The Interstellar N/O Abundance Ratio: Evidence for Local Infall?

Sensitive measurements of the interstellar gas-phase oxygen abundance have revealed a slight oxygen deficiency ($\sim$ 15%) toward stars within 500 pc of the Sun as compared to more distant sightlines. Recent $FUSE$ observations of the interstellar gas-phase nitrogen abundance indicate larger variations, but no trends with distance were reported due to the significant measurement uncertainties for many sightlines. By considering only the highest quality ($\geq$ 5 $\sigma$) N/O abundance measurements, we find an intriguing trend in the interstellar N/O ratio with distance. Toward the seven stars within $\sim$ 500 pc of the Sun, the weighted mean N/O ratio is 0.217 $\pm$ 0.011, while for the six stars further away the weighted mean value (N/O = 0.142 $\pm$ 0.008) is curiously consistent with the current Solar value (N/O = 0.138$^{+0.20}_{-0.18}$). It is difficult to imagine a scenario invoking environmental (e.g., dust depletion, ionization, etc.) variations alone that explains this abundance anomaly. Is the enhanced nitrogen abundance localized to the Solar neighborhood or evidence of a more widespread phenomenon? If it is localized, then recent infall of low metallicity gas in the Solar neighborhood may be the best explanation. Otherwise, the N/O variations may be best explained by large-scale differences in the interstellar mixing processes for AGB stars and Type II supernovae.Comment: accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letter

Departure of high temperature iron lines from the equilibrium state in flaring solar plasmas

The aim of this study is to clarify if the assumption of ionization equilibrium and a Maxwellian electron energy distribution is valid in flaring solar plasmas. We analyze the 2014 December 20 X1.8 flare, in which the \ion{Fe}{xxi} 187~\AA, \ion{Fe}{xxii} 253~\AA, \ion{Fe}{xxiii} 263~\AA\ and \ion{Fe}{xxiv} 255~\AA\ emission lines were simultaneously observed by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer onboard the Hinode satellite. Intensity ratios among these high temperature Fe lines are compared and departures from isothermal conditions and ionization equilibrium examined. Temperatures derived from intensity ratios involving these four lines show significant discrepancies at the flare footpoints in the impulsive phase, and at the looptop in the gradual phase. Among these, the temperature derived from the \ion{Fe}{xxii}/\ion{Fe}{xxiv} intensity ratio is the lowest, which cannot be explained if we assume a Maxwellian electron distribution and ionization equilibrium, even in the case of a multi-thermal structure. This result suggests that the assumption of ionization equilibrium and/or a Maxwellian electron energy distribution can be violated in evaporating solar plasma around 10~MK.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Ap

Stable Umbral Chromospheric Structures

Aims. To understand the morphology of the chromosphere in sunspot umbra. We investigate if the horizontal structures observed in the spectral core of the Ca II H line are ephemeral visuals caused by the shock dynamics of more stable structures, and examine their relationship with observables in the H-alpha line. Methods. Filtergrams in the core of the Ca II H and H-alpha lines as observed with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope are employed. We utilise a technique that creates composite images and tracks the flash propagation horizontally. Results. We find 0"15 wide horizontal structures, in all of the three target sunspots, for every flash where the seeing was moderate to good. Discrete dark structures are identified that are stable for at least two umbral flashes, as well as systems of structures that live for up to 24 minutes. We find cases of extremely extended structures with similar stability, with one such structure showing an extent of 5". Some of these structures have a correspondence in H-alpha but we were unable to find a one to one correspondence for every occurrence. If the dark streaks are formed at the same heights as umbral flashes then there are systems of structures with strong departures from the vertical for all three analysed sunspots. Conclusions. Long-lived Ca II H filamentary horizontal structures are a common and likely ever-present feature in the umbra of sunspots. If the magnetic field in the chromosphere of the umbra is indeed aligned with the structures, then the present theoretical understanding of the typical umbra needs to be revisited.Comment: Accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysics. Online material (Fig3.mov and Fig4.mov) will be available at A&

RHESSI and SOHO/CDS Observations of Explosive Chromospheric Evaporation

Simultaneous observations of explosive chromospheric evaporation are presented using data from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) and the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) onboard SOHO. For the first time, co-spatial imaging and spectroscopy have been used to observe explosive evaporation within a hard X-ray emitting region. RHESSI X-ray images and spectra were used to determine the flux of non-thermal electrons accelerated during the impulsive phase of an M2.2 flare. Assuming a thick-target model, the injected electron spectrum was found to have a spectral index of ~7.3, a low energy cut-off of ~20 keV, and a resulting flux of >4x10^10 ergs cm^-2 s^-1. The dynamic response of the atmosphere was determined using CDS spectra, finding a mean upflow velocity of 230+/-38 km s^-1 in Fe XIX (592.23A), and associated downflows of 36+/-16 km s^-1 and 43+/-22 km s^-1 at chromospheric and transition region temperatures, respectively, relative to an averaged quiet-Sun spectra. The errors represent a 1 sigma dispersion. The properties of the accelerated electron spectrum and the corresponding evaporative velocities were found to be consistent with the predictions of theory.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, ApJL (In Press

Synthetic ozone deposition and stomatal uptake at flux tower sites

We develop and evaluate a method to estimate O-3 deposition and stomatal O-3 uptake across networks of eddy covariance flux tower sites where O-3 concentrations and O-3 fluxes have not been measured. The method combines standard micrometeorological flux measurements, which constrain O-3 deposition velocity and stomatal conductance, with a gridded dataset of observed surface O-3 concentrations. Measurement errors are propagated through all calculations to quantify O-3 flux uncertainties. We evaluate the method at three sites with O(3 )flux measurements: Harvard Forest, Blodgett Forest, and Hyytiala Forest. The method reproduces 83 % or more of the variability in daily stomatal uptake at these sites with modest mean bias (21 % or less). At least 95 % of daily average values agree with measurements within a factor of 2 and, according to the error analysis, the residual differences from measured O-3 fluxes are consistent with the uncertainty in the underlying measurements. The product, called synthetic O-3 flux or SynFlux, includes 43 FLUXNET sites in the United States and 60 sites in Europe, totaling 926 site years of data. This dataset, which is now public, dramatically expands the number and types of sites where O-3 fluxes can be used for ecosystem impact studies and evaluation of air quality and climate models. Across these sites, the mean stomatal conductance and O-3 deposition velocity is 0.03-1.0 cm s(-1). The stomatal O-3 flux during the growing season (typically April-September) is 0.5-11.0 nmol O-3 m(-2) s(-1) with a mean of 4.5 nmol O(3 )m(-2) s(-1) and the largest fluxes generally occur where stomatal conductance is high, rather than where O-3 concentrations are high. The conductance differences across sites can be explained by atmospheric humidity, soil moisture, vegetation type, irrigation, and land management. These stomatal fluxes suggest that ambient O-3 degrades biomass production and CO2 sequestration by 20 %-24 % at crop sites, 6 %-29 % at deciduous broadleaf forests, and 4 %-20 % at evergreen needleleaf forests in the United States and Europe.Peer reviewe

A New Measurement of the Average FUV Extinction Curve

We have measured the extinction curve in the far-ultraviolet wavelength region of (900 -- 1200 A) using spectra obtained with the Berkeley EUV/FUV spectrometer during the ORFEUS-I and the ORFEUS-II missions in 1993 and 1996. From the complete sample of early-type stars observed during these missions, we have selected pairs of stars with the same spectral type but different reddenings to measure the differential FUV extinction. We model the effects of molecular hydrogen absorption and exclude affected regions of the spectrum to determine the extinction from dust alone. We minimize errors from inaccuracies in the cataloged spectral types of the stars by making our own determinations of spectral types based on their IUE spectra. We find substantial scatter in the curves of individual star pairs and present a detailed examination of the uncertainties and their effects on each extinction curve. We find that, given the potentially large uncertainties inherent in using the pair method at FUV wavelengths, a careful analysis of measurement uncertainties is critical to assessing the true dust extinction. We present a new measurement of the average far-ultraviolet extinction curve to the Lyman limit; our new measurement is consistent with an extrapolation of the standard extinction curve of Savage & Mathis (1979).Comment: 13 pages text, 7 figures 4 tables. Sent as gzipped tar, with ms.tex and 7 figure

Discovery of spatial periodicities in a coronal loop using automated edge-tracking algorithms

A new method for automated coronal loop tracking, in both spatial and temporal domains, is presented. Applying this technique to TRACE data, obtained using the 171 Å filter on 1998 July 14, we detect a coronal loop undergoing a 270 s kink-mode oscillation, as previously found by Aschwanden et al. However, we also detect flare-induced, and previously unnoticed, spatial periodicities on a scale of 3500 km, which occur along the coronal loop edge. Furthermore, we establish a reduction in oscillatory power for these spatial periodicities of 45% over a 222 s interval. We relate the reduction in detected oscillatory power to the physical damping of these loop-top oscillations

The Influence of Magnetic Field on Oscillations in the Solar Chromosphere

Two sequences of solar images obtained by the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer in three UV passbands are studied using wavelet and Fourier analysis and compared to the photospheric magnetic flux measured by the Michelson Doppler Interferometer on the Solar Heliospheric Observatory to study wave behaviour in differing magnetic environments. Wavelet periods show deviations from the theoretical cutoff value and are interpreted in terms of inclined fields. The variation of wave speeds indicates that a transition from dominant fast-magnetoacoustic waves to slow modes is observed when moving from network into plage and umbrae. This implies preferential transmission of slow modes into the upper atmosphere, where they may lead to heating or be detected in coronal loops and plumes.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures (4 colour online only), accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa