117 research outputs found
The magnetic field configuration of a solar prominence inferred from spectropolarimetric observations in the He I 10830 A triplet
Context: The determination of the magnetic field vector in quiescent solar
prominences is possible by interpreting the Hanle and Zeeman effects in
spectral lines. However, observational measurements are scarce and lack high
spatial resolution. Aims: To determine the magnetic field vector configuration
along a quiescent solar prominence by interpreting spectropolarimetric
measurements in the He I 1083.0 nm triplet obtained with the Tenerife Infrared
Polarimeter installed at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope of the Observatorio
del Teide. Methods. The He I 1083.0 nm triplet Stokes profiles are analyzed
with an inversion code that takes into account the physics responsible of the
polarization signals in this triplet. The results are put into a solar context
with the help of extreme ultraviolet observations taken with the Solar Dynamic
Observatory and the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory satellites.
Results: For the most probable magnetic field vector configuration, the
analysis depicts a mean field strength of 7 gauss. We do not find local
variations in the field strength except that the field is, in average, lower in
the prominence body than in the prominence feet, where the field strength
reaches 25 gauss. The averaged magnetic field inclination with respect to the
local vertical is 77 degrees. The acute angle of the magnetic field vector with
the prominence main axis is 24 degrees for the sinistral chirality case and 58
degrees for the dextral chirality. These inferences are in rough agreement with
previous results obtained from the analysis of data acquired with lower spatial
resolutions.Comment: Accepted in A&
Photospheric downward plasma motions in the quiet-Sun
We analyze spectropolarimetric data taken with the Hinode spacecraft in quiet
solar regions at the disk center. Distorted redshifted Stokes profiles are
found showing a characteristic evolution that always follows the same sequence
of phases. We have studied the statistical properties of these events using
spectropolarimetric data from Hinode/SP. We also examined the upper photosphere
and the low chromosphere using Mg i b2 and Ca ii h data from Hinode. Finally,
we have applied the SIRGAUSS inversion code to the polarimetric data in order
to infer the atmospheric stratification of the physical parameters. We have
also obtained these physical parameters taking into account dynamical terms in
the equation of motion.
The Stokes V profiles display a bump that evolves in four different time
steps, and the total process lasts 108 seconds. The Stokes I shows a strongly
bent red wing and the continuum signal exhibits a bright point inside an
intergranular lane. This bright point is correlated with a strong redshift in
the Mg i b2 line and a bright feature in Ca ii h images. The model obtained
from the inversion of the Stokes profiles is hotter than the average quiet-Sun
model, with a vertical magnetic field configuration and field strengths in the
range of kG values. It also presents a LOS velocity stratification with a
Gaussian perturbation whose center is moving to deeper layers with time.
We have examined a particular type of event that can be described as a
plasmoid of hot plasma that is moving downward from the top of the photosphere,
placed over intergranular lanes and always related to strong magnetic field
concentrations. We argue that the origin of this plasmoid could be a magnetic
reconnection that is taking place in the chromosphere.Comment: 18 pages, 14 figure
Probing deep photospheric layers of the quiet Sun with high magnetic sensitivity
Context. Investigations of the magnetism of the quiet Sun are hindered by extremely weak polarization signals in Fraunhofer spectral lines. Photon noise, straylight, and the systematically different sensitivity of the Zeeman effect to longitudinal and transversal magnetic fields result in controversial results in terms of the strength and angular distribution of the magnetic field vector. Aims. The information content of Stokes measurements close to the diffraction limit of the 1.5 m GREGOR telescope is analyzed. We took the effects of spatial straylight and photon noise into account. Methods. Highly sensitive full Stokes measurements of a quiet-Sun region at disk center in the deep photospheric Fe i lines in the 1.56 μm region were obtained with the infrared spectropolarimeter GRIS at the GREGOR telescope. Noise statistics and Stokes V asymmetries were analyzed and compared to a similar data set of the Hinode spectropolarimeter (SOT/SP). Simple diagnostics based directly on the shape and strength of the profiles were applied to the GRIS data. We made use of the magnetic line ratio technique, which was tested against realistic magneto-hydrodynamic simulations (MURaM). Results. About 80% of the GRIS spectra of a very quiet solar region show polarimetric signals above a 3σ level. Area and amplitude asymmetries agree well with small-scale surface dynamo-magneto hydrodynamic simulations. The magnetic line ratio analysis reveals ubiquitous magnetic regions in the ten to hundred Gauss range with some concentrations of kilo-Gauss fields. Conclusions. The GRIS spectropolarimetric data at a spatial resolution of ≈ 0.″ 4 are so far unique in the combination of high spatial resolution scans and high magnetic field sensitivity. Nevertheless, the unavoidable effect of spatial straylight and the resulting dilution of the weak Stokes profiles means that inversion techniques still bear a high risk of misinterpretating the data. © ESO, 2016.This work was partly supported by the BK21 plus program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education of Korea. This study is supported by the European Commissions FP7 Capacities Programme under the Grant Agreement number 312495. The GRIS instrument was developed thanks to the support by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the project AYA2010-18029 (Solar Magnetism and Astrophysical Spectropolarimetry).Peer Reviewe
Detection of emission in the Si i 1082.7 nm line core in sunspot umbrae
We analyze spectropolarimetric sunspot umbra observations taken in the
near-infrared Si i 1082.7 nm line taking NLTE effects into account. The data
were obtained with the GRIS instrument installed at the German GREGOR
telescope. A point spread function (PSF) was constructed using prior Mercury
observations with GRIS and the information provided by the adaptive optics
system of the GREGOR telescope. The data were then deconvolved from the PSF
using a principal component analysis deconvolution method and were analyzed via
the NICOLE inversion code. The Si i 1082.7 nm line seems to be in emission in
the umbra of the observed sunspot after the effects of scattered light are
removed. We show how the spectral line shape of umbral profiles changes
dramatically with the amount of scattered light. Indeed, the continuum levels
range, on average, from 44% of the quiet Sun continuum intensity to about 20%.
The inferred levels are in line with current model predictions and empirical
umbral models. Current umbral empirical models are not able to reproduce the
emission in the deconvolved umbral Stokes profiles. The results of the NLTE
inversions suggests that to obtain the emission in the Si i 1082.7 nm line, the
temperature stratification should first have a hump located at about log tau -2
and start rising at lower heights when moving into the transition region. This
is, to our knowledge, the first time the Si i 1082.7 nm line is seen in
emission in sunspot umbrae. The results show that the temperature
stratification of current umbral models may be more complex than expected with
the transition region located at lower heights above sunspot umbrae. Our
finding might provide insights into understanding why the sunspot umbra
emission in the millimeter spectral range is less than that predicted by
current empirical umbral models
The Solar Internetwork. II. Magnetic Flux Appearance and Disappearance Rates
Small-scale internetwork magnetic fields are important ingredients of the
quiet Sun. In this paper we analyze how they appear and disappear on the solar
surface. Using high resolution Hinode magnetograms, we follow the evolution of
individual magnetic elements in the interior of two supergranular cells at the
disk center. From up to 38 hr of continuous measurements, we show that magnetic
flux appears in internetwork regions at a rate of Mx cm
day ( Mx day over the entire solar
surface). Flux disappears from the internetwork at a rate of Mx
cm day ( Mx day) through fading
of magnetic elements, cancellation between opposite-polarity features, and
interactions with network patches, which converts internetwork elements into
network features. Most of the flux is lost through fading and interactions with
the network, at nearly the same rate of about 50 Mx cm day. Our
results demonstrate that the sources and sinks of internetwork magnetic flux
are well balanced. Using the instantaneous flux appearance and disappearance
rates, we successfully reproduce the time evolution of the total unsigned flux
in the two supergranular cells.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. Accepted in ApJ. An animation of the right panel
of Figure 1 is available at
http://spg.iaa.es/pub/downloads/gosic/figure1_right_panel.ta
Slender Ca II H fibrils mapping magnetic fields in the low solar chromosphere
S. Jafarzadeh et. al.©2017 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.A dense forest of slender bright fibrils near a small solar active region is seen in high-quality narrowband Ca ii H images from the SuFI instrument onboard the Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory. The orientation of these slender Ca ii H fibrils (SCF) overlaps with the magnetic field configuration in the low solar chromosphere derived by magnetostatic extrapolation of the photospheric field observed with Sunrise/IMaX and SDO/HMI. In addition, many observed SCFs are qualitatively aligned with small-scale loops computed from a novel inversion approach based on best-fit numerical MHD simulation. Such loops are organized in canopy-like arches over quiet areas that differ in height depending on the field strength near their roots.The German contribution to Sunrise and its reflight was funded by the Max Planck Foundation, the Strategic Innovations Fund of the President of the Max Planck Society (MPG), DLR, and private donations by supporting members of the Max Planck Society, which is gratefully acknowledged. The Spanish contribution was funded by the Ministerio de EconomÃa y Competitividad under Projects ESP2013-47349-C6 and ESP2014-56169-C6, partially using European FEDER funds. The HAO contribution was partly funded through NASA grant number NNX13AE95G. This work was partly supported by the BK21 plus program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education of Korea. S.J. receives support from the Research Council of Norway. T.W. acknowledges support by DFG-grant WI 3211/4-1. M.S. acknowledges support from the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme / ERC Grant agreement nr. 291058.Peer reviewe
Photospheric response to an ellerman bomb-like event—an analogy of Sunrise/IMaX observations and MHD simulations
S. Danilovic et. al.©2017 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.Ellerman Bombs are signatures of magnetic reconnection, which is an important physical process in the solar atmosphere. How and where they occur is a subject of debate. In this paper, we analyze Sunrise/IMaX data, along with 3D MHD simulations that aim to reproduce the exact scenario proposed for the formation of these features. Although the observed event seems to be more dynamic and violent than the simulated one, simulations clearly confirm the basic scenario for the production of EBs. The simulations also reveal the full complexity of the underlying process. The simulated observations show that the Fe i 525.02 nm line gives no information on the height where reconnection takes place. It can only give clues about the heating in the aftermath of the reconnection. However, the information on the magnetic field vector and velocity at this spatial resolution is extremely valuable because it shows what numerical models miss and how they can be improved.The German contribution to Sunrise and its reflight was funded by the Max Planck Foundation, the Strategic Innovations Fund of the President of the Max Planck Society (MPG), DLR, and private donations by supporting members of the Max Planck Society, which are all gratefully acknowledged. This work has benefited from the discussions at the meeting "Solar UV bursts—a new insight to magnetic reconnection" at the International Space Science Institute (ISSI) in Bern. The Spanish contribution was funded by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad under Projects ESP2013-47349-C6 and ESP2014-56169-C6, partially using European FEDER funds. The HAO contribution was partly funded through NASA grant number NNX13AE95G. The National Solar Observatory (NSO) is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA) Inc. under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation. This work was also partly supported by the BK21 plus program through the National Research Foundation (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education of Korea.Peer reviewe
A tale of two emergences: Sunrise II observations of emergence sites in a solar active region
R. Centeno et. al.©2017 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. In 2013 June, the two scientific instruments on board the second Sunrise mission witnessed, in detail, a small-scale magnetic flux emergence event as part of the birth of an active region. The Imaging Magnetograph Experiment (IMaX) recorded two small () emerging flux patches in the polarized filtergrams of a photospheric Fe i spectral line. Meanwhile, the Sunrise Filter Imager (SuFI) captured the highly dynamic chromospheric response to the magnetic fields pushing their way through the lower solar atmosphere. The serendipitous capture of this event offers a closer look at the inner workings of active region emergence sites. In particular, it reveals in meticulous detail how the rising magnetic fields interact with the granulation as they push through the Sun's surface, dragging photospheric plasma in their upward travel. The plasma that is burdening the rising field slides along the field lines, creating fast downflowing channels at the footpoints. The weight of this material anchors this field to the surface at semi-regular spatial intervals, shaping it in an undulatory fashion. Finally, magnetic reconnection enables the field to release itself from its photospheric anchors, allowing it to continue its voyage up to higher layers. This process releases energy that lights up the arch-filament systems and heats the surrounding chromosphere.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.The German contribution to Sunrise and its reflight was funded by the Max Planck Foundation, the Strategic Innovations Fund of the President of the Max Planck Society (MPG), DLR, and private donations by supporting members of the Max Planck Society, which is gratefully acknowledged. The Spanish contribution was funded by the Ministerio de EconomÃa y Competitividad under Projects ESP2013-47349-C6 and ESP2014-56169-C6, partially using European FEDER funds. The HAO contribution was partly funded through NASA grant number NNX13AE95G. This work was partly supported by the BK21 plus program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education of Korea.Peer reviewe
Transverse oscillations in slender Ca II H fibrils observed with Sunrise/SuFI
S. Jafarzadeh et. al.©2017 The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. We present observations of transverse oscillations in slender Ca ii H fibrils (SCFs) in the lower solar chromosphere. We use a 1 hr long time series of high- (spatial and temporal-) resolution seeing-free observations in a 1.1 Ã… wide passband covering the line core of Ca ii H 3969 Ã… from the second flight of the Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory. The entire field of view, spanning the polarity inversion line of an active region close to the solar disk center, is covered with bright, thin, and very dynamic fine structures. Our analysis reveals the prevalence of transverse waves in SCFs with median amplitudes and periods on the order of 2.4 ± 0.8 km s−1 and 83 ± 29 s, respectively (with standard deviations given as uncertainties). We find that the transverse waves often propagate along (parts of) the SCFs with median phase speeds of 9 ± 14 km s−1. While the propagation is only in one direction along the axis in some of the SCFs, propagating waves in both directions, as well as standing waves are also observed. The transverse oscillations are likely Alfvénic and are thought to be representative of magnetohydrodynamic kink waves. The wave propagation suggests that the rapid high-frequency transverse waves, often produced in the lower photosphere, can penetrate into the chromosphere with an estimated energy flux of ≈15 kW m−2. Characteristics of these waves differ from those reported for other fibrillar structures, which, however, were observed mainly in the upper solar chromosphere.The German contribution to Sunrise and its reflight was funded by the Max Planck Foundation, the Strategic Innovations Fund of the President of the Max Planck Society (MPG), DLR, and private donations by supporting members of the Max Planck Society, which is gratefully acknowledged. The Spanish contribution was funded by the Ministerio de EconomÃa y Competitividad under Projects ESP2013-47349-C6 and ESP2014-56169-C6, partially using European FEDER funds. The HAO contribution was partly funded through NASA grant number NNX13AE95G. This work was partly supported by the BK21 plus program through the National Research Foundation (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education of Korea.Peer reviewe
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