagraph simultaneously and independently observing the inner corona in the HI Lyα(121.6±10 nm)line and white light(WL)(700±40 nm)wavebands by using a narrowband Lyαbeam splitter and has a field of view(FOV)from 1.1 to 2.5 R⊙.The stray-light suppression level can attain<10^-6 B⊙(B⊙is the mean brightness of the solar disk)at 1.1 R⊙and≤5×10^-8 B⊙at 2.5 R⊙.SDI and WST are solar disk imagers working in the Lyαline and 360.0 nm wavebands,respectively,which adopt an off-axis two-mirror reflective structure with an FOV up to 1.2 R⊙,covering the inner coronal edge area and relating to coronal imaging.We present the up-to-date design for the LST payload.

High-resolution observations of prominence plume formation with the new vacuum solar telescope

Prominence plumes are evacuated upflows that emerge from bubbles below prominences,whose formation mechanism is still unclear.Here we present a detailed study of plumes in a quiescent prominence using the high-resolution Hαfiltergrams at the line center as well as line wing at±0.4 A from the New Vacuum Solar Telescope.Enhancements of brightening,blue shifts,and turbulence at the fronts of plumes are found during their formation.Some large plumes split at their heads and finger-shaped structures are formed between them.Blue-shifted flows along the bubble-prominence interface are found before and during the plume formation.Our observations are consistent with the hypothesis that prominence plumes are related to coupled Kelvin-Helmholtz and Rayleigh-Taylor(KH/RT)instabilities.Plume splittings and fingers are evidence of RT instability,and the flows may increase the growth rate of KH/RT instabilities.However,the significant turbulence at plume fronts may suggest that the RT instability is triggered by the plumes penetrating into the prominence.In this scenario,extra mechanisms are necessary to drive the plumes.

Erratum:"The Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope(LST)for the ASO-S mission—I.Scientific objectives and overview"(2019,RAA,19,158)

As a result of an error by the authors,in the paper"The Lyman-alpha Solar Telescope(LST)for the ASO-S Mission.I.Scientific Objectives and Overview"by Hui Li et al.(RAA 2019 Vol.19,No.11,158,doi:10.1088/1674C4527/19/11/158),there is an error occurred in Table 2 about the image size of SCI UV in the'Event'mode:the image size 4608×4608 should be replaced by 2048×2048.This correction is indicated in bold face in the following table.