Capabilities of a 24 -channel slicer for imaging spectroscopy with the Multichannel Subtractive Double Pass (MSDP) on 8-meter class solar spectrographs

Abstract

Imaging spectroscopy is intended to be coupled with adaptive optics (AO) on large solar telescopes, in order to produce high spatial and temporal resolution measurements of velocities and magnetic fields on a 2D target. We present the theoretical capabilities of a new generation 24-channel MSDP slicer for 8-meter class spectrographs which are common in solar astronomy. The aim is to produce 24-channel spectra-images providing cubes of instantaneous data (x, y, $\lambda$) allowing the study of the plasma dynamics and magnetic fields. We investigate the possibility of doubling the spectral resolution using two interlaced spectra-images, delivering together 48 channels. Two polarimetric methods are also explored providing simultaneous measurements of Stokes combinations with a dual beam; one of them could provide 48 sub-channels (or 96 with wavelength interlaced observations).