Obserwacje strumienia promieniowania rentgenowskiego Słońca jako gwiazdy w okresie głębokiego minimum aktywności Recent solar activity as observed with X-ray spectrophotometer SphinX aboard the CORONAS-PHOTON for the SphinX team Solar Physics Division, Space Research Centre Polish Academy of Sciences, 51-622 Wrocław, Kopernika 11
The SphinX Team SRC PAS Wrocław Mirek Kowalinski, Szymon Gburek, Marek Siarkowski, Jarek Bakala, Zbigniew Kordylewski, Piotr Podgorski, Barbara Sylwester, Anna Kepa, Witold Trzebiński P.N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow Sergey Kuzin-TESIS PI, Andrei Pertsov, Sergey Bogaczev Astronomical Institute, Ondrejov Frantisek Farnik Astronomical Observatory, Palermo Fabio Reale, Alfonso Collura University College, London Ken Phillips
SphinX: Solar Photometer in X-rays, PI: CO RO NA Mass ~2500 kg, 8.2 GB/day S PH O TO N SRC-PAS Launched 30 Jan. 2009 at 13:30 UT from Plesetsk Cosmodrome Pointing Semi-Three axis http://www.tesis.lebedev.ru/ stabilised TESIS with SphinX http://www.cbk.pan.wroc.pl/body/publikacje/2008/sphinx.pdf
The orbit 96 min 550km, 82.5 deg. Polar orbit Life ~7 years CORONAS-F Encountered SAA ~1000 cts/s & Polar ovals ~100 cts/s 4 times/96 min
SphinX Polish concept, design & manufacture Measures the X-ray fluence of the Sun 0.85 15 kev with unprecedented Time resolution ~0.00001 s Sensitivity 100 x better than GOES XRM the standard for 30+years Energy resolution 3x RHESSI (NASA)
The construction EUV filters (doubly aluminized Mylar) Photometer Collimators (+-2.5 deg) Three apertures D1, D2, D3 Shutter Stepper motor FFU Filters Targets D4 Electronics Front end Amptek Digital our Controller Software reprogramming Heat sink Alignment mirror Total cost of the project ~ 1 mln PLN KBN T12 grant
Measurement channels Photometric FFU φ: 5 mm A: 20.4mm2 8 μs Up to 25 000 cts/s φ: 4 mm A: 0.50 mm2 25 μs Up to 20 000 cts/s φ: 4 mm A: 0.0052 mm2 25 μs Up to 20 000 cts/s φ: 4 mm A: 13.0 mm2 25 μs Up to 20 000 cts/s FWHM: 490 ev FWHM: 290 ev FWHM: 290 ev FWHM: 290 ev Detectors (four units): 256/1024 energy bins Amptek, Peltier cooled (-50 deg C below the support T) Si PIN diodes. Detectors support plate passively cooled through the heat sink pipe to the external radiator Photon arrival time measured to within 2μs (in Time Stamping Mode)
How performance looks from the tests The BESSY synchrotron input spectrum (red) with overplotted response of SphinX D2 detector (black). Nominal effective areas have been used. The agreement is better than 5% in the energy band where SphinX detectors are the most sensitive. BESSY Berlin Synchrotron: - All detectors linearity: perfect (0.1% ) over 0.8-14.5 kev; & dynamic range 104. - absolute response known to better than 5% against reference synchrotron source. - pile-up matrices known as measured from X-ray 4 crystal monochromator spectra obtained at 8 energies between 1.5 and 8 kev
GOES X class range to be extended down 10-6 W/m2 10-7 A = 10-8 W/m2 10-8 10-9 Solar X-ray flux remains at background levels: i.e. Max Millenium message S = 10-9 W/m2 10-10 SAA S/C night 10-11 Q = 10-10 W/m2 SphinX detection threshold
New X-ray classes We are introducing new classes of X-ray solar variability, below GOES A1.0 A = 10-8 W/m2 (present lowest) S = 10-9 W/m2 Q = 10-10 W/m2 SphinX in its D1 channel is capable to observe events 100 x less intense than GOES Most of variability since the launch is observed to happen below the GOES delectability threshold
Solar activity: longer-term only around 80 flares,detected by GOES, among them C2.7 on 6 July 2009 and triple B on March 26, 2009 SphinX D2 record cts/s GOES detection threshold The Lowest observed level Since Launch: Long S/C day GOES 80 events, SphinX 550 events
Determination of absolute levels of X-ray solar luminosity E > 1 kev D1- DGI 1s E1 /E2 D1 D2
X-ray fluence at E > 1 kev Instrument heating Histogram of T values D2 rate D1 rate Temperature D1 rate Emission Measure Thermodynamic Measure 1.6 1.8 2.0 MK Example: for data set No. 50 Te 1.71 MK [ 1.69, 1.72 ] EM 6.2 [ 5.7, 6.7] 1047 cm-3 Flux [1-15 kev] 1.4 10-8 W/m2 Flux GOES [1 8 Å] 4.2 10-10 W/m2
TESIS images (courtesy Sergey Bogaczev FIAN) 2009 02 20 18:28:42 304 Å 2009 02 20 18:27:42 171 Å ~80 000 K ~1 MK
Longer exposure: ~18 hours Counts below 3 kev ~ 1 mln Counts above 3 kev ~ 3000 Ratio: 0.003 Any coronal heating model should obey this measurement from now on
http://www.cbk.pan.wroc.pl/sphinxnews/?page_id=25
Example catalogue page D1 D2 bcg
Summary Two components on the lightcurves: Quasi steady X-ray intensities enhanced when AR are present The lowest quasi-steady state level, when no AR are present, is also observed in D2, this level is still fluctuating on a 5 min time scale study is in progress. Flares are seen on-top of this basal variability. Flare enhancements are being detected from amplitudes above ~ 0.05 dex. Both short and LDE types of events are present without the sunspots The Sun is the weakest X-ray star within 7 parsecs (Schmitt et al., 1995, ApJ, 450, 392) with our new estimated luminosity at LX = 1.3 1018 W 100 x less α Cen A., 47 x less previous estimates (Judge et al., 2003, ApJ, 593, 534) Luminosity in the 1 300 Å is 8.0 1025 erg s-1, a value which is of interest for heating the Earth s atmosphere, much below present estimates Thermal energy content of the solar corona is 2 1030 erg
The End Please have a look at the poster Barbara Sylwester,, Marek Siarkowski Zakład Fizyki Słońca CBK PAN Wrocław: "Interpretacja widm uzyskanych za pomocą polskiego spektrofotometru SphinX"
Compilation of SphinX flare catalogue SOLAR CORONAL LOOPS WORKSHOP IV, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 : Activity - SphinX
Flare statistics based on SphinX catalogue interpretation (provisional) Flare amplitude vs the occurence times of events GOES detection Threshold Increasing trend is noticeable SOLAR CORONAL LOOPS WORKSHOP IV, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 : Activity - SphinX
30 April 2009 10:42 A3.1 flare EIT SOHO 195 Å XRT Hinode SOLAR CORONAL LOOPS WORKSHOP IV, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 : Activity - SphinX
Spectra maximum decay E2 E1
Flare evolution on T-EM diagram see poster B. Sylwester et al. T EM ThM = T * sqrt(em)
Diagnostic Diagram Jakimiec, J.; Sylwester, B. ; Sylwester, J.; Serio, S.; Peres, G.; Reale, F. 1992A&A...253..269 From HXIS A eh C L Palermo-Harvard Code Peres et al., 1982 A eh C L Jakimiec, J.; Sylwester, B.; Sylwester, J.; Mewe, R.; Peres, G., 1986AdSpR...6..237J SS RTV: 2 Log T ½ Log EM = ½ Log(L/2A) - 6.145
Diagnostic diagram based on GOES Sylwester, J.; Sylwester, B.; Phillips, K. J. H.; Kepa, A. g n i n ar W
06 June 2009 B2.6 flare TESIS 171 Å XRT Hinode SOLAR CORONAL LOOPS WORKSHOP IV, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 : Activity - SphinX
Spectra maximum decay E2 E1 SOLAR CORONAL LOOPS WORKSHOP IV, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 : Activity - SphinX
Flare evolution on T-EM diagram see poster B. Sylwester et al. T EM ThM = T * sqrt(em)
Conclusions SphinX will provide flare flags to Coronas (testing algorithms in orbit) Sphinx measurements allow To See solar X-ray variability from the bottom level up to X20 To Determine absolute fluxes above 1 kev, each few s (also GOES in standard bands) To Study photon arrival times statistics (needs some more work on the instrument operation) To Study small flare statistics Will supplement RHESSI spectra towards lower energies Will provide the most exhaustive flare catalogue SOLAR CORONAL LOOPS WORKSHOP IV, Wednesday, July 1, 2009 : Activity - SphinX