1,915 research outputs found
Quiet Sun magnetic fields observed by Hinode: Support for a local dynamo
The Hinode mission has revealed copious amounts of horizontal flux covering
the quiet Sun. Local dynamo action has been proposed to explain the presence of
this flux. We sought to test whether the quiet Sun flux detected by Hinode is
due to a local or the global dynamo by studying long-term variations in the
polarisation signals detectable at the disc centre of the quiet Sun between
November 2006 and May 2012, with particular emphasis on weak signals in the
internetwork. The investigation focusses on line-integrated circular
polarisation V_tot and linear polarisation LP_tot profiles obtained from the Fe
I 6302.5 \AA absorption line in Hinode SOT/SP. Both circular and linear
polarisation signals show no overall variation in the fraction of selected
pixels from 2006 until 2012. There is also no variation in the magnetic flux in
this interval of time. The probability density functions (PDF) of the
line-of-sight magnetic flux can be fitted with a power law from 1.17 x 10^17 Mx
to 8.53 x 10^18 Mx with index \alpha=-1.82 \pm 0.02 in 2007. The variation of
\alpha 's across all years does not exceed a significance of 1\sigma. Linearly
polarised features are also fitted with a power law, with index \alpha=-2.60
\pm 0.06 in 2007. Indices derived from linear polarisation PDFs of other years
also show no significant variation. Our results show that the ubiquitous
horizontal polarisation on the edges of bright granules seen by Hinode are
invariant during the minimum of cycle 23. This supports the notion that the
weak circular and linear polarisation is primarily caused by an independent
local dynamo
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
Modified p-modes in penumbral filaments?
Aims: The primary objective of this study is to search for and identify wave
modes within a sunspot penumbra.
Methods: Infrared spectropolarimetric time series data are inverted using a
model comprising two atmospheric components in each spatial pixel. Fourier
phase difference analysis is performed on the line-of-sight velocities
retrieved from both components to determine time delays between the velocity
signals. In addition, the vertical separation between the signals in the two
components is calculated from the Stokes velocity response functions.
Results: The inversion yields two atmospheric components, one permeated by a
nearly horizontal magnetic field, the other with a less-inclined magnetic
field. Time delays between the oscillations in the two components in the
frequency range 2.5-4.5 mHz are combined with speeds of atmospheric wave modes
to determine wave travel distances. These are compared to expected path lengths
obtained from response functions of the observed spectral lines in the
different atmospheric components. Fast-mode (i.e., modified p-mode) waves
exhibit the best agreement with the observations when propagating toward the
sunspot at an angle ~50 degrees to the vertical.Comment: 8 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy &
Astrophysic
Spectroscopic Observations of Propagating Disturbances in a Polar Coronal Hole: Evidence of Slow Magneto-acoustic Waves
We focus on detecting and studying quasi-periodic propagating features that
have been interpreted both in terms of slow magneto-acoustic waves and of high
speed upflows. We analyze long duration spectroscopic observations of the
on-disk part of the south polar coronal hole taken on 1997 February 25 by the
SUMER spectrometer aboard SOHO. We calibrated the velocity with respect to the
off-limb region and obtain time--distance maps in intensity, Doppler velocity
and line width. We also perform a cross correlation analysis on different time
series curves at different latitudes. We study average spectral line profiles
at the roots of propagating disturbances and along the propagating ridges, and
perform a red-blue asymmetry analysis. We find the clear presence of
propagating disturbances in intensity and Doppler velocity with a projected
propagation speed of about km s and a periodicity of
14.5 min. To our knowledge, this is the first simultaneous detection
of propagating disturbances in intensity as well as in Doppler velocity in a
coronal hole. During the propagation, an intensity enhancement is associated
with a blue-shifted Doppler velocity. These disturbances are clearly seen in
intensity also at higher latitudes (i.e. closer to the limb), while
disturbances in Doppler velocity becomes faint there. The spectral line
profiles averaged along the propagating ridges are found to be symmetric, to be
well fitted by a single Gaussian, and have no noticeable red-blue asymmetry.
Based on our analysis, we interpret these disturbances in terms of propagating
slow magneto-acoustic waves.Comment: accepted for publication by A&
Millimeter radiation from a 3D model of the solar atmosphere II. Chromospheric magnetic field
We use state-of-the-art, three-dimensional non-local thermodynamic
equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the quiet
solar atmosphere to carry out detailed tests of chromospheric magnetic field
diagnostics from free-free radiation at millimeter and submillimeter
wavelengths (mm/submm). The vertical component of the magnetic field was
deduced from the mm/submm brightness spectra and the degree of circular
polarization synthesized at millimeter frequencies. We used the frequency bands
observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) as a
convenient reference. The magnetic field maps obtained describe the
longitudinal magnetic field at the effective formation heights of the relevant
wavelengths in the solar chromosphere. The comparison of the deduced and model
chromospheric magnetic fields at the spatial resolution of both the model and
current observations demonstrates a good correlation, but has a tendency to
underestimate the model field. The systematic discrepancy of about 10 percent
is probably due to averaging of the restored field over the heights
contributing to the radiation, weighted by the strength of the contribution. On
the whole, the method of probing the longitudinal component of the magnetic
field with free-free emission at mm/submm wavelengths is found to be applicable
to measurements of the weak quiet-Sun magnetic fields. However, successful
exploitation of this technique requires very accurate measurements of the
polarization properties (primary beam and receiver polarization response) of
the antennas, which will be the principal factor that determines the level to
which chromospheric magnetic fields can be measured. Consequently,
high-resolution and high-precision observations of circularly polarized
radiation at millimeter wavelengths can be a powerful tool for producing
chromospheric longitudinal magnetograms.Comment: 12 pages, 13 figures, accepted for publication in A&
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