Subject: SECIS instrument Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2002 17:47:57 +0100 (BST) From: Francis Keenan To: canfield CC: Francis Keenan , Mihalis Mathioudakis , Athanassios Katsiyannis , James McAteer Dear Dr Canfield, It was with great interest that we read your article in SolarNews seeking possible collaborations for high-cadence observations of the Sun in support of RHESSI. A team of us at Queen's University Belfast (myself, Mihalis Mathioudakis, James McAteer, Thanassis Katsiyannis) and the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (led by Prof Ken Phillips) have developed a high-cadence camera called the Solar Eclipse Coronal Imaging System (SECIS). SECIS was developed to obtain observations of the solar corona during (short duration) total eclipses - see for example Williams et al MNRAS 326, 428 (2001). However major recent development work to SECIS now allows high-cadence observations to be performed for long durations (several hours), with a cadence as high as 50 ms. SECIS has two cameras, and can observe the Sun simultaneusly in two bands. The actual wavelengths depend on the filters used. For example, during solar eclipses we use coronal green line and white light filters. The field of view depends on the telescope to which SECIS is attached, and the desired spatial resolution. We do not have our own solar telescope and hence SECIS would need to be employed for fixed-scheduled observations with existing solar telescopes. Indeed, we have already used SECIS at both Sac Peak and Big Bear (H alpha). I would imagine we would therefore have to apply for time (say 2 weeks or more) on a solar telescope for a specific project, and ship and set up the instrument, which means planning observations a few months in advance. SECIS is a modular system and hence it easy to ship. While attached to the telescope it could easily respond to targets of opportunity. The main advantage with SECIS is that it is, to our knowledge, the highest-cadence dual band solar imaging instrument available at the present time. Anyway, please let us know if you might be interested in a collaboration with SECIS. If you would like to phone me to discuss this, my number is 0044 2890 273686 All the best Francis Keenan