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arXiv · 2603.17929

The Sunrise Chromospheric Infrared Spectro-Polarimeter SCIP: an instrument for SUNRISE III

Y. Katsukawa·J. C. del Toro Iniesta·S. K. Solanki·M. Kubo·H. Hara·T. Shimizu·T. Oba·Y. Kawabata·T. Tsuzuki·F. Uraguchi·K. Shinoda·T. Tamura·Y. Suematsu·T. Matsumoto·R. T. Ishikawa·Y. Naito·K. Ichimoto·S. Nagata·T. Anan·D. Orozco Suárez·E. Sanchis Kilders·M. Balaguer Jiménez·A. C. López Jiménez·C. Quintero Noda·D. Álvarez García·J. L. Ramos Mas·J. P. Cobos Carrascosa·P. Labrousse·B. Aparicio del Moral·A. Sánchez Gómez·D. Hernández Expósito·E. Bailón Martínez·J. M. Morales Fernández·A. J. Moreno Mantas·A. Tobaruela·I. Bustamante·F. J. Bailén·J. Blanco Rodríguez·J. L. Gasent Blesa·P. Rodríguez Martínez·A. Ferreres·D. Gilabert Palmer·J. Piqueras Carreño·I. Pérez Grande·I. Torralbo·A. Álvarez Herrero·A. Korpi-Lagg·A. Gandorfer·T. Berkefeld·P Bernasconi·A. Feller·T. L. Riethmüller·H. N. Smitha·V. Martínez Pillet·B. Grauf·A. Bell·M. Carpenter
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Abstract

The Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory is equipped with a one-meter aperture optical telescope, offering a unique platform for uninterrupted seeing-free observations across ultraviolet, visible, and infrared wavelengths from altitudes higher than 33 km. For the third flight of the upgraded Sunrise observatory conducted in 2024, now called Sunrise III, a new spectro-polarimeter called the Sunrise Chromospheric Infrared spectroPolarimeter (SCIP) was developed for observing near-infrared wavelength ranges around 770 nm and 850 nm. These wavelength ranges contain many spectral lines, including two of the Ca II infrared triplet, K I D1 and D2 lines, and multiple Fe I lines, that are sensitive to solar magnetic fields and velocities in the photosphere and chromosphere. SCIP consists of a grating spectrograph in which polarimetric measurements are conducted using a rotating waveplate as a modulator and polarizing beam splitters placed in front of the cameras. The spatial and spectral resolutions are 0.21" and 1x10^5, respectively, and a polarimetric sensitivity of 0.03% (1sigma) of the continuum intensity is achieved with a 10 s integration time per a resolution element. To achieve high-precision detection of small polarization signals, we carefully designed the optical and mechanical systems, polarization components, control electronics, and onboard data processing. Together with the other post-focus instrumentation developed for Sunrise III, the Sunrise Ultraviolet Spectropolarimeter and Imager (SUSI) and the visible imaging spectro-polarimeter Tunable Magnetograph (TuMag), SCIP provides novel observations that help elucidate energy transfer and time-dependent phenomena across the solar photosphere and chromosphere.

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Y. Katsukawa, J. C. del Toro Iniesta, S. K. Solanki, M. Kubo, H. Hara, T. Shimizu, T. Oba, Y. Kawabata, T. Tsuzuki, F. Uraguchi, K. Shinoda, T. Tamura, Y. Suematsu, T. Matsumoto, R. T. Ishikawa, Y. Naito, K. Ichimoto, S. Nagata, T. Anan, D. Orozco Suárez, E. Sanchis Kilders, M. Balaguer Jiménez, A. C. López Jiménez, C. Quintero Noda, D. Álvarez García, J. L. Ramos Mas, J. P. Cobos Carrascosa, P. Labrousse, B. Aparicio del Moral, A. Sánchez Gómez, D. Hernández Expósito, E. Bailón Martínez, J. M. Morales Fernández, A. J. Moreno Mantas, A. Tobaruela, I. Bustamante, F. J. Bailén, J. Blanco Rodríguez, J. L. Gasent Blesa, P. Rodríguez Martínez, A. Ferreres, D. Gilabert Palmer, J. Piqueras Carreño, I. Pérez Grande, I. Torralbo, A. Álvarez Herrero, A. Korpi-Lagg, A. Gandorfer, T. Berkefeld, P Bernasconi, A. Feller, T. L. Riethmüller, H. N. Smitha, V. Martínez Pillet, B. Grauf, A. Bell, M. Carpenter. 2026-03-18. The Sunrise Chromospheric Infrared Spectro-Polarimeter SCIP: an instrument for SUNRISE III. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-026-02696-0

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