Technical Article

The Solar Activity Monitor Network – SAMNet

¹ Solar Physics & Space Plasma Research Center (SP2RC), School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Sheffield, Hicks Building, Hounsfield Road, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
² Department of Astronomy, Eötvös Loránd Univ., Pázmány P. Sétány 1/A, Budapest 1117, Hungary
³ Gyula Bay Zoltán Solar Observatory (GSO), Hungarian Solar Physics Foundation (HSPF), Petöfi tér 3., Gyula 5700, Hungary
⁴ Department of Physics, Aberystwyth University, Ceredigion, Cymru SY23 3BZ, UK
⁵ CAS Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, A20 Datun Rd. Chaoyang District, Beijing 100012, PR China
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic and Molecular Physics, Innovation Academy for Precision Measurement Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Science (CAS), West No. 30 Xiao Hong Shan, Wuhan 430071, PR China
⁷ Joint Quantum Centre (JQC) Durham-Newcastle, Department of Physics, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
⁸ Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Sheffield, Sheffield S3 7RH, UK
⁹ Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias, La Laguna, Tenerife 38205, Spain
¹⁰ Hvar Observatory, Faculty of Geodesy, Univ. of Zagreb, Kačićeva 26, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
¹¹ Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), 2nd Block Koramangala, Bangalore 560034, India
¹² Observatorio Astronómico Nacional, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Av. Carrera 30 # 45-03, Bogotá, Colombia
¹³ Observatorio Astronómico, Universidad Sergio Arboleda, Av. Carrera 30 # 45-03, Bogotá, Colombia
¹⁴ Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranská Lomnica 05960, Slovakia
¹⁵ Institute of Physics, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, Graz 8010, Austria
¹⁶ Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory, Mount Kanobili 383762, Georgia
¹⁷ Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650011, PR China
¹⁸ School of Astronomy and Space Science, Univ. of CAS, Beijing 100049, PR China
¹⁹ Astrophysics Research Centre, School of Mathematics and Physics, Queen’s University Belfast, Belfast BT7 1NN, UK
²⁰ UCL-Mullard Space Science Lab., Holmbury St Mary, Dorking, Surrey RH5 6NT, UK
²¹ Department of Astronomy, New Mexico State Univ, P.O. Box 30001, MSC 4500, Las Cruces, NM 88003, USA
²² Sunspot Solar Observatory, Sunspot, NM 88349, USA
²³ National Solar Observatory, Boulder, CO 80303, USA
²⁴ Pulkovo Astronomical Observatory, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg 196140, Russian Federation
²⁵ Kanzelhöhe Observatory for Solar and Environmental Research, University of Graz, Kanzelhöhe 19, Treffen 9521, Austria
²⁶ INAF Osservatorio Astrofisico di Catania, Via S. Sofia 78, Catania 95123, Italy
²⁷ Xinjiang Astromomical Observatory, CAS, 150 Science 1-Street, Urumqi 830011, PR China
²⁸ Kislovodsk Solar Mountain Astronomical Station, Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Kislovodsk 357700, Russia
²⁹ Observatorio AstroExplor, Cra 58C 152B-22, Bogota, Colombia
³⁰ Instituto de Astrofsica de Andaluca, Granada 18008, Spain
³¹ CAS Key Laboratory of Geospace Environment, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Univesity of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, PR China
³² CAS Center for Excellence in Comparative Planetology, USTC, Hefei 230026, PR China
³³ School of Astronomy and Space Science, Univ. of Chinese Acad. of Sciences, Beijing 100049, PR China
³⁴ School of Natural Sciences and Medicine, Ilia State Univ., Cholokashvili Ave. 3/5, Tbilisi 0162, Georgia
³⁵ Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia “Ettore Majorana”, Universitá di Catania, Via S. Sofia 78, 95123 Catania, Italy

^* Corresponding author: robertus@sheffield.ac.uk

Received: 16 June 2020
Accepted: 10 June 2021

Abstract

The Solar Activity Magnetic Monitor (SAMM) Network (SAMNet) is a future UK-led international network of ground-based solar telescope stations. SAMNet, at its full capacity, will continuously monitor the Sun’s intensity, magnetic, and Doppler velocity fields at multiple heights in the solar atmosphere (from photosphere to upper chromosphere). Each SAMM sentinel will be equipped with a cluster of identical telescopes each with a different magneto-optical filter (MOFs) to take observations in K I, Na D, and Ca I spectral bands. A subset of SAMM stations will have white-light coronagraphs and emission line coronal spectropolarimeters. The objectives of SAMNet are to provide observational data for space weather research and forecast. The goal is to achieve an operationally sufficient lead time of e.g., flare warning of 2–8 h and provide many sought-after continuous synoptic maps (e.g., LoS magnetic and velocity fields, intensity) of the lower solar atmosphere with a spatial resolution limited only by seeing or diffraction limit, and with a cadence of 10 min. The individual SAMM sentinels will be connected to their master HQ hub where data received from all the slave stations will be automatically processed and flare warning issued up to 26 h in advance.