Zooming into fine plasma structures in the Sun’s corona with adaptive optics

Abstract: Observing cool, visible-light plasma in the Sun’s corona beyond the solar limb at 63 km (90 mas) resolution is now possible with the new coronal adaptive optics system Cona at the 1.6-meter Goode Solar Telescope. Cona boosts the resolution by an order of magnitude compared to seeing limited observations and enables unprecedented clarity in images of coronal rain and prominences, and has revealed not previously observed features and dynamics.
In this talk, you will see recently published as well as yet unpublished high spatio-temporal resolution footage of fine structured plasma in the corona, showcasing this new, ground-breaking advancement of observational capability for solar research.
You will also have the opportunity to enjoy a short primer on the basic concepts and on the effects of adaptive optics for the Sun, ranging from adaptive optics for the corona to wide-field adaptive optics like ground-layer and multi-conjugate schemes for the photosphere that will soon be available at DKIST. With that you will get a glimpse of the next generation adaptive optics system for DKIST currently built by NSO at the SPSC involving 9 cameras in an ultra-high-performance realtime control system. Finally, you will hear about the use and access to Cona at the Goode Solar Telescope and its data, and you will be invited to share your thoughts on the plasma phenomena revealed by Cona and that we currently do not understand well.