An explanation of the observed differences between coronal holes and quiet coronal regions

The main differences between a coronal hole and quiet coronal regions are explained by a reduction of the thermal conduction coefficient by transverse components of the magnetic field in the transition region of quiet coronal regions.Calculations of minimum flux coronae show that if the flux of energy heating the corona is maintained constant while the thermal conductivity in the transition region is reduced, the coronal temperature, the pressure in the transition region and the corona, and the temperature gradient in the transition region all increase. At the same time the intensities of lines emitted from the transition region are almost unchanged. Thus all the main spectroscopically observed differences between coronal holes and quiet coronal regions are explained.The flux of energy heating the corona in both coronal holes and quiet coronal regions is 3.0 × 10⁵ erg cm^-2 s^-1.The energy lost from coronal holes by the high speed streams in the solar wind is not sufficient to explain the difference in the coronal temperature in coronal holes and quiet coronal regions. The most likely explanation of the high velocity streams in the solar wind associated with coronal holes is that of Durney and Hundhausen.     

Solution of one-fluid model equations with short range retarding magnetic forces for the quiet solar wind

The discrepancy of the low predicted versus the observed coronal particle densities is investigated by considering radial magnetic forces acting at the base of the corona in the one fluid model equations with anomalous thermal conductivity for the quiet solar wind. If the short range retarding magnetic force is taken to fall asr ^?5,r being the heliocentric distance, then in order to obtain satisfactory agreement between the predicted and observed (about 3×10⁸ cm^?3 at 1R _⊙) coronal densities, the strength of the retarding magnetic force at 1R _⊙ should be 1.2 times that of the gravitational force.     

Type I noise storms and the structure of the extreme ultraviolet corona

The spatial fine structure of the solar corona as observed in the EUV line Fexv is compared with the occurrence of major type I metric noise storms. In all cases, strong changes in the loop structure of the corona are observed. On the disk, these coronal changes are correlated to the emergence of new magnetic flux in the vicinity of existing large active regions. The reverse is demonstrated: during noise storm free periods no coronal changes can be observed. Noise storms at the limb seem to originate in open field configurations over active regions. In all cases, reconnection of coronal magnetic fields over large distances are the cause of noise storms rather than changes of magnetic fields within an active region. Noise storms disappear or are weak at the limb because of foreground absorption in chains of active regions. The observed intensities of active region loops at the limb show that a density of 1.3 × 10⁹ cm^?3 which corresponds to a plasma frequency of 100 MHz can occur over a wide variety of altitudes because active region loops are not in hydrostatic equilibrium.     

Magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the coronal transient associated with the solar limb flare of 1980, June 29, 18∶21 UT

Soft X-ray data from the XRP experiment on SMM are used to generate the temperature and density in the flaring region of the 1980, June 29 (18∶21 UT) solar flare. The temporal data (T _max ～- 20 × 10⁶ K and n _max ～- 4 × 10¹¹ cm^?3), together with an assumed velocity, are used to simulate mass injection as the input pulse for the MHD model of Wu et al. (1982a, 1983a). The spatial and temporal coronal response is compared with the ground-based, Mark III K-coronameter observations of the subsequent coronal transient. The simulation produces a spatially-wide, large amplitude, temporarily-steepened MHD wave for either of the two ‘canonical’ magnetic topologies (closed and open), but no shock wave. This result appears to be confirmed by the fact that a type II radio event was observed late in the event for only a few minutes, thereby indicating that a steepening wave with temporary, marginal shock formation, was indeed present. The density enhancements produced by the simulation move away from the Sun at the same velocity observed by the K-coronameter. However, the observation of the coronal transient included a rarefaction that does not appear in the simulation. A probable explanation for this discrepancy is the likelihood that the magnitude and temporal profile of the density of the soft X-ray emitting plasma should not have been used as part of the mass injection pulse. We believe that the temperature profile alone, as suggested by earlier simulations, might have been a necessary and sufficient condition to produce both the compression and rarefaction of the ambient corona as indicated by the K-coronameter data. Hence, the dense plasma observed by XRP was probably confined, for the most part, close to the Sun during the ～ 17 min duration of the observations.     

The coronal condensation observed at the 1973 eclipse

The flash spectrograms obtained at the June 30, 1973 eclipse contain the monochromatic images of a coronal condensation in three coronal lines of Fexiv 5303, Fex 6374 and Fexi 7892 and Hα line. The assumption of the axially-symmetric distribution of the emissivity in the coronal lines allows us to find the density and temperature structure of the coronal condensation. While the electron density in the central axis of the condensation is about ten times as high as that of the normal corona at each height, the temperature is not so high (T?2.3×10⁶K). This seems to be a representative nature of a coronal active region in the post maximum phase of activity. It is found that there exists a cool and dense core (T = 10⁶K, N _e =6 × 10⁹ cm^-3 at 17000 km) at the lower part of the coronal condensation, which is in a close geometrical coincidence with the small active prominence protruding from the underlying plage region.     

Electron density diagnostics for various plasma structures of the solar corona based on Fe XI-FeXIII lines in the range 176–207 Å measured in the SPIRIT/CORONAS-F experiment

The relative intensities of FeXI-Fe XIII lines in the range 176–207 Å have been measured for various plasma structures of the solar corona using data from the XUV spectroheliograph of the SPIRIT instrumentation onboard the CORONAS-F satellite with an improved spectral sensitivity calibration. Electron density diagnostics of a plasma with temperatures 0.8–2.5 MK has been carried out in active regions, quiet-Sun and off-limb areas, and, for the first time, in extremely intense solar flares. The density range is (1.6–8) × 10⁹ cm^?3 for flares, (0.6–1.6) × 10⁹ cm^?3 for active regions, and ～5 × 10⁸ cm^?3 for quiet-Sun areas. The calibration accuracy of the spectral sensitivity for the spectroheliograph has been analyzed based on spectral lines with density-independent intensity ratios.     

On the production of nitric oxide by cosmic rays in the mesosphere and stratosphere

Nitric oxide is formed in the atmosphere through the ionization and dissociation of molecular nitrogen by galactic cosmic rays. One NO molecule is formed for each ion pair produced by cosmic ray ionization.The height-integrated input (day and night) to the lower stratosphere is of the order of 6 × 10⁷ NO molecules cm^?2/sec in the auroral zone (geomagnetic latitude Φ ? 60°) during the minimum of the sunspot cycle and 4 × 10⁷ NO molecules cm^?2/sec in the subauroral belt and auroral region (Φ? 45°) at the maximum of solar activity. The tropical production is less than 10^?7 NO molecules cm^?2/sec above 17 km and at the equator the production is only 3 × 10⁶NO molecules cm^?2/sec.     

Coronal Temperature Profiles Obtained from Kinetic Models and from Coronal Brightness Measurements Obtained During Solar Eclipses

Coronal density, temperature, and heat-flux distributions for the equatorial and polar corona have been deduced from Saito’s model of averaged coronal white-light (WL) brightness and polarization observations. These distributions are compared with those determined from a kinetic collisionless/exospheric model of the solar corona. This comparison indicates similar distributions at large radial distances (>?7 R_⊙) in the collisionless region. However, rather important differences are found close to the Sun in the acceleration region of the solar wind. The exospheric heat flux is directed away from the Sun, while that inferred from all WL coronal observations is in the opposite direction, i.e. conducting heat from the inner corona toward the chromosphere. This could indicate that the source of coronal heating extends up into the inner corona, where it maximizes at r>1.5 R_⊙, well above the transition region.     

Calculations of the evolution of the giant planets

Evolutionary calculations are presented for spherically symmetric protoplanetary configurations with a homogeneous solar composition and with masses of 10^?3, 1.5 × 10^?3, 2.85 × 10^?4, and 4.2 × 10^?4M_⊙. Recent improvements in equation-of-state and opacity calculations are incorporated. Sequences start as subcondensations in the solar nebula with densities of ～10^?10 to 10^?11 g cm^?3, evolve through a hydrostatic phase lasting 10⁵ to 10⁷ years, undergo dynamic collapse due to dissociation of molecular hydrogen, and regain hydrostatic equilibrium with densities ～1 g cm^?3. The nature of the objects at the onset of the final phase of cooling and contraction is discussed and compared with previous calculations.     

Multiwavelength Observations of Supersonic Plasma Blob Triggered by Reconnection-Generated Velocity Pulse in AR10808

Using multi-wavelength observations of Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO)/Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI), Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE, 171 ?), and H?? from Culgoora Solar Observatory at Narrabri, Australia, we present a unique observational signature of a propagating supersonic plasma blob before an M6.2-class solar flare in active region 10808 on 9 September 2005. The blob was observed between 05:27 UT and 05:32 UT with almost a constant shape for the first 2??C?3 min, and thereafter it quickly vanished in the corona. The observed lower-bound speed of the blob is estimated as ???215?km?s^?1 in its dynamical phase. The evidence of the blob with almost similar shape and velocity concurrent in H?? and TRACE 171 ? images supports its formation by a multi-temperature plasma. The energy release by a recurrent three-dimensional reconnection process via the separator dome below the magnetic null point, between the emerging flux and pre-existing field lines in the lower solar atmosphere, is found to be the driver of a radial velocity pulse outwards that accelerates this plasma blob in the solar atmosphere. In support of identification of the possible driver of the observed eruption, we solve the two-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations numerically to simulate the observed supersonic plasma blob. The numerical modelling closely match the observed velocity, evolution of multi-temperature plasma, and quick vanishing of the blob found in the observations. Under typical coronal conditions, such blobs may also carry an energy flux of 7.0×10⁶?erg?cm^?2?s^?1 to balance the coronal losses above active regions.     

X-ray and microwave emissions from the July 19, 2012 solar flare: Highly accurate observations and kinetic models

The M7.7 solar flare of July 19, 2012, at 05:58 UT was observed with high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolutions in the hard X-ray and optical ranges. The flare occurred at the solar limb, which allowed us to see the relative positions of the coronal and chromospheric X-ray sources and to determine their spectra. To explain the observations of the coronal source and the chromospheric one unocculted by the solar limb, we apply an accurate analytical model for the kinetic behavior of accelerated electrons in a flare. We interpret the chromospheric hard X-ray source in the thick-target approximation with a reverse current and the coronal one in the thin-target approximation. Our estimates of the slopes of the hard X-ray spectra for both sources are consistent with the observations. However, the calculated intensity of the coronal source is lower than the observed one by several times. Allowance for the acceleration of fast electrons in a collapsing magnetic trap has enabled us to remove this contradiction. As a result of our modeling, we have estimated the flux density of the energy transferred by electrons with energies above 15 keV to be ～5 × 10¹⁰ erg cm^?2 s^?1, which exceeds the values typical of the thick-target model without a reverse current by a factor of ～5. To independently test the model, we have calculated the microwave spectrum in the range 1–50 GHz that corresponds to the available radio observations.     

The mean coronal magnetic field determined from HELIOS Faraday rotation measurements

Coronal Faraday rotation of the linearly polarized carrier signals of the HELIOS spacecraft was recorded during the regularly occurring solar occultations over almost a complete solar cycle from 1975 to 1984. These measurements are used to determine the average strength and radial variation of the coronal magnetic field at solar minimum at solar distances from 3–10 solar radii, i.e., the range over which the complex fields at the coronal base are transformed into the interplanetary spiral. The mean coronal magnetic field in 1975–1976 was found to decrease with radial distance according to r ^?α, where α = 2.7 ± 0.2. The mean field magnitude was 1.0 ± 0.5 × 10 ^?5 tesla at a nominal solar distance of 5 solar radii. Possibly higher magnetic field strengths were indicated at solar maximum, but a lack of data prevented a statistical determination of the mean coronal field during this epoch.     

Accurate Measurements of the Brightness of the White-Light Corona at the Total Solar Eclipses on 1 August 2008 and 22 July 2009

We measured the brightness of the white light corona at the total solar eclipses on 1 August 2008 and 22 July 2009, when solar activity was at its lowest in one hundred years. After careful calibration, the brightness of the corona in both eclipses was evaluated to be approximately 0.4×10^?6 of the total brightness of the Sun, which is the lowest level ever observed. Furthermore, the total brightness of the K+F-corona beyond 3R _⊙ in both eclipses is lower than some of the previous measurements of the brightness of the F-corona only. Our accurate measurements of the coronal brightness provide not only the K-corona brightness during a period of very low solar activity but also a reliable upper limit of the brightness of the F-corona.     

A model of hot loops associated with solar flares

A dynamical model is proposed for the formation of soft X-ray emitting hot loops in solar flares. It is examined by numerical simulations how a solar model atmosphere in a magnetic loop changes its state and forms a hot loop when the flare energy is released in the form of heat liberation either at the top part or around the transition region in the loop.When the heat liberation takes place at the top part of the loop which arches in the corona, the plasma temperature around the loop apex rises rapidly and, as the result, the downward thermal conductive flux is increased along the magnetic tube of force. Soon after the thermal conduction front rushes into the upper chromosphere, a local peak of pressure is produced near the conduction front and the chromospheric material begins to expand into the corona to form a high-temperature (10⁷ K-3 × 10⁷ K at the loop apex) and high-density (10¹⁰ cm^–3-10¹¹ cm^–3 at the loop apex) loop. The velocity of the expanding material can reach a few hundred kilometres per second in the coronal part. The thermal conduction front also plays a role of piston pushing the chromospheric material downward and gives birth to a shock wave which propagates through the minimum temperature region into the photosphere. If, on the other hand, the heat source is placed around the transition region in the loop, the expansion of the material into the corona occurs from the beginning of the flare and the formation process of the hot loop differs somewhat from the case with the heat source at the top part of the loop.Thermal components of radiations emitted from flare regions, ranging from soft X-rays to radio wavelengths, are interpreted in a unified way by using physical quantities obtained as functions of time and position in our flare loop model as will be discussed in detail in a following paper.     

Evaluating the Uncertainties in the Electron Temperature and Radial Speed Measurements Using White Light Corona Eclipse Observations

We examine the uncertainties in two plasma parameters from their true values in a simulated asymmetric corona. We use the Corona Heliosphere (CORHEL) and Magnetohydrodynamics Around the Sphere (MAS) models in the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC) to investigate the differences between an assumed symmetric corona and a more realistic, asymmetric one. We were able to predict the electron temperatures and electron bulk flow speeds to within ±?0.5 MK and ±?100 km?s^?1, respectively, over coronal heights up to 5.0 R_⊙ from Sun center. We believe that this technique could be incorporated in next-generation white-light coronagraphs to determine these electron plasma parameters in the low solar corona. We have conducted experiments in the past during total solar eclipses to measure the thermal electron temperature and the electron bulk flow speed in the radial direction in the low solar corona. These measurements were made at different altitudes and latitudes in the low solar corona by measuring the shape of the K-coronal spectra between 350 nm and 450 nm and two brightness ratios through filters centered at 385.0 nm/410.0 nm and 398.7 nm/423.3 nm with a bandwidth of ≈?4 nm. Based on symmetric coronal models used for these measurements, the two measured plasma parameters were expected to represent those values at the points where the lines of sight intersected the plane of the solar limb.     

Production and condensation of organic gases in the atmosphere of Titan

The rates and altitudes for the dissociation of atmospheric constituents of Titan are calculated for solar UV, solar wind protons, interplanetary electrons, Saturn magnetospheric particles, and cosmic rays. The resulting integrated synthesis rates of organic products range from 10²–10³ g cm^?2 over 4.5 × 10⁹ years for high-energy particle sources to 1.3 × 10⁴ g cm^?2 for UV at $\text{λ < 1550}\text{A}\text{?}$, and to 5.0 × 10⁵ g cm^?2 if $\text{λ > 1550}\text{A}\text{?}$ (acting primarily on C₂H₂, C₂H₄, and C₄H₂) is included. The production rate curves show no localized maxima corresponding to observed altitudes of Titan's hazes and clouds. For simple to moderately complex organic gases in the Titanian atmosphere, condensation occurs below the top of the main cloud deck at 2825 km. Such condensates comprise the principal cloud mass, with molecules of greater complexity condensing at higher altitudes. The scattering optical depths of the condensates of molecules produced in the Titanian mesosphere are as great as ～ 10²/(particulate radius, μm) if column densities of condensed and gas phases are comparable. Visible condensation hazes of more complex organic compounds may occur at altitudes up to ～ 3060 km provided only that the abundance of organic products declines with molecular mass no faster than laboratory experiments indicate. Typical organics condensing at 2900 km have molecular masses = 100–150 Da. At current rates of production the integrated depth of precipitated organic liquids, ices, and tholins produced over 4.5 × 10⁹ years ranges from a minimum ～ 100 m to kilometers if UV at $\text{λ > 1550}\text{A}\text{?}$ is important. The organic nitrogen content of this layer is expected to be ～ 10^?1?10^?3 by mass.     

Temperature of Polar Corona of the Sun According to Kislovodsk Observations During 1957–2002

We continued a study of the long-term variations of temperature in the solar corona at all latitudes (Makarov, Tlatov, and Callebaut, 2002a). The series of the green (Fe xiv 530.3 nm; KI₅₃₀₃) and red (Fe x 637.4 nm; KI₆₃₇₄) coronal intensities for 1957–2002 has been obtained using the coronal observations at the Kislovodsk Solar Station. The mean monthly coronal intensities have been calculated at all latitudes (0–90^˚) and in the high latitude (45–90^˚) zones. It was found that the value of KI₆₃₇₄/KI₅₃₀₃increased about 2.0 times at the high latitudes during the last 45 years. This corresponds to a decrease of the average temperature by 0.1 ×10⁶K of the polar corona. We suppose that a polar decrease of coronal temperature is connected with an increase of the area of polar zones A _PZoccupied by unipolar magnetic fields (Makarov et al., 2002) and, probably, with an increase of the area of polar coronal holes. The maximum ratio KI₆₃₇₄/KI₅₃₀₃is observed during the minimum sunspot activity.     

Revivals of a coronal arch

The giant post-flare arch of 6 November 1980 revived 11 hr and 25 hr after its formation. Both these revivals were caused by two-ribbon flares with growing systems of loops. The first two brightenings of the arch were homologous events with brightness maxima moving upwards through the corona with rather constant speed; during all three brightenings the arch showed a velocity pattern with two components: a slow one (8–12 km^?1), related to the moving maxima of brightness, and a fast one (～ 35 km s^?1), the source of which is unknown. During the first revival, at an altitude of 100000 km, temperature in the arch peaked ～ 1 hr, brightness ～ 2 hr, and emission measure ～ 3.5 hr after the onset of the brightening. Thus the arch looks like a magnified flare, with the scales both in size and time increased by an order of magnitude. At ～ 100000 km altitude the maximum temperature was ?14 × 10⁶K, max.n _e? 2.5 × 10⁹cm^?3, and max. energy density ? 11.2 erg cm^?3. The volume of the whole arch can be estimated to 1.1 × 10³⁰ cm³, total energy ?1.2 × 10³¹ erg, and total mass ?4.4 × 10¹⁵g. The density decreased with the increasing altitude and remained below 7 × 10⁹ cm^?3 anywhere in the arch. The arch cooled very slowly through radiation whereas conductive cooling was inhibited. Since its onset the revived arch was subject to energy input within the whole extent of the preexisting arch while a thermal disturbance (a new arch?) propagated slowly from below. We suggest that the first heating of the revived arch was due to reconnection of some of the distended flare loops with the magnetic field of the old preexisting arch. The formation of the ‘post’-flare loop system was delayed and started only some 30–40 min later. Since that time a new arch began to be formed above the loops and the velocities we found reflect this formation.     

Observation in Crimea of solar eclipse on August 1, 2008, at wavelengths 10.5 and 12 cm in the epoch of minimum of solar activity

The analysis of observations of the eclipse on August 1, 2008, at wavelengths of 10.5 and 12 cm demonstrated that, in the epoch of deep minimum between the 23rd and 24th cycles of solar activity, the radio radius of the solar disk in the equatorial direction was 120 × 10³ km larger than the radio radius in the polar direction. In this case, the brightness temperature of the polar region turned out to be of the order of (35–37) × 10³ K and corresponded to the radiation emission from upper layers of the chromosphere from an altitude of about 11 × 10³ km. At the heliolatitude <25° beyond the visible disk at a distance of about 70 × 10³ km from the photosphere an increased radio brightness of up to 100 × 10³ K was observed, which testifies to the increased electron density in the equatorial zone of the corona at the complete absence of groups of spots on the solar disk.