EIS/Hinode observations of Doppler flow seen through the 40 arcsec wide slit

The Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board Hinode is the first solar telescope to obtain wide slit spectral images that can be used for detecting Doppler flows in transition region and coronal lines on the Sun and to relate them to their surrounding small scale dynamics. We select EIS lines covering the temperature range 6x10^4 K to 2x10^6 K that give spectrally pure images of the Sun with the 40 arcsec slit. In these images Doppler shifts are seen as horizontal brightenings. Inside the image it is difficult to distinguish shifts from horizontal structures but emission beyond the image edge can be unambiguously identified as a line shift in several lines separated from others on their blue or red side by more than the width of the spectrometer slit (40 pixels). In the blue wing of He II, we find a large number of events with properties (size and lifetime) similar to the well-studied explosive events seen in the ultraviolet spectral range. Comparison with X-Ray Telescope (XRT) images shows many Doppler shift events at the footpoints of small X-ray loops. The most spectacular event observed showed a strong blue shift in transition region and lower corona lines from a small X-ray spot that lasted less than 7 min. The emission appears to be near a cool coronal loop connecting an X-ray bright point to an adjacent region of quiet Sun. The width of the emission implies a line-of-sight velocity of 220 km/s. In addition, we show an example of an Fe XV shift with a velocity about 120 km/s, coming from what looks like a narrow loop leg connecting a small X-ray brightening to a larger region of X-ray emission.Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures, to be published in Solar Physic

Off-limb (spicule) DEM distribution from SoHO/SUMER observations

In the present work we derive a Differential Emission Measure (DEM) dis- tribution from a region dominated by spicules. We use spectral data from the Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) spectrometer on-board the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) covering the entire SUMER wavelength range taken off-limb in the Northern polar coronal hole to construct this DEM distribution using the CHIANTI atomic database. This distribution is then used to study the thermal properties of the emission contributing to the 171 {\AA} channel in the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on-board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). From our off-limb DEM we found that the radiance in the AIA 171 {\AA} channel is dominated by emission from the Fe ix 171.07 {\AA} line and has sparingly little contribution from other lines. The product of the Fe ix 171.07 {\AA} line contribution function with the off-limb DEM was found to have a maximum at logTmax (K) = 5.8 indicating that during spicule observations the emission in this line comes from plasma at transition region temperatures rather than coronal. For comparison, the same product with a quiet Sun and prominence DEM were found to have a maximum at logT max (K) = 5.9 and logTmax (K) = 5.7, respectively. We point out that the interpretation of data obtained from the AIA 171 {\AA} filter should be done with foreknowledge of the thermal nature of the observed phenomenon. For example, with an off-limb DEM we find that only 3.6% of the plasma is above a million degrees, whereas using a quiet Sun DEM, this contribution rises to 15%.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figures accepted by Solar Physic

Investigation of quasi-periodic varaiations in hard X-rays of solar flares

The aim of the present paper is to use quasi-periodic oscillations in hard X-rays (HXRs) of solar flares as a diagnostic tool for investigation of impulsive electron acceleration. We have selected a number of flares which showed quasi-periodic oscillations in hard X-rays and their loop-top sources could be easily recognized in HXR images. We have considered MHD standing waves to explain the observed HXR oscillations. We interpret these HXR oscillations as being due to oscillations of magnetic traps within cusp-like magnetic structures. This is confirmed by a good correlation between periods of the oscillations and the sizes of the loop-top sources. We argue that a model of oscillating magnetic traps is adequate to explain the observations. During the compressions of a trap particles are accelerated, but during its expansions plasma, coming from chromospheric evaporation, fills the trap, which explains the large number of electrons being accelerated during a sequence of strong impulses. The advantage of our model of oscillating magnetic traps is that it can explain both the impulses of electron acceleration and quasi-periodicity of their distribution in time.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables, submitted to Solar Physic

Physics of Solar Prominences: I - Spectral Diagnostics and Non-LTE Modelling

This review paper outlines background information and covers recent advances made via the analysis of spectra and images of prominence plasma and the increased sophistication of non-LTE (ie when there is a departure from Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium) radiative transfer models. We first describe the spectral inversion techniques that have been used to infer the plasma parameters important for the general properties of the prominence plasma in both its cool core and the hotter prominence-corona transition region. We also review studies devoted to the observation of bulk motions of the prominence plasma and to the determination of prominence mass. However, a simple inversion of spectroscopic data usually fails when the lines become optically thick at certain wavelengths. Therefore, complex non-LTE models become necessary. We thus present the basics of non-LTE radiative transfer theory and the associated multi-level radiative transfer problems. The main results of one- and two-dimensional models of the prominences and their fine-structures are presented. We then discuss the energy balance in various prominence models. Finally, we outline the outstanding observational and theoretical questions, and the directions for future progress in our understanding of solar prominences.Comment: 96 pages, 37 figures, Space Science Reviews. Some figures may have a better resolution in the published version. New version reflects minor changes brought after proof editin

Extreme Ultra-Violet Spectroscopy of the Lower Solar Atmosphere During Solar Flares

The extreme ultraviolet portion of the solar spectrum contains a wealth of diagnostic tools for probing the lower solar atmosphere in response to an injection of energy, particularly during the impulsive phase of solar flares. These include temperature and density sensitive line ratios, Doppler shifted emission lines and nonthermal broadening, abundance measurements, differential emission measure profiles, and continuum temperatures and energetics, among others. In this paper I shall review some of the advances made in recent years using these techniques, focusing primarily on studies that have utilized data from Hinode/EIS and SDO/EVE, while also providing some historical background and a summary of future spectroscopic instrumentation.Comment: 34 pages, 8 figures. Submitted to Solar Physics as part of the Topical Issue on Solar and Stellar Flare

Spectroscopic Coronal Observations during the Total Solar Eclipse of 11 July 2010

The flash spectrum of the solar chromosphere and corona was measured with a slitless spectrograph before, after, and during the totality of the solar eclipse, of 11 July 2010, at Easter Island, Chile. This eclipse took place at the beginning of the Solar Cycle 24, after an extended minimum of solar activity. The spectra taken during the eclipse show a different intensity ratio of the red and green coronal lines compared with those taken during the total solar eclipse of 1 August 2008, which took place towards the end of the Solar Cycle 23. The characteristic coronal forbidden emission line of forbidden Fe XIV (5303 {\AA}) was observed on the east and west solar limbs in four areas relatively symmetrically located with respect to the solar rotation axis. Subtraction of the continuum flash-spectrum background led to the identification of several extremely weak emission lines, including forbidden Ca XV (5694 {\AA}), which is normally detected only in regions of very high excitation, e.g., during flares or above large sunspots. The height of the chromosphere was measured spectrophotometrically, using spectral lines from light elements and compared with the equivalent height of the lower chromosphere measured using spectral lines from heavy elements.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, 1 table; Solar Physics, 2012, Februar

Recent Advances in Understanding Particle Acceleration Processes in Solar Flares

We review basic theoretical concepts in particle acceleration, with particular emphasis on processes likely to occur in regions of magnetic reconnection. Several new developments are discussed, including detailed studies of reconnection in three-dimensional magnetic field configurations (e.g., current sheets, collapsing traps, separatrix regions) and stochastic acceleration in a turbulent environment. Fluid, test-particle, and particle-in-cell approaches are used and results compared. While these studies show considerable promise in accounting for the various observational manifestations of solar flares, they are limited by a number of factors, mostly relating to available computational power. Not the least of these issues is the need to explicitly incorporate the electrodynamic feedback of the accelerated particles themselves on the environment in which they are accelerated. A brief prognosis for future advancement is offered.Comment: This is a chapter in a monograph on the physics of solar flares, inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in Space Science Reviews (2011

Propagating Disturbances in Coronal Loops: A Detailed Analysis of Propagation Speeds

Quasi-periodic disturbances have been observed in the outer solar atmosphere for many years now. Although first interpreted as upflows (Schrijver et al. (1999)), they have been widely regarded as slow magnetoacoustic waves, due to observed velocities and periods. However, recent observations have questioned this interpretation, as periodic disturbances in Doppler velocity, line width and profile asymmetry were found to be in phase with the intensity oscillations (De Pontieu et al. (2010),Tian1 et al. (2011))}, suggesting the disturbances could be quasi-periodic upflows. Here we conduct a detailed analysis of the velocities of these disturbances across several wavelengths using the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We analysed 41 examples, including both sunspot and non sunspot regions of the Sun. We found that the velocities of propagating disturbances (PDs) located at sunspots are more likely to be temperature dependent, whereas the velocities of PDs at non sunspot locations do not show a clear temperature dependence. We also considered on what scale the underlying driver is affecting the properties of the PDs. Finally, we found that removing the contribution due to the cooler ions in the 193 A wavelength suggests that a substantial part of the 193 emission of sunspot PDs can be contributed to the cool component of 193\AA.Comment: 26 Papges, 15 Figure

An Observational Overview of Solar Flares

We present an overview of solar flares and associated phenomena, drawing upon a wide range of observational data primarily from the RHESSI era. Following an introductory discussion and overview of the status of observational capabilities, the article is split into topical sections which deal with different areas of flare phenomena (footpoints and ribbons, coronal sources, relationship to coronal mass ejections) and their interconnections. We also discuss flare soft X-ray spectroscopy and the energetics of the process. The emphasis is to describe the observations from multiple points of view, while bearing in mind the models that link them to each other and to theory. The present theoretical and observational understanding of solar flares is far from complete, so we conclude with a brief discussion of models, and a list of missing but important observations.Comment: This is an article for a monograph on the physics of solar flares, inspired by RHESSI observations. The individual articles are to appear in Space Science Reviews (2011