| Name | Ravindra B |
| Affiliation | Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore |
| Title | National Large Solar Telescope (NLST |
| Authors | Ravindra B and NLST team |
| Abstract | The National Large Solar Telescope is a 2-m class optical telescope to carry out observations of fine structures of the magnetic features in the solar atmosphere at high spatial and temporal resolution. Extensive site characterization is carried out between 2007-2010 at three sites in the Himalayas. An incursion site near the Pangong Tso Lake in the Changtang cold desert is identified as an excellent site to install the NLST. The proposed telescope will have an innovative optical design with a few reflecting surfaces to maximize the optical throughput. The NLST will be an on-axis Gregorian telescope with a polarimeter located close to the secondary focus will provide a better handle on instrumental polarization. The higher-order adaptive optics in the telescope light path will give the diffraction-limited performance. The telescope will be kept at the height of 20 m above the ground to avoid the ground level seeing effect. An open dome or the ventilated dome is planned to prevent the thermal fluctuations in and around the telescope. For the first light operation, the broadband imager, Fabry-Perot based narrow band imager, and a high spectral resolution polarimeter are planned. This will be extended to infrared wavelength regions in the second stage. The solar community in India is eagerly looking forward to the approval of this project. |
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