The LUCI instrument

Abstract:

LUCI (Lagrange eUv Coronal Imager) is a solar imager in the Extreme UltraViolet (EUV) that is being developed as part of the Lagrange mission, a mission designed to be positioned at the L5 Lagrangian point to monitor space weather from its source on the Sun, through the heliosphere, to the Earth. LUCI will provide solar coronal images at a 2-3 minute cadence in a pass-band centred on 19.5 nm. Observations made through this pass-band allow for the detection and monitoring of semi-static coronal structures such as coronal holes, prominences, and active regions; as well as transient phenomena such as solar flares, limb Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs), EUV waves, and coronal dimmings.

In this presentation I will discuss LUCI’s latest design characteristics and the rationale behind several of the design decisions. I will present the observational advantages for space-weather monitoring from the L5 point, especially with an instrument such as LUCI, which will have a novel off-axis 'wide' field-of-view, designed to observe the solar disk extending out in to the middle corona, close to the the Sun-Earth line. I will present proxy data highlighting structures that can be seen in this region and the current roadmap for the instrument development.