125 research outputs found
Energy and helicity budgets of solar quiet regions
We investigate the free magnetic energy and relative magnetic helicity
budgets of solar quiet regions. Using a novel non-linear force-free method
requiring single solar vector magnetograms we calculate the instantaneous free
magnetic energy and relative magnetic helicity budgets in 55 quiet-Sun vector
magnetograms. As in a previous work on active regions, we construct here for
the first time the (free) energy-(relative) helicity diagram of quiet-Sun
regions. We find that quiet-Sun regions have no dominant sense of helicity and
show monotonic correlations a) between free magnetic energy/relative helicity
and magnetic network area and, consequently, b) between free magnetic energy
and helicity. Free magnetic energy budgets of quiet-Sun regions represent a
rather continuous extension of respective active-region budgets towards lower
values, but the corresponding helicity transition is discontinuous due to the
incoherence of the helicity sense contrary to active regions. We further
estimate the instantaneous free magnetic-energy and relative magnetic-helicity
budgets of the entire quiet Sun, as well as the respective budgets over an
entire solar cycle. Derived instantaneous free magnetic energy budgets and, to
a lesser extent, relative magnetic helicity budgets over the entire quiet Sun
are comparable to the respective budgets of a sizeable active region, while
total budgets within a solar cycle are found higher than previously reported.
Free-energy budgets are comparable to the energy needed to power fine-scale
structures residing at the network, such as mottles and spicules
Measurements of plasma motions in dynamic fibrils
We present a 40 minute time series of filtergrams from the red and the blue
wing of the \halpha line in an active region near the solar disk center. From
these filtergrams we construct both Dopplergrams and summed ``line center''
images. Several dynamic fibrils (DFs) are identified in the summed images. The
data is used to simultaneously measure the proper motion and the Doppler
signals in DFs. For calibration of the Doppler signals we use spatially
resolved spectrograms of a similar active region. Significant variations in the
calibration constant for different solar features are observed, and only
regions containing DFs have been used in order to reduce calibration errors. We
find a coherent behavior of the Doppler velocity and the proper motion which
clearly demonstrates that the evolution of DFs involve plasma motion. The
Doppler velocities are found to be a factor 2--3 smaller than velocities
derived form proper motions in the image plane. The difference can be explained
by the radiative processes involved, the Doppler velocity is a result of the
local atmospheric velocity weighted with the response function. As a result the
Doppler velocity originates from a wide range in heights in the atmosphere.
This is contrasted by the proper motion velocity which is measured from the
sharply defined bright tops of the DFs and is therefore a very local velocity
measure. The Doppler signal originates from well below the top of the DF.
Finally we discuss how this difference together with the lacking spatial
resolution of older observations have contributed to some of the confusion
about the identity of DFs, spicules and mottles.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figures, Accepted in ApJ, see
http://www.astro.uio.no/~oysteol for better quality figures and mpg movi
Magnetic topology of coronal mass ejection events out of the ecliptic: Ulysses/HI-SCALE energetic particle observations
International audienceSolar energetic particle fluxes (Ee > 38 keV) observed by the ULYSSES/HI-SCALE experiment are utilized as diagnostic tracers of the large-scale structure and topology of the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) embedded within two well-identified Interplanetary Coronal Mass Ejections (ICMEs) detected at 56° and 62° south heliolatitudes by ULYSSES during the solar maximum southern high-latitude pass. On the basis of the energetic solar particle observations it is concluded that: (A) the high-latitude ICME magnetic structure observed in May 2000 causes a depression in the solar energetic electron intensities which can be accounted for by either a detached or an attached magnetic field topology for the ICME; (B) during the traversal of the out-of-ecliptic ICME event observed in July 2000 energetic electrons injected at the Sun are channeled by the ICME and propagate freely along the ICME magnetic field lines to 62° S heliolatitude
Explosive events associated with a surge
The solar atmosphere contains a wide variety of small-scale transient
features. Here, we explore the inter-relation between some of them such as
surges, explosive events and blinkers via simultaneous spectral and imaging
data taken with the TRACE imager, the SUMER, and CDS spectrometers on board
SoHO, and SVST La Palma. The alignment of all data both in time and solar XY
shows that SUMER line profiles, which are attributed to explosive events, are
due to a surge phenomenon. The surge is triggered, most probably, by one or
more Elerman bombs which are best visible in Halpha +-350 A but were also
registered by TRACE Fe IX/X 171 A and correspond to a strong radiance increase
in the CDS Mg IX 368.07 A line. With the present study we demonstrate that the
division of small-scale transient events into a number of different subgroups,
for instance explosive events, blinkers, spicules, surges or just brightenings,
is ambiguous, implying that the definition of a feature based only on either
spectroscopic or imaging characteristics as well as insufficient spectral and
spatial resolution can be incomplete.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl
A persistent quiet-Sun small-scale tornado. II. Oscillations
Recently, the characteristics, and dynamics of a persistent 1.7 h vortex
flow, resembling a small-scale tornado, have been investigated with ground-base
and space-based observations and for the first time in the Ha line centre. The
vortex flow showed significant substructure in the form of several intermittent
chromospheric swirls.
We investigate the oscillatory behaviour of various physical parameters in
the vortex area, with a 2D wavelet analysis performed within the vortex flow
area and in a quiet-Sun region (for comparison), using the same high spatial
and temporal resolution Ha and Ca II 8542 CRISP observations, as well as
Doppler velocities and FWHM derived from the Ha line profiles.
The vortex flow shows significant oscillatory power in the 3-5 min range that
peaks around 4 min and behaves differently than the reference quiet-Sun region.
Oscillations reflect the cumulative action of different components such as
swaying motions, rotation, and waves. The derived swaying motion periods are in
the range of 200-220 s, and the rotation periods are ~270 s for Ha and ~215 s
for Ca II. Periods increase with atmospheric height and seem to decrease with
radial distance from the vortex centre, suggesting a deviation from a rigid
rotation. The behaviour of power within the vortex flow as a function of period
and height implies the existence of evanescent waves and the excitation of
different types of waves, such as magnetoacoustic (e.g. kink) or Alfven waves.
The vortex flow seems to be dominated by two motions: a transverse (swaying)
motion, and a rotational motion while oscillations point to the propagation of
waves within it. Nearby fibril-like flows could play an important role in the
rotational modulation of the vortex flow. Indirect evidence exists that the
structure is magnetically supported while the central swirl seems to be acting
as a "central engine" to the vortex flow
Numerical Simulations of Shock Wave-Driven Jets
We present the results of numerical simulations of shock wave-driven jets in
the solar atmosphere. The dependence of observable quantities like maximum
velocity and deceleration on parameters such as the period and amplitude of
initial disturbances and the inclination of the magnetic field is investigated.
Our simulations show excellent agreement with observations, and shed new light
on the correlation between velocity and deceleration and on the regional
differences found in observations.Comment: 7 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Ap
Chromospheric swirls I. Automated detection in H observations and their statistical properties
Chromospheric swirls are considered to play a significant role in the
dynamics and heating of the upper solar atmosphere. It is important to
automatically detect and track them in chromospheric observations and determine
their properties. We applied a recently developed automated chromospheric swirl
detection method to time-series observations of a quiet region of the solar
chromosphere obtained in the H-0.2 \r{A} wavelength of the H
spectral line by the CRISP instrument at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. The
algorithm exploits the morphological characteristics of swirling events in high
contrast chromospheric observations and results in the detection of these
structures in each frame of the time series and their tracking over time. We
conducted a statistical analysis to determine their various properties,
including a survival analysis for deriving the mean lifetime. A mean number of
146 9 swirls was detected within the FOV at any given time. The mean
surface density is found equal to 0.08 swirlsMm and the
occurrence rate is 10 swirlsMm min. These values
are much higher than those previously reported from chromospheric observations.
The radii of the detected swirls range between 0.5 and 2.5 Mm, with a mean
value equal to 1.3 0.3 Mm, which is slightly higher than previous
reports. The lifetimes range between 1.5 min and 33.7 min with an arithmetic
mean value of 8.5 min. A survival analysis of the lifetimes, however,
using the Kaplan-Meier estimator in combination with a parametric model results
in a mean lifetime of 10.3 0.6 min. An automated method sheds more light
on their abundance than visual inspection, while higher cadence, higher
resolution observations will most probably result in the detection of a higher
number of such features on smaller scales and with shorter lifetimes
Observations of flux rope ? associated particle bursts with GEOTAIL in the distant tail
International audienceGeotail energetic particle, magnetic field data and plasma observations (EPIC, MGF and CPI experiments) have been examined for a number of energetic particle bursts in the distant tail (120ReGSM|By and/or Bz components, is consistent with the existence of closed field lines extending from Earth and wrapping around the core of the flux rope structure
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