The Stellar Imager (SI) mission concept

Kenneth G. Carpenter; Carolus J. Schrijver; Richard G. Lyon; Lee G. Mundy; Ronald J. Allen; J. Thomas Armstrong; William C. Danchi; Margarita Karovska; Joseph Marzouk; Lisa M. Mazzuca; David Mozurkewich; Susan G. Neff; Thomas A. Pauls; Jayadev K. Rajagopal; Gregory Solyar; Xiaolei Zhang

doi:10.1117/12.459776

24 February 2003 Stellar Imager (SI) mission concept

Kenneth G. Carpenter, Carolus J. Schrijver, Richard G. Lyon, Lee G. Mundy, Ronald J. Allen, J. Thomas Armstrong, William C. Danchi, Margarita Karovska, Joseph Marzouk, Lisa M. Mazzuca, David Mozurkewich, Susan G. Neff, Thomas A. Pauls, Jayadev K. Rajagopal, Gregory Solyar, Xiaolei Zhang

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 4854, Future EUV/UV and Visible Space Astrophysics Missions and Instrumentation; (2003) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.459776
Event: Astronomical Telescopes and Instrumentation, 2002, Waikoloa, Hawai'i, United States

Abstract

The Stellar Imager (SI) is envisioned as a space-based, UV-optical interferometer composed of 10 or more one-meter class elements distributed with a maximum baseline of 0.5 km. It is designed to image stars and binaries with sufficient resolution to enable long-term studies of stellar magnetic activity patterns, for comparison with those on the sun. It will also support asteroseismology (acoustic imaging) to probe stellar internal structure, differential rotation, and large-scale circulations. SI will enable us to understand the various effects of the magnetic fields of stars, the dynamos that generate these fields, and the internal structure and dynamics of the stars. The ultimate goal of the mission is to achieve the best-possible forecasting of solar activity as a driver of climate and space weather on time scales ranging from months up to decades, and an understanding of the impact of stellar magnetic activity on life in the Universe. In this paper we describe the scientific goals of the mission, the performance requirements needed to address these goals, the "enabling technology" development efforts being pursued, and the design concepts now under study for the full mission and a possible pathfinder mission.

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Kenneth G. Carpenter, Carolus J. Schrijver, Richard G. Lyon, Lee G. Mundy, Ronald J. Allen, J. Thomas Armstrong, William C. Danchi, Margarita Karovska, Joseph Marzouk, Lisa M. Mazzuca, David Mozurkewich, Susan G. Neff, Thomas A. Pauls, Jayadev K. Rajagopal, Gregory Solyar, and Xiaolei Zhang "Stellar Imager (SI) mission concept", Proc. SPIE 4854, Future EUV/UV and Visible Space Astrophysics Missions and Instrumentation, (24 February 2003); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.459776

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