Objectives The main goal of the proposed research is to identify and characterize the physical properties of the various components of the changes observed in total solar and spectral irradiances. The SOHO/VIRGO experiment will provide measurements of solar irradiance in the entire spectrum and at various wavelengths. The PMO6-V and DIARAD active cavity radiometers will perform measurements of total solar irradiance. The solar spectral irradiance will be measured by three-channel SunPhotometers (SPM) at 402, 500, and 862 nm. Since the VIRGO instruments will observe the Sun as a star, analysis of spatially resolved data is required to study the observed irradiance changes in detail. The analysis of the full disk irradiance observations by VIRGO will be supplemented by detailed spatially resolved information from LOI and the flux budget product and magnetograms of MDI. These space-borne images will be compared and calibrated with high resolution solar images obtained by ground-based observatories (Mt. Wilson Observatory, National Solar Observatory at Sacramento Peak, the San Fernando Observatory at Northridge and the Solar Observatory of the Institute fuer Astronomy at Kanzelhohe, Austria).
Complete text of proposal.