2,213 research outputs found
Velocity vectors of a quiescent prominence observed by Hinode/SOT and the MSDP (Meudon)
The dynamics of prominence fine structures is a challenge to understand the
formation of cool plasma prominence embedded in the hot corona. Recent
observations from the high resolution Hinode/SOT telescope allow us to compute
velocities perpendicularly to the line-of-sight or transverse velocities.
Combining simultaneous observations obtained in H-alpha with Hinode/SOT and the
MSDP spectrograph operating in the Meudon solar tower we derive the velocity
vectors of a quiescent prominence. The velocities perpendicular to the
line-of-sight are measured by time slice technique, the Dopplershifts by the
bisector method. The Dopplershifts of bright threads derived from the MSDP
reach 15 km/s at the edges of the prominence and are between +/- 5 km/s in the
center of the prominence. Even though they are minimum values due to seeing
effect, they are of the same order as the transverse velocities. These
measurements are very important because they suggest that the
verticalstructures shown in SOT may not be real vertical magnetic structures in
the sky plane. The vertical structures could be a pile up of dips in more or
less horizontal magnetic field lines in a 3D perspective, as it was proposed by
many MHD modelers. In our analysis we also calibrate the Hinode H-alpha data
using MSDP observations obtained simultaneously.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, submitted to A &
Structure of prominence legs: Plasma and magnetic field
We investigate the properties of a `solar tornado' observed on 15 July 2014,
and aim to link the behaviour of the plasma to the internal magnetic field
structure of the associated prominence. We made multi-wavelength observations
with high spatial resolution and high cadence using SDO/AIA, the IRIS
spectrograph and the Hinode/SOT instrument. Along with spectropolarimetry
provided by the THEMIS telescope we have coverage of both optically thick
emission lines and magnetic field information. AIA reveals that the two legs of
the prominence are strongly absorbing structures which look like they are
rotating, or oscillating in the plane of the sky. The two prominence legs,
which are both very bright in Ca II (SOT), are not visible in the IRIS Mg II
slit-jaw images. This is explained by the large optical thickness of the
structures in Mg II which leads to reversed profiles, and hence to lower
integrated intensities at these locations than in the surroundings. Using lines
formed at temperatures lower than 1 MK, we measure relatively low Doppler
shifts on the order of +/- 10 km/s in the tornado-like structure. Between the
two legs we see loops in Mg II, with material flowing from one leg to the
other, as well as counterstreaming. It is difficult to interpret our data as
showing two rotating, vertical structures which are unrelated to the loops.
This kind of `tornado' scenario does not fit with our observations. The
magnetic field in the two legs of the prominence is found to be preferentially
horizontal.Comment: 13 pages, 14 figures, one tabl
Coronal mass ejections from the same active region cluster: Two different perspectives
The cluster formed by active regions (ARs) NOAA 11121 and 11123,
approximately located on the solar central meridian on 11 November 2010, is of
great scientific interest. This complex was the site of violent flux emergence
and the source of a series of Earth-directed events on the same day. The onset
of the events was nearly simultaneously observed by the Atmospheric Imaging
Assembly (AIA) telescope aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) and the
Extreme-Ultraviolet Imagers (EUVI) on the Sun-Earth Connection Coronal and
Heliospheric Investigation (SECCHI) suite of telescopes onboard the
Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) twin spacecraft. The
progression of these events in the low corona was tracked by the Large Angle
Spectroscopic Coronagraphs (LASCO) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory (SOHO) and the SECCHI/COR coronagraphs on STEREO. SDO and SOHO
imagers provided data from the Earth's perspective, whilst the STEREO twin
instruments procured images from the orthogonal directions. This spatial
configuration of spacecraft allowed optimum simultaneous observations of the AR
cluster and the coronal mass ejections that originated in it. Quadrature
coronal observations provided by STEREO revealed a notably large amount of
ejective events compared to those detected from Earth's perspective.
Furthermore, joint observations by SDO/AIA and STEREO/SECCHI EUVI of the source
region indicate that all events classified by GOES as X-ray flares had an
ejective coronal counterpart in quadrature observations. These results have
direct impact on current space weather forecasting because of the probable
missing alarms when there is a lack of solar observations in a view direction
perpendicular to the Sun-Earth line.Comment: Solar Physics - Accepted for publication 2015-Apr-25 v2: Corrected
metadat
Thermal stability analysis of the fine structure of solar prominences
The linear thermal stability of a 2D periodic structure (alternatively hot and cold) in a uniform magnetic field is analyzed. The energy equation includes wave heating (assumed proportional to density), radiative cooling and both conduction parallel and orthogonal to magnetic lines. The equilibrium is perturbed at constant gas pressure. With parallel conduction only, it is found to be unstable when the length scale 1// is greater than 45 Mn. In that case, orthogonal conduction becomes important and stabilizes the structure when the length scale is smaller than 5 km. On the other hand, when the length scale is greater than 5 km, the thermal equilibrium is unstable, and the corresponding time scale is about 10,000 s: this result may be compared to observations showing that the lifetime of the fine structure of solar prominences is about one hour; consequently, our computations suggest that the size of the unresolved threads could be of the order of 10 km only
Propagating Waves Transverse to the Magnetic Field in a Solar Prominence
We report an unusual set of observations of waves in a large prominence
pillar which consist of pulses propagating perpendicular to the prominence
magnetic field. We observe a huge quiescent prominence with the Solar Dynamics
Observatory (SDO) Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) in EUV on 2012 October 10
and only a part of it, the pillar, which is a foot or barb of the prominence,
with the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) (in Ca II and H\alpha lines), Sac
Peak (in H\alpha, H\beta\ and Na-D lines), THEMIS ("T\'elescope
H\'eliographique pour l' Etude du Magn\'etisme et des Instabilit\'es Solaires")
with the MTR (MulTi-Raies) spectropolarimeter (in He D_3 line). The THEMIS/MTR
data indicates that the magnetic field in the pillar is essentially horizontal
and the observations in the optical domain show a large number of horizontally
aligned features on a much smaller scale than the pillar as a whole. The data
is consistent with a model of cool prominence plasma trapped in the dips of
horizontal field lines. The SOT and Sac Peak data over the 4 hour observing
period show vertical oscillations appearing as wave pulses. These pulses, which
include a Doppler signature, move vertically, perpendicular to the field
direction, along thin quasi-vertical columns in the much broader pillar. The
pulses have a velocity of propagation of about 10 km/s, a period about 300 sec,
and a wavelength around 2000 km. We interpret these waves in terms of fast
magneto-sonic waves and discuss possible wave drivers.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
Hooked flare ribbons and flux-rope related QSL footprints
We studied the magnetic topology of active region 12158 on 2014 September 10
and compared it with the observations before and early in the flare which
begins at 17:21 UT (SOL2014-09-10T17:45:00). Our results show that the
sigmoidal structure and flare ribbons of this active region observed by SDO/AIA
can be well reproduced from a Grad-Rubin non linear force free field
extrapolation method. Various inverse-S and -J shaped magnetic field lines,
that surround a coronal flux rope, coincide with the sigmoid as observed in
different extreme ultraviolet wavelengths, including its multi-threaded curved
ends. Also, the observed distribution of surface currents in the magnetic
polarity where it was not prescribed is well reproduced. This validates our
numerical implementation and set-up of the Grad-Rubin method. The modeled
double inverse-J shaped Quasi-Separatrix Layer (QSL) footprints match the
observed flare ribbons during the rising phase of the flare, including their
hooked parts. The spiral-like shape of the latter may be related to a complex
pre-eruptive flux rope with more than one turn of twist, as obtained in the
model. These ribbon-associated flux-rope QSL-footprints are consistent with the
new standard flare model in 3D, with the presence of a hyperbolic flux tube
located below an inverse tear drop shaped coronal QSL. This is a new step
forward forecasting the locations of reconnection and ribbons in solar flares,
and the geometrical properties of eruptive flux ropes.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap
Magnetic field in atypical prominence structures: Bubble, tornado and eruption
Spectropolarimetric observations of prominences have been obtained with the
THEMIS telescope during four years of coordinated campaigns. Our aim is now to
understand the conditions of the cool plasma and magnetism in `atypical'
prominences, namely when the measured inclination of the magnetic field
departs, to some extent, from the predominantly horizontal field found in
`typical' prominences. What is the role of the magnetic field in these
prominence types? Are plasma dynamics more important in these cases than the
magnetic support? We focus our study on three types of `atypical' prominences
(tornadoes, bubbles and jet-like prominence eruptions) that have all been
observed by THEMIS in the He I D_3 line, from which the Stokes parameters can
be derived. The magnetic field strength, inclination and azimuth in each pixel
are obtained by using the Principal Component Analysis inversion method on a
model of single scattering in the presence of the Hanle effect. The magnetic
field in tornadoes is found to be more or less horizontal, whereas for the
eruptive prominence it is mostly vertical. We estimate a tendency towards
higher values of magnetic field strength inside the bubbles than outside in the
surrounding prominence. In all of the models in our database, only one magnetic
field orientation is considered for each pixel. While sufficient for most of
the main prominence body, this assumption appears to be oversimplified in
atypical prominence structures. We should consider these observations as the
result of superposition of multiple magnetic fields, possibly even with a
turbulent field component.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figure
Constraints on filament models deduced from dynamical analysis
The conclusions deduced from simultaneous observations with the Ultra-Violet Spectrometer and Polarimeter (UVSP) on the Solar Maximum Mission satellite, and the Multichannel Subtractive Double Pass (MSPD) spectrographs at Meudon and Pic du Midi observatories are presented. The observations were obtained in 1980 and 1984. All instruments have almost the same field of view and provide intensity and velocity maps at two temperatures. The resolution is approx. 0.5 to 1.5" for H alpha line and 3" for C IV. The high resolution and simultaneity of the two types of observations allows a more accurate description of the flows in prominences as functions of temperature and position. The results put some contraints on the models and show that dynamical aspects must be taken into account
Open questions on prominences from coordinated observations by IRIS, Hinode, SDO/AIA, THEMIS, and the Meudon/MSDP
Context. A large prominence was observed on September 24, 2013, for three
hours (12:12 UT -15:12 UT) with the newly launched (June 2013) Interface Region
Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), THEMIS (Tenerife), the Hinode Solar Optical
Telescope (SOT), the Solar Dynamic Observatory Atmospheric Imaging Assembly
(SDO/AIA), and the Multichannel Subtractive Double Pass spectrograph (MSDP) in
the Meudon Solar Tower. Aims. The aim of this work is to study the dynamics of
the prominence fine structures in multiple wavelengths to understand their
formation. Methods. The spectrographs IRIS and MSDP provided line profiles with
a high cadence in Mg II and in Halpha lines. Results. The magnetic field is
found to be globally horizontal with a relatively weak field strength (8-15
Gauss). The Ca II movie reveals turbulent-like motion that is not organized in
specific parts of the prominence. On the other hand, the Mg II line profiles
show multiple peaks well separated in wavelength. Each peak corresponds to a
Gaussian profile, and not to a reversed profile as was expected by the present
non-LTE radiative transfer modeling. Conclusions. Turbulent fields on top of
the macroscopic horizontal component of the magnetic field supporting the
prominence give rise to the complex dynamics of the plasma. The plasma with the
high velocities (70 km/s to 100 km/s if we take into account the transverse
velocities) may correspond to condensation of plasma along more or less
horizontal threads of the arch-shape structure visible in 304 A. The steady
flows (5 km/s) would correspond to a more quiescent plasma (cool and
prominence-corona transition region) of the prominence packed into dips in
horizontal magnetic field lines. The very weak secondary peaks in the Mg II
profiles may reflect the turbulent nature of parts of the prominence.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figure
Automated universal chip platform for fluorescence based cellular assays
Dieser Beitrag ist mit Zustimmung des Rechteinhabers aufgrund einer (DFG geförderten) Allianz- bzw. Nationallizenz frei zugänglich.This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.The advantage of cell based assays used as biosensors is the direct access to hardly obtainable parameters like toxicity, mutagenicity and pharmacological effectiveness. Within the last few years we established a micro fluidic platform including a peristaltic micro pump as well as several valves, manifolds and micro channels [1]. For optical online monitoring the micro fluidic system is bonded to a glass slide. Furthermore the biochip is fixed on an electrically heated support. The pneumatically actuated peristaltic pump as well as the temperature control is performed by a control device. For the fluorescence based online monitoring a robotic guided fluorescence measurement module was developed, which supports the detection of fluorescence in microtiter plates and microfluidic systems. This measurement module allows the fluorescence detection of two different excitation / detection wavelengths (480 / 530 nm and 570 / 620 nm) and was successfully characterised using EGFP and Rhodamine 6G. Additionally three cell based assays with bacterial, yeast and human cells were characterized
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