36.213 NS DAVIS/NASA MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER 7-30-2010
Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation (SUMI)

The primary objective of  the Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation (SUMI) experiment is to test the technologies that have been developed for making magnetic field measurements in the upper chromosphere/lower transition region. While transition region magnetic field measurements are very important to our understanding of solar activity, the most important Zeeman sensitive lines at these heights are in the ultraviolet which are impossible to observe from the Earth. Therefore, the Solar Ultraviolet Magnetograph Investigation (SUMI) plans to make exploratory polarization measurements in this region to develop the scientific tools to analyze and convert our polarization data into vector magnetic field measurements and to use this data in determining the sensitivity requirements for space-based missions like the Magnetic TRAnsition Probe (MTRAP). The pincipal investigator is Dr. Jonathan Cirtain from NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.