303 research outputs found
Uncertainties in the solar photospheric oxygen abundance
The purpose of this work is to better understand the confidence limits of the
photospheric solar oxygen abundance derived from three-dimensional models using
the forbidden [OI] line at 6300 \AA , including correlations with other
parameters involved. We worked with a three-dimensional empirical model and two
solar intensity atlases. We employed Bayesian inference as a tool to determine
the most probable value for the solar oxygen abundance given the model chosen.
We considered a number of error sources, such as uncertainties in the continuum
derivation, in the wavelength calibration and in the abundance/strength of Ni.
Our results shows correlations between the effects of several parameters
employed in the derivation. The Bayesian analysis provides robust confidence
limits taking into account all of these factors in a rigorous manner. We obtain
that, given the empirical three-dimensional model and the atlas observations
employed here, the most probable value for the solar oxygen abundance is
. However, we note that this uncertainty does
not consider possible sources of systematic errors due to the model choice.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic
Heating of the magnetized solar chromosphere by partial ionization effects
In this paper, we study the heating of the magnetized solar chromosphere
induced by the large fraction of neutral atoms present in this layer. The
presence of neutrals, together with the decrease with height of the collisional
coupling, leads to deviations from the classical MHD behavior of the
chromospheric plasma. A relative net motion appears between the neutral and
ionized components, usually referred to as ambipolar diffusion. The dissipation
of currents in the chromosphere is enhanced orders of magnitude due to the
action of ambipolar diffusion, as compared to the standard ohmic diffusion. We
propose that a significant amount of magnetic energy can be released to the
chromosphere just by existing force-free 10--40 G magnetic fields there. As a
consequence, we conclude that ambipolar diffusion is an important process that
should be included in chromospheric heating models, as it has the potential to
rapidly heat the chromosphere. We perform analytical estimations and numerical
simulations to prove this idea.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journa
Non-local thermodynamic equilibrium inversions from a 3D MHD chromospheric model
The structure of the solar chromosphere is believed to be governed by
magnetic fields, even in quiet-Sun regions that have a relatively weak
photospheric field. During the past decade inversion methods have emerged as
powerful tools for analyzing the chromosphere of active regions. The
applicability of inversions to infer the stratification of the physical
conditions in a dynamic 3D solar chromosphere has not yet been studied in
detail.
This study aims to establish the diagnostic capabilities of non-local
thermodynamical equilibrium (NLTE) inversion techniques of Stokes profiles
induced by the Zeeman effect in the Ca II 8542 line.
We computed the Ca II atomic level populations in a snapshot from a 3D
radiation-MHD simulation of the quiet solar atmosphere in non-LTE using the 3D
radiative transfer code Multi3d. These populations were used to compute
synthetic full-Stokes profiles in the Ca II 8542 line using 1.5D radiative
transfer and the inversion code Nicole. The profiles were then spectrally
degraded to account for finite filter width and Gaussian noise was added to
account for finite photon flux. These profiles were inverted using Nicole and
the results were compared with the original model atmosphere.
Our NLTE inversions applied to quiet-Sun synthetic observations provide
reasonably good estimates of the chromospheric magnetic field, line-of-sight
velocities and somewhat less accurate, but still very useful, estimates of the
temperature. Three dimensional scattering of photons cause cool pockets in the
chromosphere to be invisible in the line profile and consequently they are also
not recovered by the inversions. To successfully detect Stokes linear
polarization in this quiet snapshot, a noise level below 10^{-3.5} is
necessary.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
A Hot Downflowing Model Atmosphere For Umbral Flashes And The Physical Properties Of Their Dark Fibrils
We perform NLTE inversions in a large set of umbral flashes, including the
dark fibrils visible within them, and in the quiescent umbra by using the
inversion code NICOLE on a set of full Stokes high-resolution Ca II 8542 A
observations of a sunspot at disk center. We find that the dark structures have
Stokes profiles that are distinct from those of the quiescent and flashed
regions. They are best reproduced by atmospheres that are more similar to the
flashed atmosphere in terms of velocities, even if with reduced amplitudes. We
also find two sets of solutions that finely fit the flashed profiles: a set
that is upflowing, featuring a transition region that is deeper than in the
quiescent case and preceded by a slight dip in temperature, and a second
solution with a hotter atmosphere in the chromosphere but featuring downflows
close to the speed of sound at such heights. Such downflows may be related, or
even dependent, on the presence of coronal loops, rooted in the umbra of
sunspots, as is the case in the region analyzed. Similar loops have been
recently observed to have supersonic downflows in the transition region and are
consistent with the earlier "sunspot plumes" which were invariably found to
display strong downflows in sunspots. Finally we find, on average, a magnetic
field reduction in the flashed areas, suggesting that the shock pressure is
moving field lines in the upper layers.Comment: Accepted in June for publication at ApJ. Comments to
[email protected] or [email protected]
On the validity of the 630 nm Fe I nm lines for the magnetometry of the internetwork quiet Sun
The purpose of this work is to analyze the reliability of the magnetic field
strengths inferred from the 630 nm pair of Fe I lines at internetwork quiet Sun
regions. Some numerical experiments have been performed that demonstrate the
inability of these lines to recover the magnetic field strength in such low
flux solar regions. It is shown how different model atmospheres, with magnetic
field strengths ranging from few hundred Gauss to kiloGauss, give rise to
Stokes profiles that can not be distinguished. The reasons for this degeneracy
are discussed.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&
Análisis didáctico del proceso matemático de modelización en alumnos de secundaria
En este trabajo se analiza didácticamente el proceso matemático de modelización en relación con las dificultades y errores de un grupo de alumnos de educación secundaria. Se consideran dos situaciones problemáticas relativas a este proceso, que se estudian desde las perspectivas epistemológica, semiótica y fenomenológica que propone el Enfoque Lógico Semiótico (ELOS) (Socas, 2007). Se concluye relacionando estas dificultades y errores de los alumnos con la organización de la enseñanza de la modelización en la secundaria, mostrando también el papel que juegan en dicho proceso otros como la sustitución formal y la generalización, así como las estructuras y las operaciones matemáticas implicadas en el mismo
Análisis y clasificación de errores cometidos por alumnos de secundaria en los procesos de sustitución formal, generalización y modelización en álgebra
Presentamos un estudio con alumnos de educación secundaria sobre tres procesos específicos del lenguaje algebraico: la sustitución formal, la generalización y la modelización. A partir de las respuestas a un cuestionario, realizamos una clasificación de los errores cometidos y se analizan sus posibles orígenes. Finalmente, formulamos algunas consecuencias didácticas que se derivan de estos resultados
Análisis y clasificación de errores cometidos por alumnos de secundaria en los procesos de sustitución formal, generalización y modelización en álgebra
EN esta ponencia se presenta un estudio con alumnos de Educación Secundaria sobre tres procesos específicos del lenguaje algebraico: la sustitución formal, la generalización y la modelización. A partir de las respuestas dadas a un cuestionario diseñado para esta investigación, se realiza una clasificación de los errores cometidos y se analizan los posibles orígenes de dichos errores
Ca II 8542 \AA\ brightenings induced by a solar microflare
We study small-scale brightenings in Ca II 8542 \AA\ line-core images to
determine their nature and effect on localized heating and mass transfer in
active regions. High-resolution 2D spectroscopic observations of an active
region in the Ca II 8542 \AA\ line were acquired with the GFPI attached to the
1.5-meter GREGOR telescope. Inversions of the spectra were carried out using
NICOLE. We identified three brightenings of sizes up to 2"x2". We found
evidence that the brightenings belonged to the footpoints of a microflare (MF).
The properties of the observed brightenings disqualified the scenarios of
Ellerman bombs or IRIS bombs. However, this MF shared some common properties
with flaring active-region fibrils or flaring arch filaments (FAFs): (1) FAFs
and MFs are both apparent in chromospheric and coronal layers according to the
AIA channels, and (2) both show flaring arches with lifetimes of about 3.0-3.5
min and lengths of about 20". The inversions revealed heating by 600 K at the
footpoint location in the ambient chromosphere during the impulsive phase.
Connecting the footpoints, a dark filamentary structure appeared in the Ca II
line-core images. Before the start of the MF, the spectra of this structure
already indicated average blueshifts, meaning upward motions of the plasma
along the LOS. During the impulsive phase, these velocities increased up to
-2.2 km/s. Downflows dominated at the footpoints. However, in the upper
photosphere, slight upflows occurred during the impulsive phase. Hence,
bidirectional flows are present in the footpoints of the MF. Conclusions: We
detected Ca II brightenings that coincided with the footpoint location of an
MF. The MF event led to a rise of plasma in the upper photosphere, both before
and during the impulsive phase. Excess mass, previously raised to at most
chromospheric layers, slowly drained downward along arches toward the
footpoints of the MF.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics, 13 pages, 6
figures, 1 online movi
- …