Evidence of Wave Damping at Low Heights in a Polar Coronal Hole

We have measured the widths of spectral lines from a polar coronal hole using the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer onboard Hinode. Polar coronal holes are regions of open magnetic field and the source of the fast solar wind. We find that the line widths decrease at relatively low heights. Previous observations have attributed such decreases to systematic effects, but we find that such effects are too small to explain our results. We conclude that the line narrowing is real. The non-thermal line widths are believed to be proportional to the amplitude of Alfven waves propagating along these open field lines. Our results suggest that Alfven waves are damped at unexpectedly low heights in a polar coronal hole. We derive an estimate on the upper limit for the energy dissipated between 1.1 and 1.3 solar radii and find that it is enough to account for up to 70% of that required to heat the polar coronal hole and accelerate the solar wind.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal, April 201

Models for Solar Magnetic Loops. III. Dynamic Models and Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer Observations

In the present work SOHO Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) observations of a quiescent active region loop are compared to a steady state, dynamic loop model. Three different heating functions are adopted: uniform, concentrated at the top, and concentrated at the footpoints. Predicted temperature and density profiles of the selected loop are compared with those obtained from CDS observations using line ratios and an emission measure analysis. The latter method also allows us to measure the loop filling factor. The space of parameters of the model is investigated in an effort to achieve agreement with observations. The effects of uncertainties and of CDS instrumental limitations on the results are assessed. We find that no agreement can be found between model predictions and observations. Possible causes of the disagreement and areas of further investigation are discussed. This work also demonstrates the potential of high-resolution spectroscopy in loop studies, even in the presence of moderate spatial resolution

SPECTRAL ATLAS OF X-RAY LINES EMITTED DURING SOLAR FLARES BASED ON CHIANTI

A spectral atlas of X-ray lines in the wavelength range 7.47-18.97 Angstroms is presented, based on high-resolution spectra obtained during two M-class solar flares (on 1980 August 25 and 1985 July 2) with the Flat Crystal Spectrometer on board the Solar Maximum Mission. The physical properties of the flaring plasmas are derived as a function of time using strong, isolated lines. From these properties predicted spectra using the CHIANTI database have been obtained which were then compared with wavelengths and fluxes of lines in the observed spectra to establish line identifications. identifications for nearly all the observed lines in the resulting atlas are given, with some significant corrections to previous analysis of these flare spectra

Multimodal Differential Emission Measure in the Solar Corona

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) telescope on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) provides coronal EUV imaging over a broader temperature sensitivity range than the previous generations of instruments (EUVI, EIT, and TRACE). Differential emission measure tomography (DEMT) of the solar corona based on AIA data is presented here for the first time. The main product of DEMT is the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of the local differential emission measure (LDEM). While in previous studies, based on EIT or EUVI data, there were 3 available EUV bands, with a sensitivity range $\sim 0.60 - 2.70$ MK, the present study is based on the 4 cooler AIA bands (aimed at studying the quiet sun), sensitive to the range $\sim 0.55 - 3.75$ MK. The AIA filters allow exploration of new parametric LDEM models. Since DEMT is better suited for lower activity periods, we use data from Carrington Rotation 2099, when the Sun was in its most quiescent state during the AIA mission. Also, we validate the parametric LDEM inversion technique by applying it to standard bi-dimensional (2D) differential emission measure (DEM) analysis on sets of simultaneous AIA images, and comparing the results with DEM curves obtained using other methods. Our study reveals a ubiquitous bimodal LDEM distribution in the quiet diffuse corona, which is stronger for denser regions. We argue that the nanoflare heating scenario is less likely to explain these results, and that alternative mechanisms, such as wave dissipation appear better supported by our results.Comment: 52 pages, 18 figure

Estimating Ion Temperatures at the Polar Coronal Hole Boundary

Physical quantities, such as ion temperature and nonthermal velocity, provide critical information about the heating mechanism of the million-degree solar corona. We determined the possible ion temperature $T_i$ intervals using extreme ultraviolet (EUV) line widths, only assuming that the plasma nonthermal velocity is the same for all ions. We measured ion temperatures at the polar coronal hole boundary simultaneously observed in 2007 by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board the Hinode satellite and the Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). The temperatures of ions with the charge-to-mass ratio ($Z/A$) less than 0.20 or greater than 0.33 are much higher than the local electron temperature. The measured ion temperature decreases with the $Z/A$ to 0.25 and then increases with the charge-to-mass ratio. We ran the Alfv\'en Wave Solar Model-realtime (AWSoM-R) and the SPECTRUM module to validate the ion temperature diagnostic technique and to help interpret the results. We suggest that the widths of hot lines in the coronal hole (e.g., Fe XII, Fe XIII) are also affected by the solar wind bulk motions along the line of sight. We discussed the factors that might affect the line width fitting, including the instrumental width and non-Gaussian wings in some bright SUMER lines that can be fitted by a double-Gaussian or a $\kappa$ distribution. Our study confirms the presence of preferential heating of heavy ions in coronal holes and provides new constraints to coronal heating models.Comment: Submitted to ApJ, 26 pages, 18 figures. Jupyter notebooks are available at https://github.com/yjzhu-solar/EIS_SUMER_PCH_Ti. Comments are welcom

The High-Temperature Response of the TRACE 171 Å and 195 Å Channels

The CHIANTI spectral code is used to estimate line and continuum intensity contributions to the TRACE 171 and 195 A channels, widely used for imaging a variety of solar features and phenomena, including quiet-Sun and active region loops and solar flares. It is shown that the 171 A channel has a high-temperature response due to continuum and Fe XX line emission, so high-temperature (~10-20 MK) features in flares, prominent in TRACE 195 A images as well as in X-ray images from Yohkoh and RHESSI, are sometimes visible in images made in the 171 A channel. Such features consist of hot loop-top emission, either confined spots or "spine" structures in loop arcades. This is illustrated with TRACE and X-ray flare images

Testing EUV/X-ray Atomic Data for the Solar Dynamics Observatory

The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) and the Exteme-ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory include spectral windows in the X-ray/EUV band. Accuracy and completeness of the atomic data in this wavelength range is essential for interpretation of the spectrum and irradiance of the solar corona, and of SDO observations made with the AIA and EVE instruments. Here we test the X-ray/EUV data in the CHIANTI database to assess their completeness and accuracy in the SDO bands, with particular focus on the 94A and 131A AIA passbands. Given the paucity of solar observations adequate for this purpose, we use high-resolution X-ray spectra of the low-activity solar-like corona of Procyon obtained with the Chandra Low Energy Transmission Grating Spectrometer (LETGS). We find that while spectral models overall can reproduce quite well the observed spectra in the soft X-ray range ll 130A, they significantly underestimate the observed flux in the 50-130A wavelength range. The model underestimates the observed flux by a variable factor ranging from \approx 1.5, at short wavelengths below \sim50A, up to \approx5-7 in the \sim 70-125A range. In the AIA bands covered by LETGS, i.e. 94A and 131A, we find that the observed flux can be underestimated by large factors (\sim 3 and \sim 1.9 respectively, for the case of Procyon presented here). We discuss the consequences for analysis of AIA data and possible empirical corrections to the AIA responses to model more realistically the coronal emission in these passbands.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication on Ap

Temperature distribution of a non-flaring active region from simultaneous Hinode XRT and EIS observations

We analyze coordinated Hinode XRT and EIS observations of a non-flaring active region to investigate the thermal properties of coronal plasma taking advantage of the complementary diagnostics provided by the two instruments. In particular we want to explore the presence of hot plasma in non-flaring regions. Independent temperature analyses from the XRT multi-filter dataset, and the EIS spectra, including the instrument entire wavelength range, provide a cross-check of the different temperature diagnostics techniques applicable to broad-band and spectral data respectively, and insights into cross-calibration of the two instruments. The emission measure distribution, EM(T), we derive from the two datasets have similar width and peak temperature, but show a systematic shift of the absolute values, the EIS EM(T) being smaller than XRT EM(T) by approximately a factor 2. We explore possible causes of this discrepancy, and we discuss the influence of the assumptions for the plasma element abundances. Specifically, we find that the disagreement between the results from the two instruments is significantly mitigated by assuming chemical composition closer to the solar photospheric composition rather than the often adopted "coronal" composition (Feldman 1992). We find that the data do not provide conclusive evidence on the high temperature (log T[K] >~ 6.5) tail of the plasma temperature distribution, however, suggesting its presence to a level in agreement with recent findings for other non-flaring regions.Comment: 14 pages, 15 figures. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journa