242 research outputs found
Hanle effect in the solar Ba II D2 line: a diagnostic tool for chromospheric weak magnetic fields
The physics of the solar chromosphere depends in a crucial way on its
magnetic structure. However there are presently very few direct magnetic field
diagnostics available for this region. Here we investigate the diagnostic
potential of the Hanle effect on the Ba II D2 line resonance polarization for
the determination of weak chromospheric turbulent magnetic fields......Comment: In press in astronomy and astrophysic
On the Sensitivity of Partial Redistribution Scattering Polarization Profiles to Various Atmospheric Parameters
This paper presents a detailed study of the scattering polarization profiles
formed under partial frequency redistribution (PRD) in two thermal models of
the solar atmosphere. Particular attention is given to understanding the
influence of several atmospheric parameters on the emergent fractional linear
polarization profiles. The shapes of these profiles are interpreted in
terms of the anisotropy of the radiation field, which in turn depends on the
source function gradient that sets the angular variation of the specific
intensity. We define a suitable frequency integrated anisotropy factor for PRD
that can be directly related to the emergent linear polarization. We show that
complete frequency redistribution is a good approximation to model weak
resonance lines. We also show that the emergent linear polarization profiles
can be very sensitive to the thermal structure of the solar atmosphere and, in
particular, to spatial variations of the damping parameter.Comment: 45 pages, 16 figures, accepted for publication in the Astrophysical
Journal (2010
Steady-state signatures of radiation trapping by cold multilevel atoms
In this paper, we use steady-state measurements to obtain evidence of
radiation trapping in an optically thick a cloud of cold rubidium atoms. We
investigate the fluorescence properties of our sample, pumped on opened
transitions. The intensity of fluorescence exhibits a non trivial dependence on
the optical thickness of the media. A simplified model, based on rate equations
self-consistently coupled to a diffusive model of light transport, is used to
explain the experimental observations in terms of incoherent radiation trapping
on one spectral line. Measurements of atomic populations and fluorescence
spectrum qualitatively agree with this interpretation.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure
A new view on exoplanet transits: Transit of Venus described using three-dimensional solar atmosphere Stagger-grid simulations
Stellar activity and, in particular, convection-related surface structures,
potentially cause fluctuations that can affect the transit light curves.
Surface convection simulations can help the interpretation of ToV. We used
realistic three-dimensional radiative hydrodynamical simulation of the Sun from
the Stagger-grid and synthetic images computed with the radiative transfer code
Optim3D to provide predictions for the transit of Venus in 2004 observed by the
satellite ACRIMSAT. We computed intensity maps from RHD simulation of the Sun
and produced synthetic stellar disk image. We computed the light curve and
compared it to the ACRIMSAT observations and also to the light curves obtained
with solar surface representations carried out using radial profiles with
different limb-darkening laws. We also applied the same spherical tile imaging
method to the observations of center-to-limb Sun granulation with HINODE. We
managed to explain ACRIMSAT observations of 2004 ToV and showed that the
granulation pattern causes fluctuations in the transit light curve. We
evaluated the contribution of the granulation to the ToV. We showed that the
granulation pattern can partially explain the observed discrepancies between
models and data. This confirms that the limb-darkening and the granulation
pattern simulated in 3D RHD Sun represent well what is imaged by HINODE. In the
end, we found that the Venus's aureole contribution during ToV is less intense
than the solar photosphere, and thus negligible. Being able to explain
consistently the data of 2004 ToV is a new step forward for 3D RHD simulations
that are becoming essential for the detection and characterization of
exoplanets. They show that the granulation have to be considered as an
intrinsic incertitude, due to the stellar variability, on precise measurements
of exoplanet transits of, most likely, planets with small diameters.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Hanle effect in the CN violet system with LTE modeling
Weak entangled magnetic fields with mixed polarity occupy the main part of
the quiet Sun. The Zeeman effect diagnostics fails to measure such fields
because of cancellation in circular polarization. However, the Hanle effect
diagnostics, accessible through the second solar spectrum, provides us with a
very sensitive tool for studying the distribution of weak magnetic fields on
the Sun. Molecular lines are very strong and even dominate in some regions of
the second solar spectrum. The CN system is
one of the richest and most promising systems for molecular diagnostics and
well suited for the application of the differential Hanle effect method. The
aim is to interpret observations of the CN
system using the Hanle effect and to obtain an estimation of the magnetic field
strength. We assume that the CN molecular layer is situated above the region
where the continuum radiation is formed and employ the single-scattering
approximation. Together with the Hanle effect theory this provides us with a
model that can diagnose turbulent magnetic fields. We have succeeded in fitting
modeled CN lines in several regions of the second solar spectrum to
observations and obtained a magnetic field strength in the range from 10--30 G
in the upper solar photosphere depending on the considered lines.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Origin of spatial variations of scattering polarization in the wings of the Ca {\sc i} 4227 \AA line
Polarization that is produced by coherent scattering can be modified by
magnetic fields via the Hanle effect. According to standard theory the Hanle
effect should only be operating in the Doppler core of spectral lines but not
in the wings. In contrast, our observations of the scattering polarization in
the Ca {\sc i} 4227 \AA line reveals the existence of spatial variations of the
scattering polarization throughout the far line wings. This raises the question
whether the observed spatial variations in wing polarization have a magnetic or
non-magnetic origin. A magnetic origin may be possible if elastic collisions
are able to cause sufficient frequency redistribution to make the Hanle effect
effective in the wings without causing excessive collisional depolarization, as
suggested by recent theories for partial frequency redistribution with coherent
scattering in magnetic fields. To model the wing polarization we apply an
extended version of the technique based on the "last scattering approximation".
This model is highly successful in reproducing the observed Stokes
polarization (linear polarization parallel to the nearest solar limb),
including the location of the wing polarization maxima and the minima around
the Doppler core, but it fails to reproduce the observed spatial variations of
the wing polarization in terms of magnetic field effects with frequency
redistribution. This null result points in the direction of a non-magnetic
origin in terms of local inhomogeneities (varying collisional depolarization,
radiation-field anisotropies, and deviations from a plane-parallel atmospheric
stratification).Comment: Accepted in May 2009 for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
Quiet Sun Magnetic Field Measurements Based on Lines with Hyperfine Structure
The Zeeman pattern of MnI lines is sensitive to hyperfine structure (HFS)
and, they respond to hG magnetic field strengths differently from the lines
used in solar magnetometry. This peculiarity has been employed to measure
magnetic field strengths in quiet Sun regions. However, the methods applied so
far assume the magnetic field to be constant in the resolution element. The
assumption is clearly insufficient to describe the complex quiet Sun magnetic
fields, biasing the results of the measurements. We present the first syntheses
of MnI lines in realistic quiet Sun model atmospheres. The syntheses show how
the MnI lines weaken with increasing field strength. In particular, kG magnetic
concentrations produce NnI 5538 circular polarization signals (Stokes V) which
can be up to two orders of magnitude smaller than the weak magnetic field
approximation prediction. Consequently, (1) the polarization emerging from an
atmosphere having weak and strong fields is biased towards the weak fields, and
(2) HFS features characteristic of weak fields show up even when the magnetic
flux and energy are dominated by kG fields. For the HFS feature of MnI 5538 to
disappear the filling factor of kG fields has to be larger than the filling
factor of sub-kG fields. Stokes V depends on magnetic field inclination
according to the simple consine law. Atmospheres with unresolved velocities
produce asymmetric line profiles, which cannot be reproduced by simple
one-component model atmospheres. The uncertainty of the HFS constants do not
limit the use of MnI lines for magnetometry.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ. 10 pages, 14 figure
Measuring the Hidden Aspects of Solar Magnetism
2008 marks the 100th anniversary of the discovery of astrophysical magnetic
fields, when George Ellery Hale recorded the Zeeman splitting of spectral lines
in sunspots. With the introduction of Babcock's photoelectric magnetograph it
soon became clear that the Sun's magnetic field outside sunspots is extremely
structured. The field strengths that were measured were found to get larger
when the spatial resolution was improved. It was therefore necessary to come up
with methods to go beyond the spatial resolution limit and diagnose the
intrinsic magnetic-field properties without dependence on the quality of the
telescope used. The line-ratio technique that was developed in the early 1970s
revealed a picture where most flux that we see in magnetograms originates in
highly bundled, kG fields with a tiny volume filling factor. This led to
interpretations in terms of discrete, strong-field magnetic flux tubes embedded
in a rather field-free medium, and a whole industry of flux tube models at
increasing levels of sophistication. This magnetic-field paradigm has now been
shattered with the advent of high-precision imaging polarimeters that allow us
to apply the so-called "Second Solar Spectrum" to diagnose aspects of solar
magnetism that have been hidden to Zeeman diagnostics. It is found that the
bulk of the photospheric volume is seething with intermediately strong, tangled
fields. In the new paradigm the field behaves like a fractal with a high degree
of self-similarity, spanning about 8 orders of magnitude in scale size, down to
scales of order 10 m.Comment: To appear in "Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and the
Atmosphere of the Sun", eds. S.S. Hasan and R.J. Rutten, Astrophysics and
Space Science Proceedings, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin, 200
Low-lying magnetic loops in the solar internetwork
The aim of this work is to study the structure of the magnetic field vector
in the internetwork and search for the presence of small-scale loops. We invert
1.56 micron spectropolarimetric observations of internetwork regions at disc
centre by applying the SIR code. This allows us to recover the atmospheric
parameters that play a role in the formation of these spectral lines. We are
mainly interested in the structure of the magnetic field vector. We find that
many opposite polarity elements of the internetwork are connected by short
(2-6''), low-lying (photospheric) loops. These loops connect at least the 10-20
% of the internetwork flux visible in our data. Also we have some evidence that
points towards a dynamic scenario which can be produced by the emergence of
internetwork magnetic flux.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A letter
The distribution of Quiet Sun magnetic field strengths from 0 to 1800 G
The quiet Sun photospheric plasma has a variety of magnetic field strengths
going from zero to 1800 G. The empirical characterization of these field
strengths requires a probability density function (PDF), i.e., a function P(B)
describing the fraction of quiet Sun occupied by each field strength B. We show
how to combine magnetic field strength measurements based on the Zeeman effect
and the Hanle effect to estimate an unbiased P(B). The application of the
method to real observations renders a set of possible PDFs, which outline the
general characteristics of the quiet Sun magnetic fields. Their most probable
field strength differs from zero. The magnetic energy density is a significant
fraction of the kinetic energy of the granular motions at the base of the
photosphere (larger than 15% or larger than 2 10^{3} erg cm^{-3}). The unsigned
flux density (or mean magnetic field strength) has to be between 130 G and 190
G. A significant part of the unsigned flux (between 10% and 50%) and of the
magnetic energy (between 45% and 85%) are provided by the field strengths
larger than 500 G which, however, occupy only a small fraction of the surface
(between 1% and 10%). The fraction of kG fields in the quiet Sun is even
smaller, but they are important for a number of reasons. The kG fields still
trace a significant fraction of the total magnetic energy, they reach the high
photosphere, and they appear in unpolarized light images. The quiet Sun
photosphere has far more unsigned magnetic flux and magnetic energy than the
active regions and the network all together.Comment: To appear in ApJ. 14 pages, 9 figure
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