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| HAO continues its role as a leader in development of instrumentation for remote sensing of the magnetic field in the solar atmosphere. This tradition dates back nearly 40 years when HAO programs were initiated to measure precisely the spectral variation of the polarization of light emitted by the Sun: it is the polarization of light that carries the most prominent signature of the strength of the magnetic field as well as its orientation. The approach of precise, spectrally-resolved observations ("spectro-polarimetry") has proven to yield the most accurate measures of the field vector, along with the important accompanying information on the thermodynamic state of the solar plasma. Currently, a major fraction of new solar instrumentation programs world-wide embraces spectro-polarimetry, indicating the central role that magnetic fields demand for understanding solar variability. This trend is due in no small measure to HAO's long-term commitment to solar spectro-polarimetry. |
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At HAO, a number of instrumentation programs now underway focus on various aspects of observations of the solar magnetic field. Most of these efforts are collaborations with other institutions, both nationally and internationally. It is clear that the community continues to look to HAO for expertise in both the engineering and scientific aspects of solar magnetic field observation. Presented in the following is a brief description of the various HAO programs to measure fields in the lower solar atmosphere (photosphere and chromosphere).
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