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We aim at improving solar images partially compensated by Adaptive Optics (AO) or Ground-Layer (GL) AO using a phase diversity (PD) method. To reduce computational time in the PD execution, we develop a computer cluster system that enables restoration of several images in parallel. We set a PD-observational system downstream of an AO system in the Hida Observatory in Japan. Driving the AO system, we recorded focused and defocused solar images. They were segmented to partial images, and then were restored by the PD method. We show the results of solar image restoration, and also demonstrate the reduction of processing time by the computer cluster.

We report experiments of solar ground-layer (GL) adaptive optics (AO) using the 60cm domeless solar telescope of the Hida Observatory, Japan. We developed an averaging-type GL wavefront sensor and confirmed that it properly worked in computer simulations. We set the wavefront sensor behind a conventional AO system and modified AO software so as to drive a deformable mirror using the GL sensor. We conducted solar observations with the GLAO system in September, 2017. It worked to improve observational images over wide fields.

An adaptive optics (AO) system is developed for the 60cm domeless solar telescope of the Hida Observatory, Japan. Its performances are analyzed by the computer simulations, and improved by replacing the Zernike polynomials by Karhunen-Loeve functions. Also, a tomographic wavefront sensor is developed for a ground-layer AO system. From test data acquired at the Hida observatory, wavefront-phase maps both in the ground-layer and in an upper layer are successfully derived.

We are developing a new adaptive optics (AO) system for the 60cm domeless solar telescope of the Hida Observatory, Japan. The system has a deformable mirror with 97 piezo-actuators, a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor with a 10×10-microlens array and standard personal computers. We conducted solar observations in September, 2013, and confirmed that our AO system cancelled image-shifts so that the deviations were within the resolution of the telescope. We report the detailed performances of our new AO system.

We developed a new universal spectropolarimeter on the Domeless Solar Telescope at Hida Observatory to realize precise spectropolarimetric observations in a wide range of wavelength in visible and near infrared. The system aims to open a new window of plasma diagnostics by using Zeeman effect, Hanle effect, Stark effect, and impact polarization to measure the external magnetic field, electric field, and anisotropies in atomic excitation in solar atmosphere. The polarimeter consists of a 60 cm aperture vacuum telescope, a high dispersion vacuum spectrograph, polarization modulator and analyser composed of a continuously rotating waveplate whose retardation is constant in 400 - 1100 nm and Wallaston prisms located closely behind the focus of the telescope, and a fast and high sensitive CCD camera or a infrared camera. The duration for this polarimeter's achieving photometric accuracy of 10-3 is 30 - 60 s. Instrumental polarization of the telescope is calibrated by using a remotely controllable turret accommodating linear polarizer attached at the entrance window of the telescope to induce well known polarized light into the telescope. Thus a Mueller matrix model of the telescope is established to compensate the instrumental polarization included in observed data within the required accuracy.

Solar adaptive optics (AO) systems are developed at the 60cm domeless solar telescope in the Hida Observatory, Japan. An AO system currently used has a deformable mirror with high-speed 97 electromagnetic actuators and a Shack- Hartmann wavefront sensor with a 10x10-microlens array and 4000fps-CMOS camera. Its control frequency is about 1100-1400 Hz, and hence the -3dB cutoff frequency of the system is theoretically above 100 Hz. In parallel to developing the system, a new full-scaled AO system is designed to be applicable to various observations, such as highdispersion spectroscopy and simultaneous wide-range spectroscopy. The new system will work as classical AO at first. The details of the current system, observational results using it, and the design of the new AO system are described. © (2012) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.

A solar adaptive optics system for a high-dispersion spectrograph is developed at the 60 cm domeless solar telescope of the Hida Observatory in Japan. Details of its optical setup are described for implementing a scanning slit spectroscopy with wavefront correction. A wavefront sensor used in the system is specified and a technique of reducing computational cost in wavefront sensing is also described. In solar observations, the improvement of contrast in images obtained with the adaptive optics system was demonstrated when a sunspot was used as a target of wavefront sensing.

In order to perform precise and high time cadence magnetic field measurement across the solar surface, the Tandem Fabry-Perot filter imaging spectro-polarimeter for the Solar Magnetic Activity Research Telescope (SMART) is revised. By using the CCD with moderate frame rate of 30fps, full Stokes vectors on the field-of-view 320"x240" can be obtained at 4 wavelengths around FeI6302 line within about 15s. The optical performance of the Tandem Fabry-Perof filters is investigated by using the spectrograph at the Domeless Solar Telescope at Hida Observatory. The test results show the full-width-half-maximum (FWHM) of the tandem filters is about 0.017nm over the 60mm clear aperture is achieved. The system is developed to start the regular observations from 2010.

A solar adaptive optics system for the 60 cm domeless solar telescope of the Hida Observatory in Japan is developed. A high-speed deformable mirror with 52 electromagnetic actuators is newly used in an experimental adaptive optics system. The use of the mirror resulted in the improvement of Strehl ratios in laboratory experiments. In solar observations, the system worked well when solar granulation was used as a target for wavefront sensing. An adaptive optics system being developed for a vertical spectrograph of the domeless solar telescope is described.

A solar adaptive optics system is developed for the 60 cm domeless solar telescope of the Hida Observatory in Japan. It is designed for compensating low order turbulence in G-ba nd using a 52-electromagnetic-act uator deformable mirror, a 6x6 Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor and standard personal computers. The details of the system, particularly features of the deformable mirror are described. Laboratory experiments show that the use of adaptive optics raises the Strehl ratio by a factor of five for turbulence of under 99Hz. In solar observations, the improvement of resolution in long-exposure images with the adap tive optics system is demonstrated. Keywords: Adaptive optics, Solar observation 1. INTRODUCTION Adaptive optics (AO) is an indispensable tool that allows high resolution observation of the Sun using existing ground-based telescopes. Recently, several solar AO systems have been developed at major solar observatories 1 , and further multi-conjugate solar AO systems are being developed

This paper describes a PC-cluster-based observation system for improving the angular resolution of solar images. The system consists of two equipments separately working: one equipment realizes automatic acquisition of one hundred images at every fifteen seconds, and selects ten best images to be used in image processing. In the other one, image restoration and resolution improvement are carried out with a blind deconvolution method and a super-resolution method, respectively, using a PC cluster system. The system can take images at every fifteen seconds with high angular resolution. A test observation at the Hida Observatory confirmed a satisfactory performance of this system. The two equipments in the current hybrid system will be united in a future system that will realize image processing in pseudo-real time. A condition toward pseudo-real time processing is also investigated in this paper.

A new spectropolarimeter is developed at the Domeless Solar Telescope (DST) in Hida Observatory. It consists of a rotating waveplate, Wollaston prisms, and a high-dispersion spectrograph which is vertically installed at the focus of the DST. In order to realize a high-precision measurement, it is inevitable to compensate the instrumental polarization due to the DST. We observed the quiet region of the Sun, which is considered to be highly unpolarized, with and without a sheet linear polarizer or circular polarizer set at the entrance window of the telescope. The theoretical model which represents the total instrumental polarization of the DST with some characteristic parameters was calculated and compared with the observation. The model that two flat mirrors have different properties can explain the observation in 0.5% accuracy for the unpolarized light, and in 7% for the polarized light.

In recent years, it is beginning to be shown observationally and theoretically that the existence of the magnetic field is indispensable for active phenomena on the solar surface. In particular, the rotation or helicity of the magnetic field and their temporal variation are considered to be important factors which influence solar activity. In order to confirm this, it is necessary to compute vector components of the magnetic field with a higher accuracy than before. Therefore, we developed two kinds of filter-type magnetographs for the Solar Magnetic Activity Research Telescope (SMART) at Hida observatory, which allow us to observe the polarization components in sunlight with high accuracy. We use a Lyot filter in one of two sets of magnetographs. On the other hand, a tandem-typed Fabry-Perot filter is used in one more set. For these two instruments, we made the following concrete advances. 1. The method of coating of the pre-filters. 2. Special fine-anneal on the main lenses. 3. Highly accurate rotating wave-plate. 4. Simultaneous observation of two kinds of filtergrams which have orthogonally polarized light mutually by using Fabry-Perot channel. 5. Observation in four wavelengths which can suppress various errors. 6. Low apparent Doppler shift in the FOV due to the oblique incidence of the rays to the filters. 7. Large format CCD (large-sized chip, large full-well). 8. High speed data transfer interface between the CCD and PC. In this paper, we report the details of these points, the expected effect of them, and the results of initial measurements.