The next generation Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON) spectrophotometer: a new miniaturised instrument for helioseismology

Abstract

We describe a new spectrophotometer for the Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON), based on a next generation observation platform, BiSON:NG, a significantly miniaturised system making use of inexpensive consumer-grade hardware and off-the-shelf components, where possible. We show through system modelling and simulation, along with a summer observing campaign, that the prototype instrument produces data on the Sun’s low-degree acoustic (p-mode) oscillations that are of equal quality and can be seamlessly integrated into the existing network. Refreshing the existing ageing hardware, and the extended observational network potential of BiSON:NG, will secure our ongoing programme of high-quality synoptic observations of the Sun’s low-degree oscillations (e.g., for seismic monitoring of the solar cycle at a “whole Sun” level).