41 research outputs found
Search for torsional oscillations in isolated sunspots
In this work we seek evidence for global torsional oscillations in alpha
sunspots. We have used long time series of continuum intensity and magnetic
field vector maps from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument on
board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) spacecraft. The time series analysed
here span the total disk passage of 25 isolated sunspots. We found no evidence
of global long-term periodic oscillations in the azimuthal angle of the sunspot
magnetic field within 1 degree. This study could help us to understand
the sunspot dynamics and its internal structure
You\u27ll be home by when?
You’ll be home by when? is a short personal documentary about trying to locate home. Through exchanges with my grandmother, I seek home in city and country. Reflections on family and loss reveal how we relate to spaces and to each other
On the magnetic field of off-limb spicules
Determining the magnetic field related to solar spicules is vital for
developing adequate models of these plasma jets, which are thought to play a
key role in the thermal, dynamic and magnetic structure of the Chromosphere.
Here we report on the magnetic properties of off-limb spicules in a very quiet
region of the solar atmosphere, as inferred from new spectropolarimetric
observations in the He I 10830 A triplet obtained with the Tenerife Infrared
Polarimeter. We have used a novel inversion code for Stokes profiles caused by
the joint action of atomic level polarization and the Hanle and Zeeman effects
(HAZEL) to interpret the observations. Magnetic fields as strong as ~40G were
detected in a very localized area of the slit, which could represent a possible
lower value of the field strength of organized network spicules.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ, 24 pages, 5 Figure
On the magnetic structure of the solar transition region
We examine the hypothesis that ``cool loops'' dominate emission from solar
transition region plasma below temperatures of K. We compare
published VAULT images of H L, a lower transition region line, with
near-contemporaneous magnetograms from Kitt Peak, obtained during the second
flight (VAULT-2) on 14 June 2002. The measured surface fields and potential
extrapolations suggest that there are too few short loops, and that L
emission is associated with the base regions of longer, coronal loops. VAULT-2
data of network boundaries have an asymmetry on scales larger than
supergranules, also indicating an association with long loops. We complement
the Kitt Peak data with very sensitive vector polarimetric data from the
Spectro-Polarimeter on board Hinode, to determine the influence of very small
magnetic concentrations on our analysis. From these data two classes of
behavior are found: within the cores of strong magnetic flux concentrations ( Mx) associated with active network and plage, small-scale mixed
fields are absent and any short loops can connect just the peripheries of the
flux to cell interiors. Core fields return to the surface via longer, most
likely coronal, loops. In weaker concentrations, short loops can connect
between concentrations and produce mixed fields within network boundaries as
suggested by Dowdy and colleagues. The VAULT-2 data which we examined are
associated with strong concentrations. We conclude that the cool loop model
applies only to a small fraction of the VAULT-2 emission, but we cannot
discount a significant role for cool loops in quieter regions. We suggest a
physical picture for how network L emission may occur through the
cross-field diffusion of neutral atoms from chromospheric into coronal plasma.Comment: Accepted by ApJ, 9 May 200
The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Vector Magnetic Field Pipeline: Overview and Performance
The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) began near-continuous full-disk
solar measurements on 1 May 2010 from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). An
automated processing pipeline keeps pace with observations to produce
observable quantities, including the photospheric vector magnetic field, from
sequences of filtergrams. The primary 720s observables were released in mid
2010, including Stokes polarization parameters measured at six wavelengths as
well as intensity, Doppler velocity, and the line-of-sight magnetic field. More
advanced products, including the full vector magnetic field, are now available.
Automatically identified HMI Active Region Patches (HARPs) track the location
and shape of magnetic regions throughout their lifetime.
The vector field is computed using the Very Fast Inversion of the Stokes
Vector (VFISV) code optimized for the HMI pipeline; the remaining 180 degree
azimuth ambiguity is resolved with the Minimum Energy (ME0) code. The
Milne-Eddington inversion is performed on all full-disk HMI observations. The
disambiguation, until recently run only on HARP regions, is now implemented for
the full disk. Vector and scalar quantities in the patches are used to derive
active region indices potentially useful for forecasting; the data maps and
indices are collected in the SHARP data series, hmi.sharp_720s. Patches are
provided in both CCD and heliographic coordinates.
HMI provides continuous coverage of the vector field, but has modest spatial,
spectral, and temporal resolution. Coupled with limitations of the analysis and
interpretation techniques, effects of the orbital velocity, and instrument
performance, the resulting measurements have a certain dynamic range and
sensitivity and are subject to systematic errors and uncertainties that are
characterized in this report.Comment: 42 pages, 19 figures, accepted to Solar Physic