Multi Application Solar Telescope - MAST 

MAST is a 50 cm, a multi-application, off-axis solar telescope, which is getting ready for installation at the Udaipur Solar Observatory (USO) by September this year. Our main interest is in the polarimetry of active regions, initially in two wavelengths, FeI 617.3nm and CaII 854.2nm, originating in the photospheric and chromospheric heights, respectively. The telescope is being developed by AMOS, Belgium. The telescope will be installed in a newly built observatory building on an island equipped with a 9m collapsible fabric dome for better seeing conditions. Gentle wind along with the temperature control system on the telescope is expected to provide good image quality. The first-light instruments are being developed, which include an adaptive-optics system, polarimeter and an imager. The polarimeter will have two LCVRs along with a linear polarizer and the auxiliary calibration optics. The LCVRs are tunable and could be used in both the wavelengths. Two tandem lithium niobate voltage tunable Fabry-Perot etalons along with switchable pre-filters will enable us to scan the line profiles at the above two wavelengths to obtain 2-dimensional images with spectral information.   

MAST original proposal is available HERE  
[Contact Prof. P. Venkatakrishnan for more details]




















Last update on 31 March 2010