Despite the disruption to the project caused by the pandemic, which led to the cancellation or virtualisation of some activities, the project was able to achieve its key objectives. The pandemic fostered, as a positive development, the transition to predominantly remote observations. During the third reporting period volcanic activity and forest fires in the Canary Islands hindered ground-based observations, resulting in delays in accessing the telescopes and carrying out the observing plan. Consequently, not all observations could be completed as scheduled.
1. Networking and coordination (WP2 - WP4)
SOLARNET provided access to four world-class solar telescopes in the Canary Islands and to the Piz Daint high-performance supercomputing facility. And, several coordinated observations involving multiple ground-based installations and space missions were conducted.
A forum with 200 participants was established for observers, users, and the operators of the solar telescopes and data bases.
The Project brought together communities from SOLARNET and the PRE-EST H2020 initiative developing instrumentation and preparing for the next-generation solar telescope EST.
Activities also focused on developing software tools, numerical simulations, and defining metadata standards and database structures.
The programme supported eight major international meetings, five schools with around 140 participants, training of early-career researchers on solar observations, and mobility for 28 scientists.
Communication and dissemination were achieved via online platforms, social media, conferences, and publications. Outreach training was offered during the schools, and dedicated workshops on science communication and engagement were provided by experts.
2. Joint research (WP5 - WP8)
SOLARNET has completed four joint research activities:
Data centre activities were coordinated to boost data use and re-use in the spirit of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The long-term goal is to build up a European Solar Data Centre, envisaged for EST. Hence, special focus was put on data calibration, automated pipelines and improved image reconstruction techniques. In this framework, the Solar Virtual Observatory, which started in SOLARNET FP7, has now become fully operational. Adding value to solar data, tools for data visualization and analysis were developed and provided to the community.
The joint research activity on instrumentation development completed its tasks on the design, prototyping and qualified tests of high precision post-focus instrumentation designs.
Another JRA finalized its work on multi-conjugate adaptive optics suitable for featuring the future EST.
The work on SPRING, was completed, too, i.e. the design of the telescopes, mounting, post-focus instruments and the definition of the data processing pipelines are ready to setup its first prototype.
3. Access programme (WP9, WP10)
SOLARNET opened access to Europe’s major solar telescopes (GREGOR, SST, THEMIS and VTT), delivering 392 observing days, and to the Piz Daint supercomputer with 1.5 million node-hours.
Virtual access was granted to key satellite (HINODE, IRIS, SDO) and ground-based (GREGOR, IBIS, SST) data archives, as well as to numerical simulations linking observations and theory.
107 out of 110 deliverables were completed during the Project, and shortly after. Three could not be finished due to the pandemic. Of 23 milestones, 21 were fully achieved, and one partially.
