The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview

Thomas R. Rimmele; Mark Warner; Stephen L. Keil; Philip R. Goode; Michael Knölker; Jeffrey R. Kuhn; Robert R. Rosner; Joseph P. McMullin; Roberto Casini; Haosheng Lin; Friedrich Wöger; Oskar von der Lühe; Alexandra Tritschler; Alisdair Davey; Alfred de Wijn; David F. Elmore; André Fehlmann; David M. Harrington; Sarah A. Jaeggli; Mark P. Rast; Thomas A. Schad; Wolfgang Schmidt; Mihalis Mathioudakis; Donald L. Mickey; Tetsu Anan; Christian Beck; Heather K. Marshall; Paul F. Jeffers; Jacobus M. Oschmann; Andrew Beard; David C. Berst; Bruce A. Cowan; Simon C. Craig; Eric Cross; Bryan K. Cummings; Colleen Donnelly; Jean Benoit de Vanssay; Arthur D. Eigenbrot; Andrew Ferayorni; Christopher Foster; Chriselle Ann Galapon; Christopher Gedrites; Kerry Gonzales; Bret D. Goodrich; Brian S. Gregory; Stephanie S. Guzman; Stephen Guzzo; Steve Hegwer; Robert P. Hubbard; John R. Hubbard; Erik M. Johansson; Luke C. Johnson; Chen Liang; Mary Liang; Isaac McQuillen; Christopher Mayer; Karl Newman; Brialyn Onodera; Le Ellen Phelps; Myles M. Puentes; Christopher Richards; Lukas M. Rimmele; Predrag Sekulic; Stephan R. Shimko; Brett E. Simison; Brett Smith; Erik Starman; Stacey R. Sueoka; Richard T. Summers; Aimee Szabo; Louis Szabo; Stephen B. Wampler; Timothy R. Williams; Charles White

doi:10.1007/s11207-020-01736-7

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview

Thomas R. Rimmele^*, Mark Warner, Stephen L. Keil, Philip R. Goode, Michael Knölker, Jeffrey R. Kuhn, Robert R. Rosner, Joseph P. McMullin, Roberto Casini, Haosheng Lin, Friedrich Wöger, Oskar von der Lühe, Alexandra Tritschler, Alisdair Davey, Alfred de Wijn, David F. Elmore, André Fehlmann, David M. Harrington, Sarah A. Jaeggli, Mark P. RastThomas A. Schad, Wolfgang Schmidt, Mihalis Mathioudakis, Donald L. Mickey, Tetsu Anan, Christian Beck, Heather K. Marshall, Paul F. Jeffers, Jacobus M. Oschmann, Andrew Beard, David C. Berst, Bruce A. Cowan, Simon C. Craig, Eric Cross, Bryan K. Cummings, Colleen Donnelly, Jean Benoit de Vanssay, Arthur D. Eigenbrot, Andrew Ferayorni, Christopher Foster, Chriselle Ann Galapon, Christopher Gedrites, Kerry Gonzales, Bret D. Goodrich, Brian S. Gregory, Stephanie S. Guzman, Stephen Guzzo, Steve Hegwer, Robert P. Hubbard, John R. Hubbard, Erik M. Johansson, Luke C. Johnson, Chen Liang, Mary Liang, Isaac McQuillen, Christopher Mayer, Karl Newman, Brialyn Onodera, Le Ellen Phelps, Myles M. Puentes, Christopher Richards, Lukas M. Rimmele, Predrag Sekulic, Stephan R. Shimko, Brett E. Simison, Brett Smith, Erik Starman, Stacey R. Sueoka, Richard T. Summers, Aimee Szabo, Louis Szabo, Stephen B. Wampler, Timothy R. Williams, Charles White

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

38 Citations (Scopus)

61 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

We present an overview of the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), its instruments, and support facilities. The 4 m aperture DKIST provides the highest-resolution observations of the Sun ever achieved. The large aperture of DKIST combined with state-of-the-art instrumentation provide the sensitivity to measure the vector magnetic field in the chromosphere and in the faint corona, i.e. for the first time with DKIST we will be able to measure and study the most important free-energy source in the outer solar atmosphere – the coronal magnetic field. Over its operational lifetime DKIST will advance our knowledge of fundamental astronomical processes, including highly dynamic solar eruptions that are at the source of space-weather events that impact our technological society. Design and construction of DKIST took over two decades. DKIST implements a fast (f/2), off-axis Gregorian optical design. The maximum available field-of-view is 5 arcmin. A complex thermal-control system was implemented in order to remove at prime focus the majority of the 13 kW collected by the primary mirror and to keep optical surfaces and structures at ambient temperature, thus avoiding self-induced local seeing. A high-order adaptive-optics system with 1600 actuators corrects atmospheric seeing enabling diffraction limited imaging and spectroscopy. Five instruments, four of which are polarimeters, provide powerful diagnostic capability over a broad wavelength range covering the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectrum. New polarization-calibration strategies were developed to achieve the stringent polarization accuracy requirement of 5×10⁻⁴. Instruments can be combined and operated simultaneously in order to obtain a maximum of observational information. Observing time on DKIST is allocated through an open, merit-based proposal process. DKIST will be operated primarily in “service mode” and is expected to on average produce 3 PB of raw data per year. A newly developed data center located at the NSO Headquarters in Boulder will initially serve fully calibrated data to the international users community. Higher-level data products, such as physical parameters obtained from inversions of spectro-polarimetric data will be added as resources allow.

Original language	English
Article number	172
Journal	Solar Physics
Volume	295
Issue number	12
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-020-01736-7
Publication status	Published - 04 Dec 2020

Bibliographical note

Funding Information:
The research reported herein is based in part on data collected with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), a facility of the National Solar Observatory (NSO). NSO is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., and is funded by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. DKIST is located on land of spiritual and cultural significance to Native Hawai’ian people. The use of this important site to further scientific knowledge is done so with appreciation and respect.

Funding Information:
Open Access funding provided by NSO. The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2020, The Author(s).

Copyright:
Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Keywords

Chromosphere
Corona
Instrumentation
Magnetic fields
Photosphere
Sun
Telescopes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Astronomy and Astrophysics
Space and Planetary Science

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10.1007/s11207-020-01736-7Licence: CC BY

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview
Copyright 2020 the authors. This is an open access article published under a Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the author and source are cited.
Final published version, 17.8 MBLicence: CC BY

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Rimmele, T. R., Warner, M., Keil, S. L., Goode, P. R., Knölker, M., Kuhn, J. R., Rosner, R. R., McMullin, J. P., Casini, R., Lin, H., Wöger, F., von der Lühe, O., Tritschler, A., Davey, A., de Wijn, A., Elmore, D. F., Fehlmann, A., Harrington, D. M., Jaeggli, S. A., ... White, C. (2020). The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview. Solar Physics, 295(12), [172]. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-020-01736-7

Rimmele, Thomas R. ; Warner, Mark ; Keil, Stephen L. ; Goode, Philip R. ; Knölker, Michael ; Kuhn, Jeffrey R. ; Rosner, Robert R. ; McMullin, Joseph P. ; Casini, Roberto ; Lin, Haosheng ; Wöger, Friedrich ; von der Lühe, Oskar ; Tritschler, Alexandra ; Davey, Alisdair ; de Wijn, Alfred ; Elmore, David F. ; Fehlmann, André ; Harrington, David M. ; Jaeggli, Sarah A. ; Rast, Mark P. ; Schad, Thomas A. ; Schmidt, Wolfgang ; Mathioudakis, Mihalis ; Mickey, Donald L. ; Anan, Tetsu ; Beck, Christian ; Marshall, Heather K. ; Jeffers, Paul F. ; Oschmann, Jacobus M. ; Beard, Andrew ; Berst, David C. ; Cowan, Bruce A. ; Craig, Simon C. ; Cross, Eric ; Cummings, Bryan K. ; Donnelly, Colleen ; de Vanssay, Jean Benoit ; Eigenbrot, Arthur D. ; Ferayorni, Andrew ; Foster, Christopher ; Galapon, Chriselle Ann ; Gedrites, Christopher ; Gonzales, Kerry ; Goodrich, Bret D. ; Gregory, Brian S. ; Guzman, Stephanie S. ; Guzzo, Stephen ; Hegwer, Steve ; Hubbard, Robert P. ; Hubbard, John R. ; Johansson, Erik M. ; Johnson, Luke C. ; Liang, Chen ; Liang, Mary ; McQuillen, Isaac ; Mayer, Christopher ; Newman, Karl ; Onodera, Brialyn ; Phelps, Le Ellen ; Puentes, Myles M. ; Richards, Christopher ; Rimmele, Lukas M. ; Sekulic, Predrag ; Shimko, Stephan R. ; Simison, Brett E. ; Smith, Brett ; Starman, Erik ; Sueoka, Stacey R. ; Summers, Richard T. ; Szabo, Aimee ; Szabo, Louis ; Wampler, Stephen B. ; Williams, Timothy R. ; White, Charles. / The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview. In: Solar Physics. 2020 ; Vol. 295, No. 12.

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title = "The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview",

abstract = "We present an overview of the National Science Foundation{\textquoteright}s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), its instruments, and support facilities. The 4 m aperture DKIST provides the highest-resolution observations of the Sun ever achieved. The large aperture of DKIST combined with state-of-the-art instrumentation provide the sensitivity to measure the vector magnetic field in the chromosphere and in the faint corona, i.e. for the first time with DKIST we will be able to measure and study the most important free-energy source in the outer solar atmosphere – the coronal magnetic field. Over its operational lifetime DKIST will advance our knowledge of fundamental astronomical processes, including highly dynamic solar eruptions that are at the source of space-weather events that impact our technological society. Design and construction of DKIST took over two decades. DKIST implements a fast (f/2), off-axis Gregorian optical design. The maximum available field-of-view is 5 arcmin. A complex thermal-control system was implemented in order to remove at prime focus the majority of the 13 kW collected by the primary mirror and to keep optical surfaces and structures at ambient temperature, thus avoiding self-induced local seeing. A high-order adaptive-optics system with 1600 actuators corrects atmospheric seeing enabling diffraction limited imaging and spectroscopy. Five instruments, four of which are polarimeters, provide powerful diagnostic capability over a broad wavelength range covering the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectrum. New polarization-calibration strategies were developed to achieve the stringent polarization accuracy requirement of 5×10−4. Instruments can be combined and operated simultaneously in order to obtain a maximum of observational information. Observing time on DKIST is allocated through an open, merit-based proposal process. DKIST will be operated primarily in “service mode” and is expected to on average produce 3 PB of raw data per year. A newly developed data center located at the NSO Headquarters in Boulder will initially serve fully calibrated data to the international users community. Higher-level data products, such as physical parameters obtained from inversions of spectro-polarimetric data will be added as resources allow.",

keywords = "Chromosphere, Corona, Instrumentation, Magnetic fields, Photosphere, Sun, Telescopes",

author = "Rimmele, {Thomas R.} and Mark Warner and Keil, {Stephen L.} and Goode, {Philip R.} and Michael Kn{\"o}lker and Kuhn, {Jeffrey R.} and Rosner, {Robert R.} and McMullin, {Joseph P.} and Roberto Casini and Haosheng Lin and Friedrich W{\"o}ger and {von der L{\"u}he}, Oskar and Alexandra Tritschler and Alisdair Davey and {de Wijn}, Alfred and Elmore, {David F.} and Andr{\'e} Fehlmann and Harrington, {David M.} and Jaeggli, {Sarah A.} and Rast, {Mark P.} and Schad, {Thomas A.} and Wolfgang Schmidt and Mihalis Mathioudakis and Mickey, {Donald L.} and Tetsu Anan and Christian Beck and Marshall, {Heather K.} and Jeffers, {Paul F.} and Oschmann, {Jacobus M.} and Andrew Beard and Berst, {David C.} and Cowan, {Bruce A.} and Craig, {Simon C.} and Eric Cross and Cummings, {Bryan K.} and Colleen Donnelly and {de Vanssay}, {Jean Benoit} and Eigenbrot, {Arthur D.} and Andrew Ferayorni and Christopher Foster and Galapon, {Chriselle Ann} and Christopher Gedrites and Kerry Gonzales and Goodrich, {Bret D.} and Gregory, {Brian S.} and Guzman, {Stephanie S.} and Stephen Guzzo and Steve Hegwer and Hubbard, {Robert P.} and Hubbard, {John R.} and Johansson, {Erik M.} and Johnson, {Luke C.} and Chen Liang and Mary Liang and Isaac McQuillen and Christopher Mayer and Karl Newman and Brialyn Onodera and Phelps, {Le Ellen} and Puentes, {Myles M.} and Christopher Richards and Rimmele, {Lukas M.} and Predrag Sekulic and Shimko, {Stephan R.} and Simison, {Brett E.} and Brett Smith and Erik Starman and Sueoka, {Stacey R.} and Summers, {Richard T.} and Aimee Szabo and Louis Szabo and Wampler, {Stephen B.} and Williams, {Timothy R.} and Charles White",

note = "Funding Information: The research reported herein is based in part on data collected with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), a facility of the National Solar Observatory (NSO). NSO is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., and is funded by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. DKIST is located on land of spiritual and cultural significance to Native Hawai{\textquoteright}ian people. The use of this important site to further scientific knowledge is done so with appreciation and respect. Funding Information: Open Access funding provided by NSO. The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2020, The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.",

year = "2020",

month = dec,

day = "4",

doi = "10.1007/s11207-020-01736-7",

language = "English",

volume = "295",

journal = "Solar Physics",

issn = "0038-0938",

publisher = "Springer Netherlands",

number = "12",

}

Rimmele, TR, Warner, M, Keil, SL, Goode, PR, Knölker, M, Kuhn, JR, Rosner, RR, McMullin, JP, Casini, R, Lin, H, Wöger, F, von der Lühe, O, Tritschler, A, Davey, A, de Wijn, A, Elmore, DF, Fehlmann, A, Harrington, DM, Jaeggli, SA, Rast, MP, Schad, TA, Schmidt, W, Mathioudakis, M, Mickey, DL, Anan, T, Beck, C, Marshall, HK, Jeffers, PF, Oschmann, JM, Beard, A, Berst, DC, Cowan, BA, Craig, SC, Cross, E, Cummings, BK, Donnelly, C, de Vanssay, JB, Eigenbrot, AD, Ferayorni, A, Foster, C, Galapon, CA, Gedrites, C, Gonzales, K, Goodrich, BD, Gregory, BS, Guzman, SS, Guzzo, S, Hegwer, S, Hubbard, RP, Hubbard, JR, Johansson, EM, Johnson, LC, Liang, C, Liang, M, McQuillen, I, Mayer, C, Newman, K, Onodera, B, Phelps, LE, Puentes, MM, Richards, C, Rimmele, LM, Sekulic, P, Shimko, SR, Simison, BE, Smith, B, Starman, E, Sueoka, SR, Summers, RT, Szabo, A, Szabo, L, Wampler, SB, Williams, TR & White, C 2020, 'The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview', Solar Physics, vol. 295, no. 12, 172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-020-01736-7

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview. / Rimmele, Thomas R.; Warner, Mark; Keil, Stephen L.; Goode, Philip R.; Knölker, Michael; Kuhn, Jeffrey R.; Rosner, Robert R.; McMullin, Joseph P.; Casini, Roberto; Lin, Haosheng; Wöger, Friedrich; von der Lühe, Oskar; Tritschler, Alexandra; Davey, Alisdair; de Wijn, Alfred; Elmore, David F.; Fehlmann, André; Harrington, David M.; Jaeggli, Sarah A.; Rast, Mark P.; Schad, Thomas A.; Schmidt, Wolfgang; Mathioudakis, Mihalis; Mickey, Donald L.; Anan, Tetsu; Beck, Christian; Marshall, Heather K.; Jeffers, Paul F.; Oschmann, Jacobus M.; Beard, Andrew; Berst, David C.; Cowan, Bruce A.; Craig, Simon C.; Cross, Eric; Cummings, Bryan K.; Donnelly, Colleen; de Vanssay, Jean Benoit; Eigenbrot, Arthur D.; Ferayorni, Andrew; Foster, Christopher; Galapon, Chriselle Ann; Gedrites, Christopher; Gonzales, Kerry; Goodrich, Bret D.; Gregory, Brian S.; Guzman, Stephanie S.; Guzzo, Stephen; Hegwer, Steve; Hubbard, Robert P.; Hubbard, John R.; Johansson, Erik M.; Johnson, Luke C.; Liang, Chen; Liang, Mary; McQuillen, Isaac; Mayer, Christopher; Newman, Karl; Onodera, Brialyn; Phelps, Le Ellen; Puentes, Myles M.; Richards, Christopher; Rimmele, Lukas M.; Sekulic, Predrag; Shimko, Stephan R.; Simison, Brett E.; Smith, Brett; Starman, Erik; Sueoka, Stacey R.; Summers, Richard T.; Szabo, Aimee; Szabo, Louis; Wampler, Stephen B.; Williams, Timothy R.; White, Charles.

In: Solar Physics, Vol. 295, No. 12, 172, 04.12.2020.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview

AU - Rimmele, Thomas R.

AU - Warner, Mark

AU - Keil, Stephen L.

AU - Goode, Philip R.

AU - Knölker, Michael

AU - Kuhn, Jeffrey R.

AU - Rosner, Robert R.

AU - McMullin, Joseph P.

AU - Casini, Roberto

AU - Lin, Haosheng

AU - Wöger, Friedrich

AU - von der Lühe, Oskar

AU - Tritschler, Alexandra

AU - Davey, Alisdair

AU - de Wijn, Alfred

AU - Elmore, David F.

AU - Fehlmann, André

AU - Harrington, David M.

AU - Jaeggli, Sarah A.

AU - Rast, Mark P.

AU - Schad, Thomas A.

AU - Schmidt, Wolfgang

AU - Mathioudakis, Mihalis

AU - Mickey, Donald L.

AU - Anan, Tetsu

AU - Beck, Christian

AU - Marshall, Heather K.

AU - Jeffers, Paul F.

AU - Oschmann, Jacobus M.

AU - Beard, Andrew

AU - Berst, David C.

AU - Cowan, Bruce A.

AU - Craig, Simon C.

AU - Cross, Eric

AU - Cummings, Bryan K.

AU - Donnelly, Colleen

AU - de Vanssay, Jean Benoit

AU - Eigenbrot, Arthur D.

AU - Ferayorni, Andrew

AU - Foster, Christopher

AU - Galapon, Chriselle Ann

AU - Gedrites, Christopher

AU - Gonzales, Kerry

AU - Goodrich, Bret D.

AU - Gregory, Brian S.

AU - Guzman, Stephanie S.

AU - Guzzo, Stephen

AU - Hegwer, Steve

AU - Hubbard, Robert P.

AU - Hubbard, John R.

AU - Johansson, Erik M.

AU - Johnson, Luke C.

AU - Liang, Chen

AU - Liang, Mary

AU - McQuillen, Isaac

AU - Mayer, Christopher

AU - Newman, Karl

AU - Onodera, Brialyn

AU - Phelps, Le Ellen

AU - Puentes, Myles M.

AU - Richards, Christopher

AU - Rimmele, Lukas M.

AU - Sekulic, Predrag

AU - Shimko, Stephan R.

AU - Simison, Brett E.

AU - Smith, Brett

AU - Starman, Erik

AU - Sueoka, Stacey R.

AU - Summers, Richard T.

AU - Szabo, Aimee

AU - Szabo, Louis

AU - Wampler, Stephen B.

AU - Williams, Timothy R.

AU - White, Charles

N1 - Funding Information: The research reported herein is based in part on data collected with the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), a facility of the National Solar Observatory (NSO). NSO is managed by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., and is funded by the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. DKIST is located on land of spiritual and cultural significance to Native Hawai’ian people. The use of this important site to further scientific knowledge is done so with appreciation and respect. Funding Information: Open Access funding provided by NSO. The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), under cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. Publisher Copyright: © 2020, The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

PY - 2020/12/4

Y1 - 2020/12/4

N2 - We present an overview of the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), its instruments, and support facilities. The 4 m aperture DKIST provides the highest-resolution observations of the Sun ever achieved. The large aperture of DKIST combined with state-of-the-art instrumentation provide the sensitivity to measure the vector magnetic field in the chromosphere and in the faint corona, i.e. for the first time with DKIST we will be able to measure and study the most important free-energy source in the outer solar atmosphere – the coronal magnetic field. Over its operational lifetime DKIST will advance our knowledge of fundamental astronomical processes, including highly dynamic solar eruptions that are at the source of space-weather events that impact our technological society. Design and construction of DKIST took over two decades. DKIST implements a fast (f/2), off-axis Gregorian optical design. The maximum available field-of-view is 5 arcmin. A complex thermal-control system was implemented in order to remove at prime focus the majority of the 13 kW collected by the primary mirror and to keep optical surfaces and structures at ambient temperature, thus avoiding self-induced local seeing. A high-order adaptive-optics system with 1600 actuators corrects atmospheric seeing enabling diffraction limited imaging and spectroscopy. Five instruments, four of which are polarimeters, provide powerful diagnostic capability over a broad wavelength range covering the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectrum. New polarization-calibration strategies were developed to achieve the stringent polarization accuracy requirement of 5×10−4. Instruments can be combined and operated simultaneously in order to obtain a maximum of observational information. Observing time on DKIST is allocated through an open, merit-based proposal process. DKIST will be operated primarily in “service mode” and is expected to on average produce 3 PB of raw data per year. A newly developed data center located at the NSO Headquarters in Boulder will initially serve fully calibrated data to the international users community. Higher-level data products, such as physical parameters obtained from inversions of spectro-polarimetric data will be added as resources allow.

AB - We present an overview of the National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST), its instruments, and support facilities. The 4 m aperture DKIST provides the highest-resolution observations of the Sun ever achieved. The large aperture of DKIST combined with state-of-the-art instrumentation provide the sensitivity to measure the vector magnetic field in the chromosphere and in the faint corona, i.e. for the first time with DKIST we will be able to measure and study the most important free-energy source in the outer solar atmosphere – the coronal magnetic field. Over its operational lifetime DKIST will advance our knowledge of fundamental astronomical processes, including highly dynamic solar eruptions that are at the source of space-weather events that impact our technological society. Design and construction of DKIST took over two decades. DKIST implements a fast (f/2), off-axis Gregorian optical design. The maximum available field-of-view is 5 arcmin. A complex thermal-control system was implemented in order to remove at prime focus the majority of the 13 kW collected by the primary mirror and to keep optical surfaces and structures at ambient temperature, thus avoiding self-induced local seeing. A high-order adaptive-optics system with 1600 actuators corrects atmospheric seeing enabling diffraction limited imaging and spectroscopy. Five instruments, four of which are polarimeters, provide powerful diagnostic capability over a broad wavelength range covering the visible, near-infrared, and mid-infrared spectrum. New polarization-calibration strategies were developed to achieve the stringent polarization accuracy requirement of 5×10−4. Instruments can be combined and operated simultaneously in order to obtain a maximum of observational information. Observing time on DKIST is allocated through an open, merit-based proposal process. DKIST will be operated primarily in “service mode” and is expected to on average produce 3 PB of raw data per year. A newly developed data center located at the NSO Headquarters in Boulder will initially serve fully calibrated data to the international users community. Higher-level data products, such as physical parameters obtained from inversions of spectro-polarimetric data will be added as resources allow.

KW - Chromosphere

KW - Corona

KW - Instrumentation

KW - Magnetic fields

KW - Photosphere

KW - Sun

KW - Telescopes

U2 - 10.1007/s11207-020-01736-7

DO - 10.1007/s11207-020-01736-7

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85097097527

VL - 295

JO - Solar Physics

JF - Solar Physics

SN - 0038-0938

IS - 12

M1 - 172

ER -

The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope – Observatory Overview

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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