First Light with GRIS+

Diffraction-limitedobservations in the near-infrared spectral region

December 01, 2017

The new infrared cameras at GREGOR are now operational and deliver high-resolution observations of the photosphere.

Slit-jaw image of a quiet-sun region close to the disk center recorded at a wavelength of 1565 nm. The image shows fine-structures in the deepest observable layer of the solar photosphere as small as 150 km.

Slit-jaw image of a quiet-sun region close to the disk center recorded at a wavelength of 1565 nm. The image shows fine-structures in the deepest observable layer of the solar photosphere as small as 150 km.

In November 2017 the second high-speed infrared camera was installed in the GREGOR Infrared Spectrograph (GRIS). The high frame-rate, the low dark current and read-out noise, and the high duty cycle allowed us to obtain the first diffraction limited observations in the near-infrared spectral region. For the first time, solar structures with sizes of approximately 150 km could be resolved in the magnetically highly sensitive Fe I lines around 1.56 micron. The new instrument GRIS+ will allow for magnetic field measurements with unprecedented precision in the deepest layers of the solar atmosphere directly accesible by remote sensing instrument.