Kazumasa Iwai

CHROMOSPHERIC SUNSPOTS IN THE MILLIMETER RANGE AS OBSERVED BY THE NOBEYAMA RADIOHELIOGRAPH

We investigate the upper chromosphere and the transition region of the sunspot umbra using the radio brightness temperature at 34 GHz (corresponding to 8.8-mm observations) as observed by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH). Radio free-free emission in the longer millimeter range is generated around the transition region, and its brightness temperature yields the regions temperature and density distribution. We use the NoRH data at 34 GHz by applying the Steer-CLEAN image synthesis. These data and the analysis method enable us to investigate the chromospheric structures in the longer millimeter range with high spatial resolution and sufficient visibilities. We also perform simultaneous observations of one sunspot using the NoRH and the Nobeyama 45-m telescope operating at 115 GHz. We determine that 115-GHz emission mainly originates from the lower chromosphere while 34-GHz emission mainly originates from the upper chromosphere and transition region. These observational results are consistent with the radio emission characteristics estimated from the current atmospheric models of the chromosphere. On the other hand, the observed brightness temperature of the umbral region is almost the same as that of the quiet region. This result is inconsistent with the current sunspot models, which predict a considerably higher brightness temperature of the sunspot umbra at 34 GHz. This inconsistency suggests that the temperature of the region at which the 34 GHz radio emission becomes optically thick should be lower than that predicted by the models.

OBSERVATION OF THE CHROMOSPHERIC SUNSPOT AT MILLIMETER RANGE WITH THE NOBEYAMA 45 m TELESCOPE

The brightness temperature of the radio free–free emission at millimeter range is an effective tool for characterizing the vertical structure of the solar chromosphere. In this paper, we report on the first single-dish observation of a sunspot at 85 and 115 GHz with sufficient spatial resolution for resolving the sunspot umbra using the Nobeyama 45 m telescope. We used radio attenuation material, i.e., a solar filter, to prevent the saturation of the receivers. Considering the contamination from the plage by the side lobes, we found that the brightness temperature of the umbra should be lower than that of the quiet region. This result is inconsistent with the preexisting atmospheric models. We also found that the brightness temperature distribution at millimeter range strongly corresponds to the ultraviolet continuum emission at 1700 A, especially at the quiet region.

Peak Flux Distributions of Solar Radio Type-i Bursts from Highly Resolved Spectral Observations

Solar radio type-I bursts were observed on 2011 January 26 by high resolution observations with the radio telescope AMATERAS in order to derive their peak flux distributions. We have developed a two-dimensional auto burst detection algorithm that can distinguish each type-I burst element from complex noise storm spectra that include numerous instances of radio frequency interference (RFI). This algorithm removes RFI from the observed radio spectra by applying a moving median filter along the frequency axis. Burst and continuum components are distinguished by a two-dimensional maximum and minimum search of the radio dynamic spectra. The analysis result shows that each type-I burst element has one peak flux without double counts or missed counts. The peak flux distribution of type-I bursts derived using this algorithm follows a power law with a spectral index between 4 and 5.

Coronal magnetic field and the plasma beta determined from radio and multiple satellite observations

We derived the coronal magnetic field, plasma density, and temperature from the observation of polarization and intensity of radio thermal free-free emission using the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH) and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations. We observed a post-flare loop on the west limb on 11 April 2013. The line-of-sight magnetic field was derived from the circularly polarized free-free emission observed by NoRH. The emission measure and temperature were derived from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) onboard Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). The derived temperature was used to estimate the emission measure from the NoRH radio free-free emission observations. The derived density from NoRH was larger than that determined using AIA, which can be explained by the fact that the low-temperature plasma is not within the temperature coverage of the AIA filters used in this study. We also discuss the other observation of the post-flare loops by the EUV Imager onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), which can be used in future studies to reconstruct the coronal magnetic field strength. The derived plasma parameters and magnetic field were used to derive the plasma beta, which is a ratio between the magnetic pressure and the plasma pressure. The derived plasma beta is about 5.7 × 10−4 to 7.6 × 10−4 at the loop top region.

Measurements of Coronal and Chromospheric Magnetic Fields Using Polarization Observations by the Nobeyama Radioheliograph

Coronal and chromospheric magnetic fields are derived from polarization and spectral observations of the thermal free–free emission using the Nobeyama Radioheliograph (NoRH). In magnetized plasma, the ordinary and extraordinary modes of free–free emission have different optical depths. This creates a circularly polarized component in an atmosphere with a temperature gradient. We observed an active region on 2012 April 13 to derive its coronal and chromospheric magnetic fields. The observed degree of circular polarization was between 0.5% and 1.7%. The radio circular polarization images were compared with ultraviolet images observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly and the photospheric magnetic field observed by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager, both on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory. At the edge of the active region, the radio circular polarization was emitted mainly from coronal loops, and the coronal magnetic field was derived to be about 70 G. At the center of the active region, the chromospheric and coronal components cannot be separated. The derived magnetic field is about 20% to 50% of the corresponding photospheric magnetic field, which is an emission-measure-weighted average of the coronal and chromospheric magnetic fields.

CORONAL MAGNETIC FIELDS DERIVED FROM SIMULTANEOUS MICROWAVE AND EUV OBSERVATIONS AND COMPARISON WITH THE POTENTIAL FIELD MODEL

We estimated the accuracy of coronal magnetic fields derived from radio observations by comparing them to potential field calculations and the DEM measurements using EUV observations. We derived line of sight component of the coronal magnetic field from polarization observations of the thermal bremsstrahlung in the NOAA active region 11150, observed around 3:00 UT on February 3, 2011 using the Nobeyama Radioheliograph at 17 GHz. Because the thermal bremsstrahlung intensity at 17 GHz includes both chromospheric and coronal components, we extracted only the coronal component by measuring the coronal emission measure in EUV observations. In addition, we derived only the radio polarization component of the corona by selecting the region of coronal loops and weak magnetic field strength in the chromosphere along the line of sight. The upper limit of the coronal longitudinal magnetic fields were determined as 100 - 210 G. We also calculated the coronal longitudinal magnetic fields from the potential field extrapolation using the photospheric magnetic field obtained from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). However, the calculated potential fields were certainly smaller than the observed coronal longitudinal magnetic field. This discrepancy between the potential and the observed magnetic field strengths can be explained consistently by two reasons; (a) the underestimation of the coronal emission measure resulting from the limitation of the temperature range of the EUV observations, (b) the underestimation of the coronal magnetic field resulting from the potential field assumption.

FREQUENCY DEPENDENCE OF POLARIZATION OF ZEBRA PATTERN IN TYPE-IV SOLAR RADIO BURSTS

We investigated the polarization characteristics of a zebra pattern (ZP) in a type-IV solar radio burst observed with AMATERAS on 2011 June 21 for the purpose of evaluating the generation processes of ZP. Analyzing highly resolved spectral and polarization data revealed the frequency dependence of the degree of circular polarization and the delay between two polarized components for the first time. The degree of circular polarization was 50-70 percent right-handed and it varied little as a function of frequency. Cross-correlation analysis determined that the left-handed circularly polarized component was delayed by 50-70 ms relative to the right-handed component over the entire frequency range of the ZP and this delay increased with the frequency. We examined the obtained polarization characteristics by using pre-existing ZP models and concluded that the ZP was generated by the double plasma resonance process. Our results suggest that the ZP emission was originally generated in a completely polarized state in the O-mode and was partly converted into the X-mode near the source. Subsequently, the difference between the group velocities of the O-mode and X-mode caused the temporal delay.

Generation mechanism of the slowly drifting narrowband structure in the type IV solar radio bursts observed by AMATERAS

We investigate the type IV burst event observed by AMATERAS on 2011 June 7, and reveal that the main component of the burst was emitted from the plasmoid eruption identified in the EUV images of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/AIA. We show that a slowly drifting narrowband structure (SDNS) appeared in the bursts spectra. Using statistical analysis, we reveal that the SDNS appeared for a duration of tens to hundreds of milliseconds and had a typical bandwidth of 3 MHz. To explain the mechanism generating the SDNS, we propose wave-wave coupling between Langmuir waves and whistler-mode chorus emissions generated in a post-flare loop, which were inferred from the similarities in the plasma environments of a post-flare loop and the equatorial region of Earths inner magnetosphere. We assume that a chorus element with a rising tone is generated at the top of a post-flare loop. Using the magnetic field and plasma density models, we quantitatively estimate the expected duration of radio emissions generated from coupling between Langmuir waves and chorus emissions during their propagation in the post-flare loop, and we find that the observed duration and bandwidth properties of the SDNS are consistently explained by the proposed generation mechanism. While observations in the terrestrial magnetosphere show that the chorus emissions are a group of large-amplitude wave elements generated naturally and intermittently, the mechanism proposed in the present study can explain both the intermittency and the frequency drift in the observed spectra.

Solar ALMA Observations: Constraining the Chromosphere above Sunspots

We present the first high-resolution Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of a sunspot at wavelengths of 1.3 mm and 3 mm, obtained during the solar ALMA Science Verification campaign in 2015, and compare them with the predictions of semi-empirical sunspot umbral/penumbral atmosphere models. For the first time millimeter observations of sunspots have resolved umbral/penumbral brightness structure at the chromospheric heights, where the emission at these wavelengths is formed. We find that the sunspot umbra exhibits a radically different appearance at 1.3 mm and 3 mm, whereas the penumbral brightness structure is similar at the two wavelengths. The inner part of the umbra is ~600 K brighter than the surrounding quiet Sun (QS) at 3 mm and is ~700 K cooler than the QS at 1.3 mm, being the coolest part of sunspot at this wavelength. On average, the brightness of the penumbra at 3 mm is comparable to the QS brightness, while at 1.3 mm it is ~1000 K brighter than the QS. Penumbral brightness increases towards the outer boundary in both ALMA bands. Among the tested umbral models, that of Severino et al. (1994) provides the best fit to the observational data, including both the ALMA data analyzed in this study and data from earlier works. No penumbral model amongst those considered here gives a satisfactory fit to the currently available measurements. ALMA observations at multiple mm wavelengths can be used for testing existing sunspot models, and serve as an important input to constrain new empirical models.

Polarization Characteristics of Zebra Patterns in Type IV Solar Radio Bursts

The polarization characteristics of zebra patterns (ZPs) in type IV solar bursts were studied. We analyzed 21 ZP events observed by the Assembly of Metric-band Aperture Telescope and Real-time Analysis System between 2010 and 2015 and identified the following characteristics: a degree of circular polarization (DCP) in the range of 0%-70%, a temporal delay of 0-70 ms between the two circularly polarized components (i.e., the right- and left-handed components), and dominant ordinary-mode emission in about 81% of the events. For most events, the relation between the dominant and delayed components could be interpreted in the framework of fundamental plasma emission and depolarization during propagation, though the values of DCP and delay were distributed across wide ranges. Furthermore, it was found that the DCP and delay were positively correlated (rank correlation coefficient R = 0.62). As a possible interpretation of this relationship, we considered a model based on depolarization due to reflections at sharp density boundaries assuming fundamental plasma emission. The model calculations of depolarization including multiple reflections and group delay during propagation in the inhomogeneous corona showed that the DCP and delay decreased as the number of reflections increased, which is consistent with the observational results. The dispersive polarization characteristics could be explained by the different numbers of reflections causing depolarization.