467 research outputs found
Correlation tracking study for meter-class solar telescope on space shuttle
The theory and expected performance level of correlation trackers used to control the pointing of a solar telescope in space using white light granulation as a target were studied. Three specific trackers were modeled and their performance levels predicted for telescopes of various apertures. The performance of the computer model trackers on computer enhanced granulation photographs was evaluated. Parametric equations for predicting tracker performance are presented
Spacelab data analysis and interactive control study
The study consisted of two main tasks, a series of interviews of Spacelab users and a survey of data processing and display equipment. Findings from the user interviews on questions of interactive control, downlink data formats, and Spacelab computer software development are presented. Equipment for quick look processing and display of scientific data in the Spacelab Payload Operations Control Center (POCC) was surveyed. Results of this survey effort are discussed in detail, along with recommendations for NASA development of several specific display systems which meet common requirements of many Spacelab experiments
Characteristics of Magnetohydrodynamic Oscillations Observed with Michelson Doppler Imager
We report on the spatial distribution of magnetogram oscillatory power and
phase angles between velocity and magnetogram signals as observed with the
Michelson Doppler Imager. The dataset is 151.25 arcsec times 151.25 arcsec
containing sunspot from Dec 2, 1997 with a temporal sampling interval of 60
seconds and spatial sampling of 0.605 arcsec. Simultaneously observed continuum
intensity and surface velocity accompany the magnetic information. We focus on
three frequency regimes: 0.5-1.0, 3.0-3.5 and 5.5-6.0 mHz corresponding roughly
to timescales of magnetic evolution, p-modes and the 3 minute resonant sunspot
oscillation. Significant low frequency magnetogram power is found in lower flux
pixels, 100-300 Gauss, in a striking ring with filamentary structure
surrounding sunspot. Five minute magnetogram power peaks in extended regions of
flux 600-800 Gauss. The 3 minute oscillation is observed in sunspot umbra in
pixels whose flux measures 1300-1500 Gauss. Phase angles of approximately -90
degrees between velocity and magnetic flux in the 3.0-3.5 and 5.5-6.0 mHz
regimes are found in regions of significant cross amplitude.Comment: 4 Pages, 4 Figures -- For better Figure files see:
http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~norton/pub_list.htm
Formation Process of a Light Bridge Revealed with the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope
The Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) aboard HINODE successfully and continuously
observed a formation process of a light bridge in a matured sunspot of the NOAA
active region 10923 for several days with high spatial resolution. During its
formation, many umbral dots were observed emerging from the leading edges of
penumbral filaments, and intruding into the umbra rapidly. The precursor of the
light bridge formation was also identified as the relatively slow inward motion
of the umbral dots which emerged not near the penumbra, but inside the umbra.
The spectro-polarimeter on SOT provided physical conditions in the photosphere
around the umbral dots and the light bridges. We found the light bridges and
the umbral dots had significantly weaker magnetic fields associated with
upflows relative to the core of the umbra, which implies that there was hot gas
with weak field strength penetrating from subphotosphere to near the visible
surface inside those structures. There needs to be a mechanism to drive the
inward motion of the hot gas along the light bridges. We suggest that the
emergence and the inward motion are triggered by a buoyant penumbral flux tube
as well as the subphotospheric flow crossing the sunspot.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, accepted in the PASJ Hinode special issu
Flare Ribbons Observed with G-band and FeI 6302A Filters of the Solar Optical Telescope on Board Hinode
The Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) on board Hinode satellite observed an X3.4
class flare on 2006 December 13. Typical two-ribbon structure was observed, not
only in the chromospheric CaII H line but also in G-band and FeI 6302A line.
The high-resolution, seeing-free images achieved by SOT revealed, for the first
time, the sub-arcsec fine structures of the "white light" flare. The G-band
flare ribbons on sunspot umbrae showed a sharp leading edge followed by a
diffuse inside, as well as previously known core-halo structure. The underlying
structures such as umbral dots, penumbral filaments and granules were visible
in the flare ribbons. Assuming that the sharp leading edge was directly heated
by particle beam and the diffuse parts were heated by radiative back-warming,
we estimate the depth of the diffuse flare emission using the intensity profile
of the flare ribbon. We found that the depth of the diffuse emission is about
100 km or less from the height of the source of radiative back-warming. The
flare ribbons were also visible in the Stokes-V images of FeI 6302A, as a
transient polarity reversal. This is probably related to "magnetic transient"
reported in the literature. The intensity increase in Stokes-I images indicates
that the FeI 6302A line was significantly deformed by the flare, which may
cause such a magnetic transient.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures, PASJ in pres
Scattering of the f-mode by small magnetic flux elements from observations and numerical simulations
The scattering of f-modes by magnetic tubes is analyzed using
three-dimensional numerical simulations. An f-mode wave packet is propagated
through a solar atmosphere embedded with three different flux tube models which
differ in radius and total magnetic flux. A quiet Sun simulation without a tube
present is also performed as a reference. Waves are excited inside the flux
tube and propagate along the field lines, and jacket modes are generated in the
surroundings of the flux tube, carrying 40% as much energy as the tube modes.
The resulting scattered wave is mainly an f-mode composed of a mixture of m=0
and m=+/-1 modes. The amplitude of the scattered wave approximately scales with
the magnetic flux. A small amount of power is scattered into the p_1-mode. We
have evaluated the absorption and phase shift from a Fourier-Hankel
decomposition of the photospheric vertical velocities. They are compared with
the results obtained from the emsemble average of 3400 small magnetic elements
observed in high-resolution MDI Doppler datacubes. The comparison shows that
the observed dependence of the phase shift with wavenumber can be matched
reasonably well with the simulated flux tube model. The observed variation of
the phase-shifts with the azimuthal order appears to depend on details of
the ensemble averaging, including possible motions of the magnetic elements and
asymmetrically shaped elements.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa
Emergence of Small-Scale Magnetic Loops in the Quiet Sun Internetwork
We study the emergence of magnetic flux at very small spatial scales (less
than 2 arcsec) in the quiet Sun internetwork. To this aim, a time series of
spectropolarimetric maps was taken at disk center using the instrument SP/SOT
on board Hinode. The LTE inversion of the full Stokes vector measured in the Fe
I 6301 and 6302 A lines allows us to retrieve the magnetic flux and topology in
the region of study. In the example presented here, the magnetic flux emerges
within a granular structure. The horizontal magnetic field appears prior to any
significant amount of vertical field. As time goes on, the traces of the
horizontal field disappear while the the vertical dipoles drift -carried by the
plasma motions- towards the surrounding intergranular lanes. These events take
place within typical granulation timescales.Comment: 9 pages (referee format), 3 figures. Accepted for publication in ApJ
Letter
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