1,723 research outputs found
Probing photospheric magnetic fields with new spectral line pairs
The magnetic line ratio (MLR) method has been extensively used in the
measurement of photospheric magnetic field strength. It was devised for the
neutral iron line pair at 5247.1 A and 5250.2 A (5250 A pair). Other line pairs
as well-suited as this pair been have not been reported in the literature. The
aim of the present work is to identify new line pairs useful for the MLR
technique and to test their reliability. We use a three dimensional
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation representing the quiet Sun atmosphere to
synthesize the Stokes profiles. Then, we apply the MLR technique to the Stokes
V profiles to recover the fields in the MHD cube both, at original resolution
and after degrading with a point spread function. In both these cases, we aim
to empirically represent the field strengths returned by the MLR method in
terms of the field strengths in the MHD cube. We have identified two new line
pairs that are very well adapted to be used for MLR measurements. The first
pair is in the visible, Fe I 6820 A - 6842 A (whose intensity profiles have
earlier been used to measure stellar magnetic fields), and the other is in the
infrared (IR), Fe I 15534 A - 15542 A. The lines in these pairs reproduce the
magnetic fields in the MHD cube rather well, partially better than the original
5250 A pair. The newly identified line pairs complement the old pairs. The
lines in the new IR pair, due to their higher Zeeman sensitivity, are ideal for
the measurement of weak fields. The new visible pair works best above 300 G.
The new IR pair, due to its large Stokes V signal samples more fields in the
MHD cube than the old IR pair at m, even in the presence of noise,
and hence likely also on the real Sun. Owing to their low formation heights
(100-200 km above tau_5000=1), both the new line pairs are well suited for
probing magnetic fields in the lower photosphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
ACRIM-gap and total solar irradiance revisited: Is there a secular trend between 1986 and 1996?
A gap in the total solar irradiance (TSI) measurements between ACRIM-1 and
ACRIM-2 led to the ongoing debate on the presence or not of a secular trend
between the minima preceding cycles 22 (in 1986) and 23 (1996). It was recently
proposed to use the SATIRE model of solar irradiance variations to bridge this
gap. When doing this, it is important to use the appropriate SATIRE-based
reconstruction, which we do here, employing a reconstruction based on
magnetograms. The accuracy of this model on months to years timescales is
significantly higher than that of a model developed for long-term
reconstructions used by the ACRIM team for such an analysis. The constructed
`mixed' ACRIM - SATIRE composite shows no increase in the TSI from 1986 to
1996, in contrast to the ACRIM TSI composite.Comment: 4 figure
Solar Irradiance Variability and Climate
The brightness of the Sun varies on all time scales on which it has been
observed, and there is increasing evidence that it has an influence on climate.
The amplitudes of such variations depend on the wavelength and possibly on the
time scale. Although many aspects of this variability are well established, the
exact magnitude of secular variations (going beyond a solar cycle) and the
spectral dependence of variations are under discussion. The main drivers of
solar variability are thought to be magnetic features at the solar surface. The
climate reponse can be, on a global scale, largely accounted for by simple
energetic considerations, but understanding the regional climate effects is
more difficult. Promising mechanisms for such a driving have been identified,
including through the influence of UV irradiance on the stratosphere and
dynamical coupling to the surface. Here we provide an overview of the current
state of our knowledge, as well as of the main open questions
Solar cycle variation in solar irradiance
The correlation between solar irradiance and the 11-year solar activity cycle
is evident in the body of measurements made from space, which extend over the
past four decades. Models relating variation in solar irradiance to
photospheric magnetism have made significant progress in explaining most of the
apparent trends in these observations. There are, however, persistent
discrepancies between different measurements and models in terms of the
absolute radiometry, secular variation and the spectral dependence of the solar
cycle variability. We present an overview of solar irradiance measurements and
models, and discuss the key challenges in reconciling the divergence between
the two
EMPIRE: A robust empirical reconstruction of solar irradiance variability
We present a new empirical model of total and spectral solar irradiance (TSI
and SSI) variability entitled EMPirical Irradiance REconstruction (EMPIRE). As
with existing empirical models, TSI and SSI variability is given by the linear
combination of solar activity indices. In empirical models, UV SSI variability
is usually determined by fitting the rotational variability in activity indices
to that in measurements. Such models have to date relied on ordinary least
squares regression, which ignores the uncertainty in the activity indices. In
an advance from earlier efforts, the uncertainty in the activity indices is
accounted for in EMPIRE by the application of an error-in-variables regression
scheme, making the resultant UV SSI variability more robust. The result is
consistent with observations and unprecedentedly, with that from other
modelling approaches, resolving the long-standing controversy between existing
empirical models and other types of models. We demonstrate that earlier
empirical models, by neglecting the uncertainty in activity indices,
underestimate UV SSI variability. The reconstruction of TSI and visible and IR
SSI from EMPIRE is also shown to be consistent with observations. The EMPIRE
reconstruction is of utility to climate studies as a more robust alternative to
earlier empirical reconstructions.Comment: J. Geophys. Res. (2017
सुभद्राकुमारी चौहान की कहानियों में नारी'
Not availabl
Reconstruction of solar UV irradiance since 1974
Variations of the solar UV irradiance are an important driver of chemical and
physical processes in the Earth's upper atmosphere and may also influence
global climate. Here we reconstruct solar UV irradiance in the range 115-400 nm
over the period 1974-2007 by making use of the recently developed empirical
extension of the SATIRE models employing SUSIM data. The evolution of the solar
photospheric magnetic flux, which is a central input to the model, is described
by the magnetograms and continuum images recorded at the Kitt Peak National
Solar Observatory between 1974 and 2003 and by the MDI instrument on SoHO since
1996. The reconstruction extends the available observational record by 1.5
solar cycles. The reconstructed Ly-alpha irradiance agrees well with the
composite time series by Woods et al (2000). The amplitude of the irradiance
variations grows with decreasing wavelength and in the wavelength regions of
special interest for studies of the Earth's climate (Ly-alpha and oxygen
absorption continuum and bands between 130 and 350 nm) is one to two orders of
magnitude stronger than in the visible or if integrated over all wavelengths
(total solar irradiance)
- …