8 research outputs found
Fan Loops Observed by IRIS, EIS and AIA
A comprehensive study of the physical parameters of active region fan loops
is presented using the observations recorded with the Interface Region Imaging
Spectrometer (IRIS), the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on-board Hinode and the
Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager
(HMI) on-board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The fan loops emerging
from non-flaring AR~11899 (near the disk-center) on 19th November, 2013 are
clearly discernible in AIA 171~{\AA} images and those obtained in \ion{Fe}{8}
and \ion{Si}{7} images using EIS. Our measurements of electron densities reveal
that the footpoints of these loops are approximately at constant pressure with
electron densities of 10.1 cm at
(\ion{O}{4}), and 8.9 cm at
(\ion{Si}{10}). The electron temperature diagnosed across the fan loops by
means of EM-Loci suggest that at the footpoints, there are two temperature
components at and 5.95, which are picked-up by IRIS lines
and EIS lines respectively. At higher heights, the loops are nearly isothermal
at , that remained constant along the loop. The measurement
of Doppler shift using IRIS lines suggests that the plasma at the footpoints of
these loops is predominantly redshifted by 2-3~km~s in \ion{C}{2},
10-15~km~s in \ion{Si}{4} and 15{--}20~km~s in \ion{O}{4},
reflecting the increase in the speed of downflows with increasing temperature
from to 5.15. These observations can be explained by low
frequency nanoflares or impulsive heating, and provide further important
constraints on the modeling of the dynamics of fan loops.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal; 8 Figures, 11
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Formation and dynamics of transequatorial loops
Aims. We aim to study the dynamical evolution of transequatorial loops (TELs) using imaging techniques and spectroscopy.
Methods. We used the images recorded by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory together with spectroscopic observations taken from the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer on board Hinode.
Results. The data from the AIA 193 Å channel show that TELs are formed between AR 12230 and a newly emerging AR 12234, evolving between 10 and 14 December 2014. The xt-plots for 12 December 2014, obtained using AIA 193 Å data, reveal signatures of inflow and outflow towards an X-region. High-cadence AIA images also show recurrent intensity enhancements in close proximity to the X-region (P2), which is observed to have higher intensities for spectral lines that are formed at log T[K] = 6.20 and voids at other higher temperatures. The electron densities and temperatures in the X-region (and P2) are maintained steadily at log Ne= 8.5–8.7 cm−3 and log T[K] = 6.20, respectively. Doppler velocities in the X-region show predominant redshifts by about 5–8 km s−1 when they are closer to the disk center but blueshifts (along with some zero-velocity pixels) when away from the center. The full-width-half-maximum maps reveal non-thermal velocities of about 27–30 km s−1 for Fe XI
Center-to-limb Variation of Transition-region Doppler Shifts in Active Regions
Studying Doppler shifts provides deep insights into the flow of mass and energy in the solar atmosphere. We perform a comprehensive measurement of Doppler shifts in the transition region and its center-to-limb variation (CLV) in the strong-field regions (∣ B ∣ ≥ 50 G) of 50 active regions (ARs), using the Si iv 1394 Å line recorded by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrometer. To locate the ARs and identify strong-field regions, we have used the magnetograms obtained by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). We find that in strong-field regions, on average, all the ARs show a mean redshift ranging between 4 and 11 km s ^−1 , which varies with ARs. These flows show a mild CLV, with sizable magnitudes at the limb and substantial scatter in the mid-longitude range. Our observations do not support the idea that redshifts in the lower transition region ( T ≲ 0.1 MK) are produced by field-aligned downflows as a result of impulsive heating and they warrant an alternative interpretation, such as a downflow of type-II spicules in the presence of a chromospheric wall created by cooler type-I spicules