Authors: Mari Paz Miralles, Garrett Keating, Katharine Reeves, Chad Madsen, Mark Gurwell (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian)

The Solar Submillimeter Array (Solar SMA) will bring new solar imaging capabilities to the solar physics and space weather communities in the near future. The SMA is an 8-element radio interferometer located near the summit of Maunakea in Hawaii, operating in the 180 GHz  to 420 GHz (1.7 mm to 715 μm) range. ​The Solar SMA leverages the existing interferometric capabilities of the SMA and its ongoing wideband upgrades​ (wSMA), paired with modest improvements to the antenna structure and optics, to enable a powerful, solar-capable, high-resolution imaging instrument in the millimeter (mm) and submillimeter (submm) wavelength range.​ The Solar SMA will substantially expand the scientific reach of the SMA, affording the observatory a new mode to fill a growing need for mm/submm observations within the scientific community. Leveraging newly-developed widefield mapping modes and robust polarimetric capabilities, Solar SMA will provide a dedicated solar observing mission that will allow for novel, high-resolution studies of the Sun at mm and submm wavelengths. The location of the SMA is optimal to conduct simultaneous and coordinated observations with the National Solar Observatory’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) and the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array (EOVSA), providing a panchromatic view of our Sun and its dynamic nature, in the immediate post-solar maximum period​ and beyond.