William H. Marquette

Magnetic Sources of the Solar Irradiance Cycle

Using recently processed Ca K filtergrams, recorded with a 1 A filter at the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO), we quantitatively assess the component of solar irradiance variability attributable to bright magnetic features on the Suns disk. The Ca K filtergrams, flattened by removing instrumental effects and center-to-limb variations, provide information about bright sources of irradiance variability associated with magnetic activity in both active regions and dispersed active region remnants broadly distributed in the supergranule network (termed collectively faculae). Procedures are developed to construct both total and UV spectral solar irradiance variations explicitly from the processed Ca K filtergrams, independently of direct irradiance observations. The disk-integrated bolometric and UV facular brightness signals determined from the filtergrams between late 1991 and mid-1995 are compared with concurrent solar irradiance measurements made by high-precision solar radiometers on the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The comparisons suggest that active-region and active-network changes can account for the measured variations. This good agreement during a period covering most of the decline in solar activity from the cycle 22 maximum to the impending solar minimum directly implicates magnetic features as the sources of the 11 yr irradiance cycle, apparently obviating the need for an additional component other than spots or faculae.

Synoptic Hα Full-Disk Observations of the Sun from Big Bear Solar Observatory – I. Instrumentation, Image Processing, Data Products, and First Results

The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) has a long tradition of synoptic full-disk observations. Synoptic observations of contrast enhanced full-disk images in the Ca ii K-line have been used with great success to reproduce the H i Lα irradiance variability observed with the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). Recent improvements in data calibration procedures and image- processing techniques enable us now to provide contrast enhanced Hα full-disk images with a spatial resolution of approximately 2′′ and a temporal resolution of up to 3 frames min−1.In this first paper in a series, we describe the instruments, the data calibration procedures, and the image-processing techniques used to obtain our daily Hα full-disk observations. We also present the final data products such as low- and high-contrast images, and Carrington rotation charts. A time series of an erupting mini- filament further illustrates the quality of our Hα full-disk observations and motivate one of the future research projects. This lays a solid foundation for our subsequent studies of solar activity and chromospheric fine structures. The high quality and the sunrise- to-sunset operation of the Hα full-disk observations presented in this paper make them an ideal choice to study statistical properties of mini-filament eruptions, chromospheric differential rotation, and meridional flows within the chromosphere, as well as the evolution of active regions, filaments, flares, and prominences.

Taiwan Oscillation Network

The Taiwan Oscillation Network (TON) is a ground-based network to measure solar intensity oscillations to study the internal structure of the Sun. K-line full-disk images of 1000 pixels diameter are taken at a rate of one image per minute. Such data would provide information onp-modes withl as high as 1000. The TON will consist of six identical telescope systems at proper longitudes around the world. Three telescope systems have been installed at Teide Observatory (Tenerife), Huairou Solar Observing Station (near Beijing), and Big Bear Solar Observatory (California). The telescopes at these three sites have been taking data simultaneously since October of 1994. Anl – v diagram derived from 512 images is included to show the quality of the data.

First results from the NSO/NJIT solar adaptive optics system

The National Solar Observatory and the New Jersey Institute of Technology have developed two 97 actuator solar adaptive optics (AO) systems based on a correlating Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor approach. The first engineering run was successfully completed at the Dunn Solar Telescope (DST) at Sacramento Peak, New Mexico in December 2002. The first of two systems is now operational at Sacramento Peak. The second system will be deployed at the Big Bear Solar Observatory by the end of 2003. The correlating Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor is able to measure wavefront aberrations for low-contrast, extended and time-varying objects, such as solar granulation. The 97-actuator solar AO system operates at a loop update rate of 2.5 kHz and achieves a closed loop bandwidth (0dB crossover error rejection) of about 130 Hz. The AO system is capable of correcting atmospheric seeing at visible wavelengths during median seeing conditions at both the NSO/Sacramento Peak site and the Big Bear Solar Observatory. We present an overview of the system design. The servo loop was successfully closed and first AO corrected images were recorded. We present first results from the new, high order AO system.

Modeling solar extreme ultraviolet irradiance variability using emission measure distributions

We introduce a new model of solar irradiance variability at extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths. The model combines a spectral emission line database, solar emission measure distributions, and estimates from ground-based solar images of the fraction of the Sun covered by the various types of activity to synthesize the irradiance. Using Call K-line images, the model can be used to estimate the irradiance from EUV line emission formed in the upper chromosphere and lower transition region. Comparisons of this new model with existing empirical models reveal both similarities and disagreements in the absolute magnitude, the amplitude of the rotational modulation, and the intermediate-term solar cycle variability of the predicted fluxes.

Comparison of Two Fitting Methods for Ring Diagram Analysis of Very High l Solar Oscillations

A new method of fitting tridimensional power spectra of solar oscillations is described and compared with a previous one whose use has been more common. The new method fits the parameters of the Lorentzian profiles in a bidimensional k - ω diagram constructed from an azimuthal average of the tridimensional one. The horizontal velocities are then determined keeping these parameters fixed, greatly reducing the computation time. Both methods are compared for two radial orders (n = 3, 4) of a tridimensional power spectrum obtained for a region of about 15° square around solar disk center. The images used in this work correspond to a 3 day set of 1080 × 1080 pixel intensity images obtained at the Observatorio del Teide on 1994 November 8-10 with the Taiwanese Oscillation Network (TON) instrument. The results of the fitted velocities agree within the estimated errors for the two methods. The reduction of the computing time obtained with the new method makes it convenient for the ring diagram analysis.

Solar adaptive optics: a progress report

We present a progress report of the solar adaptive optics (AO) development program at the National Solar Observatory (NSO) and the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO). Examples of diffraction-limited observations obtained with the NSO low-order solar adaptive optics system at the Dunn Solar Telescope (DST) are presented. The design of the high order adaptive optics systems that will be deployed at the DST and the BBSO is discussed. The high order systems will provide diffraction-limited observations of the Sun in median seeing conditions at both sites.

High-order adaptive optical system for big bear solar observatory

We present a high-order adaptive optical system for the 26-inch vacuum solar telescope of Big Bear Solar Observatory. A small elliptical tip/tilt mirror is installed at the end of the existing coude optical path on the fast two-axis tip/tilt platform with its resonant frequency around 3.3 kHz. A 77 mm diameter deformable mirror with 76 subapertures as well as wave-front sensors (correlation tracker and Shack-Hartman) and scientific channels for visible and IR polarimetry are installed on an optical table. The correlation tracker sensor can detect differences at 2 kHz between a 32×32 reference frame and real time frames. The WFS channel detects 2.5 kHz (in binned mode) high-order wave-front atmosphere aberrations to improve solar images for two imaging magnetographs based on Fabry-Perot etalons in telecentric configurations. The imaging magnetograph channels may work simultaneously in a visible and IR spectral windows with FOVs of about 180×180 arc sec, spatial resolution of about 0.2 arc sec/pixel and SNR of about 400 and 600 accordingly for 0.25 sec integration time.

Reproduction of the Lymanα irradiance variability from analysis of full-disk images in the CaII K-line

We have compared three years of daily CaII K-line images from the Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) with HI Lymanα irradiance data from the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). The daily full-disk CaII K-line images are reduced to a new index of integrated excess emission, which reproduces both the 27 day rotational modulation and the solar cycle decrease in Lyα irradiance. Our analysis shows that while plages reproduce the 27-day variation quite well, the total K-line emission excess above the quiet background is needed to reproduce the secular solar cycle trend in the Lyα irradiance. The resulting K-line index exhibits a high degree of correlation (0.9) with the time series of measured Lyα flux.

Long-term evolution of a high-latitude active region

We describe the decay phase of one of the largest active regions of solar cycle 22 that developed by the end of June 1987. The center of both polarities of the magnetic fields of the region systematically shifted north and poleward throughout the decay phase. In addition, a substantial fraction of the trailing magnetic fields migrated equatorward and south of the leading, negative fields. The result of this migration was the apparent rotation of the magnetic axis of the region such that a majority of the leading polarity advanced poleward at a faster rate than the trailing polarity. As a consequence, this region could not contribute to the anticipated reversal of the polar field.The relative motions of the sunspots in this active region were also noteworthy. The largest, leading, negative polarity sunspot at N24 exhibited a slightly slower-than-average solar rotation rate equivalent to the mean differential rotation rate at N25. In contrast, the westernmost, leading, negative polarity sunspot at N21 consistently advanced further westward at a mean rate of 0.13 km s−1 with respect to the mean differential rotation rate at its latitude. These sunspot motions and the pattern of evolution of the magnetic fields of the whole region constitute evidence of the existence of a large-scale velocity field within the active region.