J. L. Culhane

Flows and Nonthermal Velocities in Solar Active Regions Observed with the EUV Imaging Spectrometer on Hinode: A Tracer of Active Region Sources of Heliospheric Magnetic Fields?

From Doppler velocity maps of active regions constructed from spectra obtained by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on the Hinode spacecraft we observe large areas of outflow (20-50 km s -->−1) that can persist for at least a day. These outflows occur in areas of active regions that are faint in coronal spectral lines formed at typical quiet-Sun and active region temperatures. The outflows are positively correlated with nonthermal velocities in coronal plasmas. The bulk mass motions and nonthermal velocities are derived from spectral line centroids and line widths, mostly from a strong line of Fe XII at 195.12 A. The electron temperature of the outflow regions estimated from an Fe XIII to Fe XII line intensity ratio is about -->(1.2–1.4) × 106 K. The electron density of the outflow regions derived from a density-sensitive intensity ratio of Fe XII lines is rather low for an active region. Most regions average around -->7 × 108 cm -->−3, but there are variations on pixel spatial scales of about a factor of 4. We discuss results in detail for two active regions observed by EIS. Images of active regions in line intensity, line width, and line centroid are obtained by rastering the regions. We also discuss data from the active regions obtained from other orbiting spacecraft that support the conclusions obtained from analysis of the EIS spectra. The locations of the flows in the active regions with respect to the longitudinal photospheric magnetic fields suggest that these regions might be tracers of long loops and/or open magnetic fields that extend into the heliosphere, and thus the flows could possibly contribute significantly to the solar wind.

OMC: An Optical Monitoring Camera for INTEGRAL Instrument description and performance

The Optical Monitoring Camera (OMC) will observe the optical emission from the prime targets of the gamma- ray instruments onboard the ESA mission INTEGRAL, with the support of the JEM-X monitor in the X-ray domain. This capability will provide invaluable diagnostic information on the nature and the physics of the sources over a broad wavelength range. Its main scientific objectives are: (1) to monitor the optical emission from the sources observed by the gamma- and X-ray instruments, measuring the time and intensity structure of the optical emission for comparison with variability at high energies, and (2) to provide the brightness and position of the optical counterpart of any gamma- or X-ray transient taking place within its field of view. The OMC is based on a refractive optics with an aperture of 50 mm focused onto a large format CCD (1024 2048 pixels) working in frame transfer mode (1024 1024 pixels imaging area). With a field of view of 5 5 it will be able to monitor sources down to magnitude V = 18. Typical observations will perform a sequence of dierent integration times, allowing for photometric uncertainties below 0.1 mag for objects with V 16.

The Bragg Crystal Spectrometer for SOLAR-A

The Bragg Crystal Spectrometer (BCS) is one of the instruments which makes up the scientific payload of the SOLAR-A mission. The spectrometer employs four bent germanium crystals, views the whole Sun and observes the resonance line complexes of H-like Fexxvi and He-like Fexxv, Caxix, and Sxv in four narrow wavelength ranges with a resolving power (λ/Δλ) of between 3000 and 6000. The spectrometer has approaching ten times better sensitivity than that of previous instruments thus permitting a time resolution of better than 1 s to be achieved. The principal aim is the measurement of the properties of the 10 to 50 million K plasma created in solar flares with special emphasis on the heating and dynamics of the plasma during the impulsive phase. This paper summarizes the scientific objectives of the BCS and describes the design, characteristics, and performance of the spectrometers.

Solar flare X-ray spectra from the Solar Maximum Mission flat crystal spectrometer

High-resolution solar X-ray spectra obtained with the Flat Crystal Spectrometer aboard the Solar Maximum Mission from two solar flares and a nonflaring active region are analyzed. The 1--22 A region was observed during the flare on 1980 August 25, while smaller spectral regions were repeatedly covered during the 1980 November 5 flare. Voigt profiles were fitted to spectral lines to derive accurate wavelenths and to resolve blends. During the August 25 flare, 205 lines were found in the range 5.68--18.97 A, identifications being provided for all but 40 (mostly weak) lines. Upper limits to flare densities are derived from various line ratios, the hotter (Troughly-equal10/sup 7/ K) ions giving N/sub e/

A Method to Determine the Heating Mechanisms of the Solar Corona

One of the paradigms about coronal heating has been the belief that the mean or summit temperature of a coronal loop is completely insensitive to the nature of the heating mechanisms. However, we point out that the temperature profile along a coronal loop is highly sensitive to the form of the heating. For example, when a steady state heating is balanced by thermal conduction, a uniform heating function makes the heat flux a linear function of distance along the loop, while T7/2 increases quadratically from the coronal footpoints; when the heating is concentrated near the coronal base, the heat flux is small and the T7/2 profile is flat above the base; when the heat is focused near the summit of a loop, the heat flux is constant and T7/2 is a linear function of distance below the summit. It is therefore important to determine how the heat deposition from particular heating mechanisms varies spatially within coronal structures such as loops or arcades and to compare it to high-quality measurements of the temperature profiles. We propose a new two-part approach to try and solve the coronal heating problem, namely, first of all to use observed temperature profiles to deduce the form of the heating, and second to use that heating form to deduce the likely heating mechanism. In particular, we apply this philosophy to a preliminary analysis of Yohkoh observations of the large-scale solar corona. This gives strong evidence against heating concentrated near the loop base for such loops and suggests that heating uniformly distributed along the loop is slightly more likely than heating concentrated at the summit. The implication is that large-scale loops are heated in situ throughout their length, rather than being a steady response to low-lying heating near their feet or at their summits. Unless waves can be shown to produce a heating close enough to uniform, the evidence is therefore at present for these large loops more in favor of turbulent reconnection at many small randomly distributed current sheets, which is likely to be able to do so. In addition, we suggest that the decline in coronal intensity by a factor of 100 from solar maximum to solar minimum is a natural consequence of the observed ratio of magnetic field strength in active regions and the quiet Sun; the altitude of the maximum temperature in coronal holes may represent the dissipation height of Alfven waves by turbulent phase mixing; and the difference in maximum temperature in closed and open regimes may be understood in terms of the roles of the conductive flux there.

The cooling of flare produced plasmas in the solar corona

Solar flare X-rays, at energies less than 10 keV, are emitted by hot plasmas located in the corona. Three plasma cooling models are examined in detail. The cooling of the electrons by Coulomb collisions with ions at a lower temperature would require the observed material to occupy very large volumes. Cooling could take place by conduction or by radiation and observations are proposed which would allow the dominant cooling mechanism to be established.

Nonthermal velocities in solar active regions observed with the extreme-ultraviolet imaging spectrometer on Hinode

We discuss nonthermal velocities in an active region as revealed by the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on the Hinode spacecraft. The velocities are derived from spectral line profiles in the extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) from a strong line of Fe XII at 195.12 A by fitting each line profile to a Gaussian function. We compare maps of the full width at half-maximum values, the Fe XII spectral line intensity, the Fe XII Doppler shift, the electron temperature, and electron density. We find that the largest widths in the active region do not occur in the most intense regions, but seem to concentrate in less intense regions, some of which are directly adjacent to coronal loops, and some of which concentrate in regions which also exhibit relative Doppler outflows. The increased widths can also occur over extended parts of the active region.

CME Propagation Characteristics from Radio Observations

Abstract We explore the relationship among three coronal mass ejections (CMEs), observed on 28 October 2003, 7 November 2004, and 20 January 2005, the type II burst-associated shock waves in the corona and solar wind, as well as the arrival of their related shock waves and magnetic clouds at 1 AU. Using six different coronal/interplanetary density models, we calculate the speeds of shocks from the frequency drifts observed in metric and decametric radio wave data. We compare these speeds with the velocity of the CMEs as observed in the plane-of-the-sky white-light observations and calculated with a cone model for the 7 November 2004 event. We then follow the propagation of the ejecta using Interplanetary Scintillation measurements, which were available for the 7 November 2004 and 20 January 2005 events. Finally, we calculate the travel time of the interplanetary shocks between the Sun and Earth and discuss the velocities obtained from the different data. This study highlights the difficulties in making velocity estimates that cover the full CME propagation time.

Solar X-ray bursts at energies less than 10 keV observed with OSO-4

Using data from a proportional counter spectrometer, sensitive in the wavelength range 1–20 Å, on OSO-4, X-ray bursts in the energy band 3.0 to 4.5 keV have been studied. 150 events have been identified between October 27, 1967 and May 8, 1968, mostly of an impulsive nature. Some gradual rise and fall bursts occur, but there is a selection bias against such long-enduring events. A study of the profiles of these events reveals no basis for identifying different types of impulsive event.Single frequency radio bursts and Hα flares of class > 1F are almost always accompanied by X-ray enhancements. For the sample of X-ray events, only 25% are correlated with radio bursts and 46% with flares. Only 11% of the sample events are associated with type III radio bursts. Microwave burst peaks occur an average of two minutes earlier than the X-ray burst peak, but the first observation of X-ray activity is usually before the start of the corresponding microwave burst.Impulsive bursts, although differing widely in fall time, are due to the heating of a volume of plasma from a temperature of 10.0 to 30.0 × 106 K. Differences infall time probably indicate different electron densities in the source. Observation of an iron line at 1.9 Å suggests that a non-thermal mechanism may be operating during some of these events since the temperatures are too low to permit thermal excitation of the 1s2-1s 2p transition in Fe+24. It is also possible that, in spite of the low temperature, most of the iron ions have been stripped to the Fe+24 stage. Collisional excitation and dielectronic recombination processes would then be able to provide the observed flux in the resonance line of Fe+24. A gradual rise and fall event and event ‘precursors’ have also been studied.

STRONGLY BLUESHIFTED PHENOMENA OBSERVED WITH HINODE EIS IN THE 2006 DECEMBER 13 SOLAR FLARE

We present a detailed examination of strongly blueshifted emission lines observed with the EUV Imaging Spectrometer on board the Hinode satellite. We found two kinds of blueshifted phenomenon associated with the X3.4 flare that occurred on 2006 December 13. One was related to a plasmoid ejection seen in soft X-rays. It was very bright in all the lines used for the observations. The other was associated with the faint arc-shaped ejection seen in soft X-rays. The soft X-ray ejection is thought to be a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) fast-mode shock wave. This is therefore the first spectroscopic observation of an MHD fast-mode shock wave associated with a flare.