Kiepenheuer Institute for Solar Physics
The Kiepenheuer Institute for Solar Physics (KIS ) is a research institute based in Freiburg im Breisgau. His research activities are application-oriented basic research in the subject of science associate in the fields of astronomy, astrophysics and solar physics. The Institute is a foundation under public law of the State of Baden- Württemberg and is a member of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz ( WGL).
History
The establishment of the Institute dates back to 1939 when Karl- Otto Kiepenheuer ( 1910-1975 ) to John Plendl met with whose help he then a network of (military manned ) observation stations of the sun's activity einrichtete, including an observatory on the schauinsland. Thus, the influence of the variable activity of the sun and solar flares on the ionosphere should be explored. It was hoped this knowledge to use in their transmission of shortwave news. The institute was originally named " Fraunhofer Institute ". With the institutes of the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, founded later there was no connection.
After the end of World War II, the observatory on the Schauinsland remained the headquarters of the Institute, in 1955, the institute relocated to Freiburg to 1978 it was renamed " Kiepenheuer Institute for Solar Physics ".
The Kiepenheuer Institute was until December 31, 2001 reports directly to the Ministry of Science of the State of Baden -Württemberg subordinate, non-autonomous research institute of the country. January 1, 2002 was in accordance with a recommendation of the Science Council, the transformation into a foundation under public law of the State of Baden- Wuerttemberg.
Tasks
The Kiepenheuer Institute is carrying out experimental and theoretical investigations of physical processes and in the sun.
The research topics of the institute are: fine structure of convection and magnetic field of the sun's surface; Design and structure of sunspots, the 22- year magnetic cycle; Solar corona. The system of the magnetism of the sun plays a unifying role. In addition, part of the instrumental development for the observatory to the Institute's tasks.
The Institute continues to operate the old solar observatory on the Schauinsland near Freiburg. The scientific observations of the sun, see but generally held with German telescopes Built in the years 1986-1988 Observatorio del Teide on Tenerife.
The institute consists of two scientific departments:
- Theoretical Solar Physics,
- Experimental solar physics.
The scientists of the Kiepenheuer Institute participate in the Faculty of Physics at the Albert -Ludwigs- University of Freiburg in the training of students, undergraduates and graduate students.
Observatories
The KIS operates together with the Institute of Astrophysics of the University of Göttingen, the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam and the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg -Lindau several solar telescopes in the Spanish Observatorio del Teide on the mountain Izaña in Tenerife.
The main telescope there is a vacuum tower telescope ( VTT) 70 centimeters and 46 meters opening focal length in which a coelostat system is used to supply light. VTT has a vertically mounted Echelle spectrograph of 15 feet ( or 7.5 meters) focal length, a filter system for the simultaneous absorption of solar images in different wavelengths and an optical laboratory with a Fabry -Perot interferometer.
On the Schauinsland is a tower telescope ( refractor ) of 45 inches aperture, which, like the mountain bike equipped with a coelostat system. This observatory is used for testing of equipment and for training purposes.
Financing
After the funding model of the so-called Blue - List institutions, the Institute is funded in the form of matching funding in half by the Federal Government and the Länder. The federal share is supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF ), the countries share three-quarters by the Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts of Baden -Württemberg. The remaining quarter of the country component is divided by the Königstein key to all countries. Overall, the Institute has a budget of 3.7 million euros in the 2007 financial year.