| Presentation Title: | Status of MUSE |
| Author(s): | B. De Pontieu and MUSE team |
Abstract:
In this talk I will provide a status update of the development of the upcoming Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) mission, which is scheduled for launch in 2027. MUSE is a NASA MIDEX mission, composed of a multi-slit EUV spectrograph (in three narrow spectral bands centered around 171Å, 284Å, and 108Å) and an EUV context imager (in two narrow passbands around 195Å and 304Å). MUSE will provide spectral and imaging diagnostics of the solar corona at high spatial (~0.5 arcseconds), and temporal resolution (down to ~0.5 seconds) thanks to its innovative multi-slit design. By obtaining spectra in 4 bright EUV lines (Fe IX 171Å, Fe XV 284Å, Fe XIX-XXI 108Å) covering a wide range of transition region and coronal temperatures along 35 slits simultaneously, MUSE will be able to ``freeze" (at a cadence as short as 10 seconds) with a spectroscopic raster the evolution of the dynamic coronal plasma over a wide range of scales: from the spatial scales on which energy is released (<0.5 arcsec) to the large-scale often active-region size (~ 170 arcsec x 170 arcsec) atmospheric response. The MUSE science investigation is highly synergistic with that of Solar-C/EUVST and coordination with EUVST will be a key priority for MUSE. I will provide an update on the status of MUSE including the preliminary design review (PDR) in March 2024 and the key-decision point (KDP-C) review in May 2024.