The SOHO Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer (UVCS/SOHO)
is composed of three reflecting telescopes with external and
internal occultation
and a spectrometer
assembly consisting of two toric grating spectrometers and a visible
light polarimeter. The purpose of the UVCS instrument is to provide
a body of data that can be used to
address a broad range of scientific questions regarding the nature of the solar
corona and the generation of the solar wind. The primary scientific goals are
the following: to locate and characterize the coronal source regions of the
solar wind, to identify and understand the dominant physical processes that
accelerate the solar wind, to understand how the coronal plasma is heated in
solar wind acceleration regions, and to increase the knowledge of coronal
phenomena that control the physical properties of the solar wind as determined
by in situ measurements. To progress toward these goals, the UVCS will
perform ultraviolet spectroscopy and visible polarimetry to be
combined with
plasma diagnostic analysis techniques to provide
detailed empirical descriptions of the extended solar corona from the coronal
base to a heliocentric height of 12 solar radii.
Sun -- Solar Corona -- Solar Wind -- UV Spectroscopy -- UV Coronagraph
