Comparing Different Methods for Estimating Total Open Heliospheric Magnetic Flux
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On the Solar Chromosphere Observed at the Limb with Hinode
The Astrophysical Journal, 719:469–473, 2010 August 10 doi:10.1088/0004-637X/719/1/469 C 2010. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A. ON THE SOLAR CHROMOSPHERE OBSERVED AT THE LIMB WITH HINODE Philip G. Judge1 and Mats Carlsson2 1 High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA 2 Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, P.O. Box 1029, Blindern, N-0315 Oslo, Norway Received 2010 March 8; accepted 2010 April 8; published 2010 July 21 ABSTRACT Broadband images in the Ca ii H line, from the Broadband Filter Imager (BFI) instrument on the Hinode spacecraft, show emission from spicules emerging from and visible right down to the observed limb. Surprisingly, little absorption of spicule light is seen along their lengths. We present formal solutions to the transfer equation for given (ad hoc) source functions, including a stratified chromosphere from which spicules emanate. The model parameters are broadly compatible with earlier studies of spicules. The visibility of Ca ii spicules down to the limb in Hinode data seems to require that spicule emission be Doppler shifted relative to the stratified atmosphere, either by supersonic turbulent or organized spicular motion. The non-spicule component of the chromosphere is almost invisible in the broadband BFI data, but we predict that it will be clearly visible in high spectral resolution data. Broadband Ca ii H limb images give the false impression that the chromosphere is dominated by spicules. Our analysis serves as a reminder that the absence of a signature can be as significant as its presence. -
Cmes, Solar Wind and Sun-Earth Connections: Unresolved Issues
CMEs, solar wind and Sun-Earth connections: unresolved issues Rainer Schwenn Max-Planck-Institut für Sonnensystemforschung, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany [email protected] In recent years, an unprecedented amount of high-quality data from various spaceprobes (Yohkoh, WIND, SOHO, ACE, TRACE, Ulysses) has been piled up that exhibit the enormous variety of CME properties and their effects on the whole heliosphere. Journals and books abound with new findings on this most exciting subject. However, major problems could still not be solved. In this Reporter Talk I will try to describe these unresolved issues in context with our present knowledge. My very personal Catalog of ignorance, Updated version (see SW8) IAGA Scientific Assembly in Toulouse, 18-29 July 2005 MPRS seminar on January 18, 2006 The definition of a CME "We define a coronal mass ejection (CME) to be an observable change in coronal structure that occurs on a time scale of a few minutes and several hours and involves the appearance (and outward motion, RS) of a new, discrete, bright, white-light feature in the coronagraph field of view." (Hundhausen et al., 1984, similar to the definition of "mass ejection events" by Munro et al., 1979). CME: coronal -------- mass ejection, not: coronal mass -------- ejection! In particular, a CME is NOT an Ejección de Masa Coronal (EMC), Ejectie de Maså Coronalå, Eiezione di Massa Coronale Éjection de Masse Coronale The community has chosen to keep the name “CME”, although the more precise term “solar mass ejection” appears to be more appropriate. An ICME is the interplanetry counterpart of a CME 1 1. -
Coronal Holes
Living Rev. Solar Phys., 6, (2009), 3 LIVING REVIEWS http://www.livingreviews.org/lrsp-2009-3 in solar physics Coronal Holes Steven R. Cranmer Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics 60 Garden Street, Mail Stop 50 Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A. email: [email protected] http://www.cfa.harvard.edu/~scranmer/ Accepted on 15 September 2009 Published on 29 September 2009 Abstract Coronal holes are the darkest and least active regions of the Sun, as observed both on the solar disk and above the solar limb. Coronal holes are associated with rapidly expanding open magnetic fields and the acceleration of the high-speed solar wind. This paper reviews measurements of the plasma properties in coronal holes and how these measurements are used to reveal details about the physical processes that heat the solar corona and accelerate the solar wind. It is still unknown to what extent the solar wind is fed by flux tubes that remain open (and are energized by footpoint-driven wave-like fluctuations), and to what extent much of the mass and energy is input intermittently from closed loops into the open-field regions. Evidence for both paradigms is summarized in this paper. Special emphasis is also given to spectroscopic and coronagraphic measurements that allow the highly dynamic non-equilibrium evolution of the plasma to be followed as the asymptotic conditions in interplanetary space are established in the extended corona. For example, the importance of kinetic plasma physics and turbulence in coronal holes has been affirmed by surprising measurements from the UVCS instrument on SOHO that heavy ions are heated to hundreds of times the temperatures of protons and electrons. -
What Causes the High Apparent Speeds in Chromospheric and Transition Region Spicules on the Sun?
The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 849:L7 (7pp), 2017 November 1 https://doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/aa9272 © 2017. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. What Causes the High Apparent Speeds in Chromospheric and Transition Region Spicules on the Sun? Bart De Pontieu1,2 , Juan Martínez-Sykora1,3 , and Georgios Chintzoglou1,4 1 Lockheed Martin Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; [email protected] 2 Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1029 Blindern, NO-0315 Oslo, Norway 3 Bay Area Environmental Research Institute, Petaluma, CA 94952, USA 4 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO 80307-3000, USA Received 2017 June 22; revised 2017 October 5; accepted 2017 October 9; published 2017 October 23 Abstract Spicules are the most ubuiquitous type of jets in the solar atmosphere. The advent of high-resolution imaging and spectroscopy from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and ground-based observatories has revealed the presence of very high apparent motions of order 100–300 km s−1 in spicules, as measured in the plane of the sky. However, line of sight measurements of such high speeds have been difficult to obtain, with values deduced from Doppler shifts in spectral lines typically of order 30–70 km s−1. In this work, we resolve this long-standing discrepancy using recent 2.5D radiative MHD simulations. This simulation has revealed a novel driving mechanism for spicules in which ambipolar diffusion resulting from ion-neutral interactions plays a key role. In our simulation, we often see that the upward propagation of magnetic waves and electrical currents from the low chromosphere into already existing spicules can lead to rapid heating when the currents are rapidly dissipated by ambipolar diffusion. -
The Sun's Dynamic Atmosphere
Lecture 16 The Sun’s Dynamic Atmosphere Jiong Qiu, MSU Physics Department Guiding Questions 1. What is the temperature and density structure of the Sun’s atmosphere? Does the atmosphere cool off farther away from the Sun’s center? 2. What intrinsic properties of the Sun are reflected in the photospheric observations of limb darkening and granulation? 3. What are major observational signatures in the dynamic chromosphere? 4. What might cause the heating of the upper atmosphere? Can Sound waves heat the upper atmosphere of the Sun? 5. Where does the solar wind come from? 15.1 Introduction The Sun’s atmosphere is composed of three major layers, the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona. The different layers have different temperatures, densities, and distinctive features, and are observed at different wavelengths. Structure of the Sun 15.2 Photosphere The photosphere is the thin (~500 km) bottom layer in the Sun’s atmosphere, where the atmosphere is optically thin, so that photons make their way out and travel unimpeded. Ex.1: the mean free path of photons in the photosphere and the radiative zone. The photosphere is seen in visible light continuum (so- called white light). Observable features on the photosphere include: • Limb darkening: from the disk center to the limb, the brightness fades. • Sun spots: dark areas of magnetic field concentration in low-mid latitudes. • Granulation: convection cells appearing as light patches divided by dark boundaries. Q: does the full moon exhibit limb darkening? Limb Darkening: limb darkening phenomenon indicates that temperature decreases with altitude in the photosphere. Modeling the limb darkening profile tells us the structure of the stellar atmosphere. -
Lectures 6, 7 and 8 October 8, 10 and 13 the Heliosphere
ESSESS 77 LecturesLectures 6,6, 77 andand 88 OctoberOctober 8,8, 1010 andand 1313 TheThe HeliosphereHeliosphere The Exploding Sun • We have seen that at times the Sun explosively sends plasma into the surrounding space. • This occurs most dramatically during CMEs. The History of the Solar Wind • 1878 Becquerel (won Noble prize for his discovery of radioactivity) suggests particles from the Sun were responsible for aurora • 1892 Fitzgerald (famous Irish Mathematician) suggests corpuscular radiation (from flares) is responsible for magnetic storms The Sun’s Atmosphere Extends far into Space 2008 Image 1919 Negative The Sun’s Atmosphere Extends Far into Space • The image of the solar corona in the last slide was taken with a natural occulting disk – the moon’s shadow. • The moon’s shadow subtends the surface of the Sun. • That the Sun had a atmosphere that extends far into space has been know for centuries- we are actually seeing sunlight scattered off of electrons. A Solar Wind not a Stationary Atmosphere • The Earth’s atmosphere is stationary. The Sun’s atmosphere is not stable but is blown out into space as the solar wind filling the solar system and then some. • The first direct measurements of the solar wind were in the 1960’s but it had already been suggested in the early 1900s. – To explain a correlation between auroras and sunspots Birkeland [1908] suggested continuous particle emission from these spots. – Others suggested that particles were emitted from the Sun only during flares and that otherwise space was empty [Chapman and Ferraro, 1931]. Discovery of the Solar Wind • That it is continuously expelled as a wind (the solar wind) was realized when Biermann [1951] noticed that comet tails pointed away from the Sun even when the comet was moving away from the Sun. -
Waves and Magnetism in the Solar Atmosphere (WAMIS)
METHODS published: 16 February 2016 doi: 10.3389/fspas.2016.00001 Waves and Magnetism in the Solar Atmosphere (WAMIS) Yuan-Kuen Ko 1*, John D. Moses 2, John M. Laming 1, Leonard Strachan 1, Samuel Tun Beltran 1, Steven Tomczyk 3, Sarah E. Gibson 3, Frédéric Auchère 4, Roberto Casini 3, Silvano Fineschi 5, Michael Knoelker 3, Clarence Korendyke 1, Scott W. McIntosh 3, Marco Romoli 6, Jan Rybak 7, Dennis G. Socker 1, Angelos Vourlidas 8 and Qian Wu 3 1 Space Science Division, Naval Research Laboratory, Washington, DC, USA, 2 Heliophysics Division, Science Mission Directorate, NASA, Washington, DC, USA, 3 High Altitude Observatory, Boulder, CO, USA, 4 Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale, CNRS Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France, 5 INAF - National Institute for Astrophysics, Astrophysical Observatory of Torino, Pino Torinese, Italy, 6 Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, Florence, Italy, 7 Astronomical Institute, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranska Lomnica, Slovakia, 8 Applied Physics Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University, Laurel, MD, USA Edited by: Mario J. P. F. G. Monteiro, Comprehensive measurements of magnetic fields in the solar corona have a long Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences, Portugal history as an important scientific goal. Besides being crucial to understanding coronal Reviewed by: structures and the Sun’s generation of space weather, direct measurements of their Gordon James Duncan Petrie, strength and direction are also crucial steps in understanding observed wave motions. National Solar Observatory, USA Robertus Erdelyi, In this regard, the remote sensing instrumentation used to make coronal magnetic field University of Sheffield, UK measurements is well suited to measuring the Doppler signature of waves in the solar João José Graça Lima, structures. -
Automated Coronal Hole Identification Via Multi-Thermal Intensity
J. Space Weather Space Clim. 2018, 8, A02 © T.M. Garton et al., Published by EDP Sciences 2018 https://doi.org/10.1051/swsc/2017039 Available online at: www.swsc-journal.org Developing New Space Weather Tools: Transitioning fundamental science to operational prediction systems RESEARCH ARTICLE Automated coronal hole identification via multi-thermal intensity segmentation Tadhg M. Garton*, Peter T. Gallagher and Sophie A. Murray School of Physics, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland Received 8 June 2017 / Accepted 21 November 2017 Abstract – Coronal holes (CH) are regions of open magnetic fields that appear as dark areas in the solar corona due to their low density and temperature compared to the surrounding quiet corona. To date, accurate identification and segmentation of CHs has been a difficult task due to their comparable intensity to local quiet Sun regions. Current segmentation methods typically rely on the use of single Extreme Ultra-Violet passband and magnetogram images to extract CH information. Here, the coronal hole identification via multi-thermal emission recognition algorithm (CHIMERA) is described, which analyses multi-thermal images from the atmospheric image assembly (AIA) onboard the solar dynamics observatory (SDO) to segment coronal hole boundaries by their intensity ratio across three passbands (171 Å, 193 Å, and 211 Å). The algorithm allows accurate extraction of CH boundaries and many of their properties, such as area, position, latitudinal and longitudinal width, and magnetic polarity of segmented CHs. From these properties, a clear linear relationship was identified between the duration of geomagnetic storms and coronal hole areas. CHIMERA can therefore form the basis of more accurate forecasting of the start and duration of geomagnetic storms. -
Arxiv:2101.06279V2 [Astro-Ph.SR] 3 Mar 2021 N H Rtecutro S Ihtesn Nnvme 2018, November in D Sun, Question
Astronomy & Astrophysics manuscript no. paper_reconnection_SB ©ESO 2021 March 4, 2021 Direct evidence for magnetic reconnection at the boundaries of magnetic switchbacks with Parker Solar Probe C. Froment1, V. Krasnoselskikh1, 2, T. Dudok de Wit1, O. Agapitov2, N. Fargette3, B. Lavraud3, 4, A. Larosa1, M. Kretzschmar1, V. K. Jagarlamudi1, 5, M. Velli6, D. Malaspina7, 8, P. L. Whittlesey2, S. D. Bale2, 9, 10, 11, A. W. Case12, K. Goetz13, J. C. Kasper12, 14, 15, K. E. Korreck12, D. E. Larson2, R. J. MacDowall16, F. S. Mozer9, M. Pulupa2, C. Revillet1, and M. L. Stevens12 1 LPC2E, CNRS/University of Orléans/CNES, 3A avenue de la Recherche Scientifique, Orléans, France e-mail: [email protected] 2 Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7450, USA 3 Institut de Recherche en Astrophysique et Planétologie, CNRS, UPS, CNES, Toulouse, France 4 Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, B18N, allée Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 33615 Pessac, France 5 National Institute for Astrophysics-Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, I-00133 Roma, Italy 6 Department of Earth, Planetary, and Space Sciences, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA 7 Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA 8 Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences Department, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA 9 Physics Department, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-7300, USA 10 The Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, -
What Do We See on the Face of the Sun? Lecture 3: the Solar Atmosphere the Sun’S Atmosphere
What do we see on the face of the Sun? Lecture 3: The solar atmosphere The Sun’s atmosphere Solar atmosphere is generally subdivided into multiple layers. From bottom to top: photosphere, chromosphere, transition region, corona, heliosphere In its simplest form it is modelled as a single component, plane-parallel atmosphere Density drops exponentially: (for isothermal atmosphere). T=6000K Hρ≈ 100km Density of Sun’s atmosphere is rather low – Mass of the solar atmosphere ≈ mass of the Indian ocean (≈ mass of the photosphere) – Mass of the chromosphere ≈ mass of the Earth’s atmosphere Stratification of average quiet solar atmosphere: 1-D model Typical values of physical parameters Temperature Number Pressure K Density dyne/cm2 cm-3 Photosphere 4000 - 6000 1015 – 1017 103 – 105 Chromosphere 6000 – 50000 1011 – 1015 10-1 – 103 Transition 50000-106 109 – 1011 0.1 region Corona 106 – 5 106 107 – 109 <0.1 How good is the 1-D approximation? 1-D models reproduce extremely well large parts of the spectrum obtained at low spatial resolution However, high resolution images of the Sun at basically all wavelengths show that its atmosphere has a complex structure Therefore: 1-D models may well describe averaged quantities relatively well, although they probably do not describe any particular part of the real Sun The following images illustrate inhomogeneity of the Sun and how the structures change with the wavelength and source of radiation Photosphere Lower chromosphere Upper chromosphere Corona Cartoon of quiet Sun atmosphere Photosphere The photosphere Photosphere extends between solar surface and temperature minimum (400-600 km) It is the source of most of the solar radiation. -
What Controls Spicule Velocities and Heights? Color of R
ado. What Controls Spicule Velocities and Heights? Color of R. Hammer, A. Nesis Kiepenheuer-Institut furÄ Sonnenphysik University Abstract. Numerous mechanisms have been suggested to drive spicules. Many of them need a careful ¯ne-tuning of free parameters in order to achieve the basic characteristics, like velocity and height, of observed 2003 spicules. There might, however, be general physical mechanisms that control these properties. We show that whenever upper chromospheric Sun, plasma is exposed to a signi¯cantly non-hydrostatic pressure gradient, The it starts moving upward at the observed speeds. The plasma can reach & signi¯cant heights, at least if it receives some net chromospheric heat- ing during the rising phase. Therefore, such a hydrodynamic mechanism might help other (magnetic) drivers to control the basic properties of spicules. We suggest therefore to consider a new class of spicule driv- Systems, ing mechanisms, in which the plasma is not only accelerated by wave or magnetic forces from below, but also by the generation of a low pressure lar region above the chromosphere. Such a situation could arise e.g. due to Stel an instability in magnetic loops or as a result of the recon¯guration of open ¯eld lines. Stars, ol Co 1. Introduction on Classical spicules are needle-shaped chromospheric extensions, which can be seen in strong chromospheric lines to protrude out of the solar limb. They are highly dynamic and consist of plasma with properties characteristic of the upper 4 11 ¡3 Workshop chromosphere (temperature ¼ 10 K, electron density of order 10 cm ) that moves at supersonic speeds of 20 ¡ 30 km s¡1 up to heights of 5000 ¡ 10000 km, with a typical lifetime of 5 ¡ 10 min (e.g., Beckers 1972). -
Solar X-Ray Jets, Type-Ii Spicules, Granule-Size Emerging Bipoles, and the Genesis of the Heliosphere
SOLAR X-RAY JETS, TYPE-II SPICULES, GRANULE-SIZE EMERGING BIPOLES, AND THE GENESIS OF THE HELIOSPHERE Ronald L. Moore1, Alphonse C. Sterling1, Jonathan W. Cirtain1, and David A. Falconer1, 2, 3 1 Space Science Office, VP62, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, 35812, USA: [email protected] 2 Physics Departrment, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA 3 Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, USA ABSTRACT From Hinode observations of solar X-ray jets, Type-II spicules, and granule-size emerging bipolar magnetic fields in quiet regions and coronal holes, we advocate a scenario for powering coronal heating and the solar wind. In this scenario, Type-II spicules and Alfven waves are generated by the granule-size emerging bipoles in the manner of the generation of X-ray jets by larger magnetic bipoles. From observations and this scenario, we estimate that Type-II spicules and their co-generated Alfven waves carry into the corona an area-average flux of mechanical energy of ∼ 7 x 105 erg cm-2 s-1. This is enough to power the corona and solar wind in quiet regions and coronal holes, and therefore indicates that the granule-size emerging bipoles are the main engines that generate and sustain the entire heliosphere. Key words: Sun: heliosphere – Sun: corona – Sun: chromosphere – Sun: surface magnetism – Sun: magnetic topology – Sun: activity Submitted to The Astrophysical Journal Letters January 2011 1 1. INTRODUCTION The heliosphere, the bubble that the solar wind blows in the interstellar wind, is ∼ 104 times bigger in diameter than the Sun.