Next Space Solar Observatory "SOLAR-C"

2nd SOLAR-C Science Definition Meeting

Announcement
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Agenda
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Announcement

The 2nd SOLAR-C Science Definition Meeting
9 - 12 March 2010

         This is to announce that we are going to hold the second science definition meeting for the Solar-C mission at ISAS/JAXA during 9 - 12 March 2010.
         Thanks to the success of the Hinode (SOLAR-B) mission, the SOLAR-C working group (WG) in ISAS/JAXA, and NAOJ Solar-C Project Office (PO) in NAOJ were officially approved in 2008 to study and develop the next solar mission.
         Since then, two plans have been studied: The Plan A mission will perform out-of-the-ecliptic magnetic and helioseismic observations of the polar and the equatorial regions to investigate properties of the polar region, meridional flow and magnetic structure inside the Sun down to the bottom of the convection zone. The Plan B mission will perform high spatial resolution, high throughput, high cadence spectroscopic (polarimetric) and UV observations, from the photosphere to the corona, to investigate the magnetism of the Sun and its role in heating and dynamism of the solar atmospheres.
         The first science definition meeting was held in November 2008, and the science cases for two alternative missions were extensively reviewed, and strong support was expressed for the science objectives of both Plan A and Plan B. The WG decided to continue the studies of both plans. Five international sub-WGs were established to carry out extensive studies in 2009. The sub-WGs were formed for areas which were critically important from the scientific and technical viewpoints but where further investigation was needed to establish the technical feasibility of meeting the scientific requirements. They are: (a) Engineering Investigation of Plan A Spacecraft, (b) Plan A: Helioseismology and the Solar Dynamo, (c) Plan B Measurement of the Chromospheric Magnetic Field, (d) UV/EUV high-throughput spectroscopy, and (e) Next generation X-ray telescope. The main charge to each sub-WG was to complete a mission proposal document for its relevant field that will form the basis of a SOLAR-C mission proposal.
         The purposes of this time SOLAR-C science definition meeting are; first to report the activity of each sub-WGs, second to critically assess the science rationales interacting across the sub-WGs and the two mission concepts, third to list up and discuss the points of view for prioritization of the missions, and finally to prepare writing for the mission proposal document that should be accomplished by the time of the call for proposal of the next JAXA mission, possibly taking place this autumn. By that time, the WG needs to propose a single mission plan to ISAS/JAXA.
         We, the JAXA SOLAR-C WG and NAOJ Solar-C PO, recognize that the intensive international collaboration conducted in the Yohkoh and Hinode missions is a key factor for the success, and, therefore, solicit input from international solar scientists in these sub-WGs at this initial phase of the mission concept studies.
         The meeting will be held at ISAS/JAXA during 9 - 12 March 2010. The provisional agenda of the meeting is as follows. All the WG and sub-WG members are welcome, as well as the participants of the first meeting. The presenters will be asked among the members of the WG and the international sub-WGs with the steering committee, plus those specifically assigned from the WG.

Sincerely,

            Tetsuya Watanabe
            Chair, Organizing Committee, 2nd SOLAR-C Science Definition Meeting
            NAOJ Solar-C Project Office

            Organizing Committee:
            Watanabe, Sekii, Hara, Shimizu, Sakao, Ichimoto, Kusano, Katsukawa,
            Cirtain, Culhane, Tsuneta