1,402 research outputs found
Probing photospheric magnetic fields with new spectral line pairs
The magnetic line ratio (MLR) method has been extensively used in the
measurement of photospheric magnetic field strength. It was devised for the
neutral iron line pair at 5247.1 A and 5250.2 A (5250 A pair). Other line pairs
as well-suited as this pair been have not been reported in the literature. The
aim of the present work is to identify new line pairs useful for the MLR
technique and to test their reliability. We use a three dimensional
magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) simulation representing the quiet Sun atmosphere to
synthesize the Stokes profiles. Then, we apply the MLR technique to the Stokes
V profiles to recover the fields in the MHD cube both, at original resolution
and after degrading with a point spread function. In both these cases, we aim
to empirically represent the field strengths returned by the MLR method in
terms of the field strengths in the MHD cube. We have identified two new line
pairs that are very well adapted to be used for MLR measurements. The first
pair is in the visible, Fe I 6820 A - 6842 A (whose intensity profiles have
earlier been used to measure stellar magnetic fields), and the other is in the
infrared (IR), Fe I 15534 A - 15542 A. The lines in these pairs reproduce the
magnetic fields in the MHD cube rather well, partially better than the original
5250 A pair. The newly identified line pairs complement the old pairs. The
lines in the new IR pair, due to their higher Zeeman sensitivity, are ideal for
the measurement of weak fields. The new visible pair works best above 300 G.
The new IR pair, due to its large Stokes V signal samples more fields in the
MHD cube than the old IR pair at m, even in the presence of noise,
and hence likely also on the real Sun. Owing to their low formation heights
(100-200 km above tau_5000=1), both the new line pairs are well suited for
probing magnetic fields in the lower photosphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic
Simulations Show that Vortex Flows could Heat the Chromosphere in Solar Plage
The relationship between vortex flows at different spatial scales and their
contribution to the energy balance in the chromosphere is not yet fully
understood. We perform three-dimensional (3D) radiation-magnetohydrodynamic
(MHD) simulations of a unipolar solar plage region at a spatial resolution of
10 km using the MURaM code. We use the swirling-strength criterion that mainly
detects the smallest vortices present in the simulation data. We additionally
degrade our simulation data to smooth-out the smaller vortices, so that also
the vortices at larger spatial scales can be detected. Vortex flows at various
spatial scales are found in our simulation data for different effective spatial
resolutions. We conclude that the observed large vortices are likely clusters
of much smaller ones that are not yet resolved by observations. We show that
the vertical Poynting flux decreases rapidly with reduced effective spatial
resolutions and is predominantly carried by the horizontal plasma motions
rather than vertical flows. Since the small-scale horizontal motions or the
smaller vortices carry most of the energy, the energy transported by vortices
deduced from low resolution data is grossly underestimated. In full resolution
simulation data, the Poynting flux contribution due to vortices is more than
adequate to compensate for the radiative losses in plage, indicating their
importance for chromospheric heating.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted in ApJ
The local dust foregrounds in the microwave sky: I. Thermal emission spectra
Analyses of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation maps made by the
Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) have revealed anomalies not
predicted by the standard inflationary cosmology. In particular, the power of
the quadrupole moment of the CMB fluctuations is remarkably low, and the
quadrupole and octopole moments are aligned mutually and with the geometry of
the Solar system. It has been suggested in the literature that microwave sky
pollution by an unidentified dust cloud in the vicinity of the Solar system may
be the cause for these anomalies. In this paper, we simulate the thermal
emission by clouds of spherical homogeneous particles of several materials.
Spectral constraints from the WMAP multi-wavelength data and earlier infrared
observations on the hypothetical dust cloud are used to determine the dust
cloud's physical characteristics. In order for its emissivity to demonstrate a
flat, CMB-like wavelength dependence over the WMAP wavelengths (3 through 14
mm), and to be invisible in the infrared light, its particles must be
macroscopic. Silicate spheres from several millimetres in size and carbonaceous
particles an order of magnitude smaller will suffice. According to our
estimates of the abundance of such particles in the Zodiacal cloud and
trans-neptunian belt, yielding the optical depths of the order of 1E-7 for each
cloud, the Solar-system dust can well contribute 10 microKelvin (within an
order of magnitude) in the microwaves. This is not only intriguingly close to
the magnitude of the anomalies (about 30 microKelvin), but also alarmingly
above the presently believed magnitude of systematic biases of the WMAP results
(below 5 microKelvin) and, to an even greater degree, of the future missions
with higher sensitivities, e.g. PLANCK.Comment: 33 pages, 9 figures, 1 table. The Astrophysical Journal, 2009,
accepte
High-frequency Oscillations in Small Magnetic Elements Observed with Sunrise/SuFI
We characterize waves in small magnetic elements and investigate their
propagation in the lower solar atmosphere from observations at high spatial and
temporal resolution. We use the wavelet transform to analyze oscillations of
both horizontal displacement and intensity in magnetic bright points found in
the 300 nm and the Ca II H 396.8 nm passbands of the filter imager on board the
Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory. Phase differences between the
oscillations at the two atmospheric layers corresponding to the two passbands
reveal upward propagating waves at high frequencies (up to 30 mHz). Weak
signatures of standing as well as downward propagating waves are also obtained.
Both compressible and incompressible (kink) waves are found in the small-scale
magnetic features. The two types of waves have different, though overlapping,
period distributions. Two independent estimates give a height difference of
approximately 450+-100 km between the two atmospheric layers sampled by the
employed spectral bands. This value, together with the determined short travel
times of the transverse and longitudinal waves provide us with phase speeds of
29+-2 km/s and 31+-2 km/s, respectively. We speculate that these phase speeds
may not reflect the true propagation speeds of the waves. Thus, effects such as
the refraction of fast longitudinal waves may contribute to an overestimate of
the phase speed.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Waves as the source of apparent twisting motions in sunspot penumbrae
The motion of dark striations across bright filaments in a sunspot penumbra
has become an important new diagnostic of convective gas flows in penumbral
filaments. The nature of these striations has, however, remained unclear. Here
we present an analysis of small scale motions in penumbral filaments in both
simulations and observations. The simulations, when viewed from above, show
fine structure with dark lanes running outwards from the dark core of the
penumbral filaments. The dark lanes either occur preferentially on one side or
alternate between both sides of the filament. We identify this fine structure
with transverse (kink) oscillations of the filament, corresponding to a
sideways swaying of the filament. These oscillations have periods in the range
of 5-7 min and propagate outward and downward along the filament. Similar
features are found in observed G-band intensity time series of penumbral
filaments in a sunspot located near disk center obtained by the Broadband
Filter Imager (BFI) on board {\it Hinode}. We also find that some filaments
show dark striations moving to both sides of the filaments. Based on the
agreement between simulations and observations we conclude that the motions of
these striations are caused by transverse oscillations of the underlying bright
filaments.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal on 8th April 201
Radiative emission of solar features in Ca II K
We investigated the radiative emission of different types of solar features
in the spectral range of the Ca II K line.
We analyzed full-disk 2k x 2k observations from the PSPT Precision Solar
Photometric Telescope. The data were obtained by using three narrow-band
interference filters that sample the Ca II K line with different pass bands.
Two filters are centered in the line core, the other in the red wing of the
line. We measured the intensity and contrast of various solar features,
specifically quiet Sun (inter-network), network, enhanced network, plage, and
bright plage (facula) regions. Moreover, we compared the results obtained with
those derived from the numerical synthesis performed for the three PSPT filters
with a widely used radiative code on a set of reference semi-empirical
atmosphere models.Comment: In Proceedings of the 25th NSO Workshop: Chromospheric Structure and
Dynamic
Discovery of kilogauss magnetic fields in three DA white dwarfs
We have detected longitudinal magnetic fields between 2 and 4 kG in three (WD
0446790, WD 1105048, WD 2359434) out of a sample of 12 normal DA white
dwarfs by using optical spectropolarimetry done with the VLT Antu 8 m telescope
equipped with FORS1. With the exception of 40 Eri B (4 kG) these are the first
positive detections of magnetic fields in white dwarfs below 30 kG. Although
suspected, it was not clear whether a significant fraction of white dwarfs
contain magnetic fields at this level. These fields may be explained as fossil
relics from magnetic fields in the main-sequence progenitors considerably
enhanced by magnetic flux conservation during the shrinkage of the core. A
detection rate of 25 % (3/12) may indicate now for the first time that a
substantial fraction of white dwarfs have a weak magnetic field. This result,
if confirmed by future observations, would form a cornerstone for our
understanding on the evolution of stellar magnetic fields.
Keywords: stars: white dwarfs - stars: magnetic fields - stars: individual:
WD0446-790, WD1105-048, WD2359-434Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures, Astronomy and Astrophysics, in pres
Magnetic Flux Transport at the Solar Surface
After emerging to the solar surface, the Sun's magnetic field displays a
complex and intricate evolution. The evolution of the surface field is
important for several reasons. One is that the surface field, and its dynamics,
sets the boundary condition for the coronal and heliospheric magnetic fields.
Another is that the surface evolution gives us insight into the dynamo process.
In particular, it plays an essential role in the Babcock-Leighton model of the
solar dynamo. Describing this evolution is the aim of the surface flux
transport model. The model starts from the emergence of magnetic bipoles.
Thereafter, the model is based on the induction equation and the fact that
after emergence the magnetic field is observed to evolve as if it were purely
radial. The induction equation then describes how the surface flows --
differential rotation, meridional circulation, granular, supergranular flows,
and active region inflows -- determine the evolution of the field (now taken to
be purely radial). In this paper, we review the modeling of the various
processes that determine the evolution of the surface field. We restrict our
attention to their role in the surface flux transport model. We also discuss
the success of the model and some of the results that have been obtained using
this model.Comment: 39 pages, 15 figures, accepted for publication in Space Sci. Re
Migration of Ca II H bright points in the internetwork
The migration of magnetic bright point-like features (MBP) in the lower solar
atmosphere reflects the dispersal of magnetic flux as well as the horizontal
flows of the atmospheric layer they are embedded in. We analyse trajectories of
the proper motion of intrinsically magnetic, isolated internetwork Ca II H MBPs
(mean lifetime 461 +- 9 s) to obtain their diffusivity behaviour. We use
seeing-free high spatial and temporal resolution image sequences of quiet-Sun,
disc-centre observations obtained in the Ca II H 3968 {\AA} passband of the
Sunrise Filter Imager (SuFI) onboard the Sunrise balloon-borne solar
observatory. Small MBPs in the internetwork are automatically tracked. The
trajectory of each MBP is then calculated and described by a diffusion index
({\gamma}) and a diffusion coefficient (D). We further explore the distribution
of the diffusion indices with the help of a Monte Carlo simulation. We find
{\gamma} = 1.69 +- 0.08 and D = 257 +- 32 km^2/s averaged over all MBPs.
Trajectories of most MBPs are classified as super-diffusive, i.e., {\gamma} >
1, with the determined {\gamma} being to our knowledge the largest obtained so
far. A direct correlation between D and time-scale ({\tau}) determined from
trajectories of all MBPs is also obtained. We discuss a simple scenario to
explain the diffusivity of the observed, relatively short-lived MBPs while they
migrate within a small area in a supergranule (i.e., an internetwork area). We
show that the scatter in the {\gamma} values obtained for individual MBPs is
due to their limited lifetimes. The super-diffusive MBPs can be well-described
as random walkers (due to granular evolution and intergranular turbu- lence)
superposed on a large systematic (background) velocity, caused by granular,
mesogranular and supergranular flows.Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures, 3 table
Transport of magnetic flux from the canopy to the internetwork
Recent observations have revealed that 8% of linear polarization patches in
the internetwork quiet Sun are fully embedded in downflows. These are not
easily explained with the typical scenarios for the source of internetwork
fields which rely on flux emergence from below. We explore using radiative MHD
simulations a scenario where magnetic flux is transported from the magnetic
canopy overlying the internetwork into the photosphere by means of downward
plumes associated with convective overshoot. We find that if a canopy-like
magnetic field is present in the simulation, the transport of flux from the
canopy is an important process for seeding the photospheric layers of the
internetwork with magnetic field. We propose that this mechanism is relevant
for the Sun as well, and it could naturally explain the observed internetwork
linear polarization patches entirely embedded in downflows.Comment: Accepted to Ap
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