Assessment of DKIST/VTF Capabilities for the Detection of Local Acoustic Source Wavefronts

TL;DR

This study evaluates DKIST/VTF observational strategies for detecting local acoustic wavefronts in the solar photosphere, focusing on spectral line combinations that enhance wave signal sensitivity under instrument constraints.

Contribution

It proposes specific wavelength observation strategies for DKIST/VTF to improve detection of solar acoustic wavefronts, extending simulation-based methods to real observations.

Findings

Fast monochromatic imaging at 6302.425 A is effective.

Ordered interleaved observations in specific spectral line wings are promising.

Strategies depend on instrument cadence and spectral resolution constraints.

Abstract

Recent studies have demonstrated that temporal filtering can successfully identify local-acoustic-source wavefronts in radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar photosphere. Extending this capability to observations promises new insight into the stochastic excitation of solar p-modes, the source depth distribution below the photosphere, and the dominant physical processes underlying acoustic wave excitation. Such measurements would also enable improved characterization of the complex wavefield in the lower chromosphere and open the possibility of ultra-local helioseismic diagnostics. In this work, we assess an observational strategy for the detection of local acoustic wavefronts on the Sun using the Visible Tunable Filter (VTF) instrument on the National Science Foundation's Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). Because wavefront identification requires high spatial and temporal resolution and is limited by the small amplitudes of the wave perturbations, we focus on identifying specific wavelength combinations within spectral lines that maximize the sensitivity to the wave signal. Under the cadence and spectral resolution constraints of DKIST/VTF observations and for the particular simulated wavefront we examine, this approach suggests two possible strategies: fast monochromatic imaging at 6302.425 A, or ordered interleaved observations in the blue wing of either the Fe I 6302.5 A or Fe I 5250.6 A line (between 6302.419 A and 6302.465 A, or between 5250.579 A and 5250.607 A respectively).