Precision IR and visible solar photometry

Abstract

A precision Solar Photometric Telescope (SPT) was constructed to study the large-scale thermal structure of the solar photosphere. This instrument does full-disk, broad-band (10 nm FWHM), two-color (500 and 650 nm) imaging of the solar photosphere. Data obtained by the SPT reveals network structures correlated with the supergranulation velocity field, and the CaK network of the chromosphere. Infrared array photometry extends these measurements to 1.6 and 2.2 micron. The observed correlation of the network brightness signal with the CaK network is positive at visible wavelengths. The correlation between the network at the opacity minimum (1.6 micron) and in the higher photosphere (2.2 micron) is positive also. The root-mean-square (r.m.s.) amplitude of the contrast at disk center is (2.34 ± 0.38) × 10^-3, (1.83 ± 0.51) × 10^-3, (1.02 ± 0.21) × 10^-3, and (1.11 ± 0.21) × 10^-3 for the green, red, H, and K band, respectively. It is consistent with a brightness temperature modulation of 2.9 K. The r.m.s. amplitude of the contrast of active region network shows a large increase toward the limb, and the quiet region network shows little center-to-limb variation (CLV). Power-spectrum analysis shows that the bright facular points in the active regions appear in the form of enhanced network.