Electrooptic Fabry-Perot filter: development for the study of solar oscillations

Area of Science:

• * Solar physics
• * Optics
• * Materials science

Background:

• * Nonradial solar oscillations necessitate precise Doppler velocity measurements.
• * Existing methods struggle to achieve the required 1 m/s velocity resolution over the photosphere.
• * Imaging spectrophotometers offer a potential solution for broad-surface solar observation.

Purpose of the Study:

• * To explore the use of tunable Fabry-Perot etalons for high-resolution solar velocity measurements.
• * To address the challenges in fabricating electrooptic etalons for solar imaging.
• * To demonstrate practical solutions for prototype device development.

Main Methods:

• * Design and fabrication of thin, solid, electrically tunable Fabry-Perot etalons.
• * Utilization of electrooptic materials, specifically lithium niobate (LiNbO3).
• * Measurement and analysis of prototype device performance.

Main Results:

• * Demonstrated the feasibility of using tunable etalons for solar velocity measurements.
• * Identified and addressed key fabrication challenges for electrooptic etalons.
• * Prototype devices showed promising performance for imaging spectrophotometry.

Conclusions:

• * Electrically tunable Fabry-Perot etalons are a viable technology for high-resolution solar oscillation studies.
• * Practical fabrication techniques have been developed for these specialized optical devices.
• * Further development can lead to advanced solar imaging spectrophotometers.