We have constructed an instrument to measure the polarization of light emitted by the solar corona in order to constrain the strength and orientation of coronal magnetic fields. We call this instrument the Coronal Multichannel Polarimeter (CoMP). The CoMP is integrated into the Coronal One Shot coronagraph at Sacramento Peak Observatory and employs a combination birefringent filter and polarimeter to form images in two wavelengths simultaneously over a 2.8R field of view. The CoMP measures the complete polarization state at the 1074.7 and 1079.8 Fe XIII coronal emission lines, and the 1083.0 nm He I chromospheric line. In this paper we present design drivers for the instrument, provide a detailed description of the instrument, describe the calibration methodology, and present some sample data along with estimates of the uncertainty of the measured magnetic field.

No abstract

We present a compact, self-consistent formulation for the description of polarized radiation from magnetic-dipole transitions occurring in the magnetized solar corona. This work di †ers from earlier treatments by and House in the 1970s, in that the radiative emission coefficients for the Sahal-Bre chot four Stokes parameters, I, Q, U, and V , are treated to Ðrst order in a Taylor expansion of the line proÐle in terms of the Larmor frequency of the coronal magnetic Ðeld. In so doing, the inÑuence on the scattered radiation of both atomic polarization, induced through anisotropic irradiation, and the Zeeman e †ect is accounted for in a consistent way. It is found that the well-known magnetograph formula, relating the V proÐle to the frequency derivative of the I proÐle, must be corrected in the presence of atomic alignment produced by anisotropic irradiation. This correction is smallest for lines where collisions and cascades dominate over excitation by anisotropic radiation, but it systematically increases with height above the solar limb (up to a theoretical maximum of 100%, in the collisionless regime and in the limit of vanishing longitudinal magnetic Ðeld). Although the correction to the magnetograph formula must be calculated separately for each line as a function of heliocentric distance, it is likely to be small for some lines of practical interest, along lines of sight close to the solar limb.