Observations of the Mg i and ii resonance lines in an active region

Spectra from 2678-2931 Å were obtained of an active region during the 19 June 1974, flight of the University of Hawaii rocket-borne echelle spectrograph. We report behavior of the Mg i and ii resonance line cores in quiet Sun, plage, sunspot, and filament structures. Among the interesting variations in these lines we discern a strong suppression of the red Mg ii emission peaks and possible rapid changes in the Mg i core in the spatially partially resolved sunspot.     

Velocity measures in the sunspot Rome no. 7490 (July 5, 1979)

Material motions on the solar surface have been deduced from the wavelength shift of Fe i 6302.5 Å, measured over the umbra and inner penumbra of a spot for which the magnetic field configuration has already been established with some confidence. The two vector fields are considered together in detail and the results support the convective roll sunspot model (Spruit, Galloway). For the magnetic field regions, both material flow along the field lines and field line motions are derived. A small upward motion only is deduced for the field free regions.     

On the temperature structure of sunspot umbrae

From a high-resolution spectrum of a sunspot umbra (1.1 < < 2.3 m) we derive models of the temperature stratification in the deep layers of the umbra. The observed spectrum is corrected for straylight using the Hi Paschen line at gl = 1.282 m. A method is described for the iterative fitting of empirical temperature models to spectral information, and the method is applied to the present data. We find that the observed profiles of 3 high-excitation lines of Sii and the observed continuum contrast between umbra and photosphere cannot be reproduced with a single one-component model of the umbral atmosphere: the Si i lines require a model that is 460 K hotter at gt _0.5 = 3 than the continuum model. This indicates that hot and cool components coexist within the umbra. A temperature model derived from the relative intensity in the wings of 3 low-excitation lines of Mgi, Ali, and Sii is not significantly different from the continuum model.Based on observations obtained at Kitt Peak National Observatory, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA), under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

On some characteristics of umbral fine structure

Photographic spectra of the umbra of a sunspot (1971, August 24, Rome No. 6205) around 6150 Å show fine bright threads which were identified as the spectra of a lightbridge, of the bright end of a penumbral filament and of umbral dots, respectively. It was found, in agreement with the results of other authors, that the magnetic field in bright structures is considerably weaker than in dark umbral material. Analysis of line profiles of Fe ii 6149.2 Å in umbral dots indicates (a) a fieldstrength reduced by a factor 2 compared to the surroundings, (b) an outflow with v3.0 km s^–1 relative to the penumbra and (c) possibly photospheric temperatures in umbral dots.Mitteilungen aus dem Fraunhofer Institut Nr. 115.     

High resolution EUV structure of the chromosphere-corona transition region above a sunspot

Ion emission line intensities between 1170 and 1700 Å allow one to determine the differential emission measure (DEM) and electron pressure of the plasma in the solar transition region (TR). These line intensities together with their Doppler shifts and line widths are measured simultaneously for the first time above a sunsport from data obtained with the NRL High Resolution Telescope and Spectrograph with 0.06 Å spectral and 1 spatial resolution.The Doppler shifts show both subsonic and supersonic flow in the same line of sight over the umbra. The temperature structure for 40 resolution elements in the sunspot umbra and penumbra is derived from the DEM and the observed electron pressures.Extrapolation of the emission measure curves supports the previous EUV and X-ray observations that coronal plasma above sunspots with T _e>10⁶ K is reduced while emission from TR plasma between 2×10⁵ and 10⁶ K is greatly enhanced relative to quiet or active regions. This enhancement shifts the minimum of the DEM to lower temperatures and increases the slope at 2×10⁵ K by a factor of two.New pressure diagnostics using the emission line intensity ratios of C iv to N iv are presented, and applied to the data.The energy balance in the TR for the sunspot umbra is dominated by radiative losses from the large amount of TR plasma.An estimate of the energy budget shows that an energy input is required to balance the radiative energy losses above the umbra. The observed divergence of the enthalpy flux for the umbral downflows can balance these radiative losses for T _e between 30000 and 200 000 K.A typical umbral model of T _e versus reduced mass column density is compared with one for chromospheric temperatures determined from the Ca H and K lines.Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, Norway.     

Extreme ultraviolet spectra of solar active regions and their analysis

Extreme ultraviolet spectra of several active regions are presented and analyzed. Spectral intensities of 3 active regions observed with the NRL Skylab XUV spectroheliograph (170–630 Å) are derived. From this data density sensitive line ratios of Mg viii, Si x, S xii, Fe ix, Fe x, Fe xi, Fe xii, Fe xiii, Fe xiv, and Fe xv are examined and typically yield, to within a factor of 2, electron pressures of 1 dyne cm^–2 (n _e T = 6 × 10¹⁵ cm^–3 K). The differential emission measure of the brightest 35 × 35 portion of an active region is obtained between 1.4 × 10⁴ K and 5 × 10⁶ K from HCO OSO-VI XUV (280–1370 Å) spectra published by Dupree et al. (1973). Stigmatic EUV spectra (1170–1710 Å) obtained by the NRL High Resolution Telescope and Spectrograph (HRTS) are also presented. Doppler velocities as a function of position along the slit are derived in an active region plage and sunspot. The velocities are based on an absolute wavelength scale derived from neutral chromospheric lines and are accurate to ±2 km s^–1. Downflows at 10⁵ K are found throughout the plage with typical velocities of 10 km s^–1. In the sunspot, downflows are typically 5 to 20 km s^–1 over the umbra and zero over the penumbra. In addition localized 90 and 150 km s^–1 downflows are found in the umbra in the same 1 × 1 resolution elements which contain the lower velocity downflows. Spectral intensities and velocities in a typical plage 1 resolution element are derived. The velocities are greatest ( 10 km s^–1) at 10⁵ K with lower velocities at higher and lower temperatures. The differential emission measure between 1.3 × 10⁴ K and 2 × 10⁶ K is derived and is found to be comparable to that derived from the OSO-VI data. An electron pressure of 1.4 dynes cm^–2 (n _e T = 1.0 × 10¹⁶ cm^–3 K) is determined from pressure sensitive line ratios of Si iii, O iv, and N iv. From the data presented it is shown that convection plays a major role in determining the structure and dynamics of the active region transition zone and corona.     

A comparison of the oscillations in sunspot umbrae,penumbrae, and the surrounding photosphere

Time series of the nonsplit Fei 7090 Å line have been observed in several sunspots with a 100 x 100 diode array corresponding to 48 arc sec times 1.39 Å. The spatial behaviour of Doppler motions along one fixed slit position has been studied as a function of time. Former results are confirmed, that the power in the five minute range decreases from the photosphere to the umbra, where, however, values still well above the noise level are measured. Regarding the penumbra, the power tends to exhibit a maximum at locations where the line-of-sight component of a radial horizontal field should be maximal. This indicates that the direction of the oscillatory velocities might be influenced by the magnetic field or the Evershed flow. No significant power is found in the 3 min range. An exception might be seen in a small patch at the limb of the umbra of one spot.     

SMM/UVSP observations of the distribution of transition region oscillations and other properties in a sunspot

Observations of a sunspot in the Civ line at 1548 Å formed in the transition region have been analyzed to obtain the time variations and/or mean values of the velocity, intensity, longitudinal magnetic field, and line width. Oscillations with periods between approximately 110 and 200 s are observed only over the umbra where the transition region magnetic field is highest and the line width is smallest. When periodic intensity variations occur at the same frequency as the velocity oscillations, the peak intensities occur slightly before the maximum upward motions. No periodic variations in the transition region magnetic field have been detected. Scatter diagrams are presented which show possible relationships between the flow velocity, emission line intensity, line width, and transition region magnetic field.     

Emission measures and structure of the transition region of a sunspot from emission lines in the far ultraviolet

Absolute intensities of emission lines in the wavelength range from 1200 Å to 1817 Å from the large sunspot in McMath region 12510 near Sun center are presented. The intensities are averaged across the umbra and penumbra of the sunspot. The observations were made with the NRL slit spectrograph on Skylab. Emission measures are derived from the measured intensities. Assuming a balance between the divergence of the conductive energy flux and the radiative energy losses, a self-consistent model of the lower transition region in the sunspot is constructed. The model gives a constant pressure of about 0.19 dyne cm^-2, and a conductive flux which decreases approximately one order of magnitude between 2 × 10⁵ K and 4 × 10⁴ K. The temperature gradient is relatively constant, increasing slowly with decreasing temperature.Ball Brothers Research Corporation.     

Oscillations Above Sunspots

The 3-min oscillations in the sunspot atmosphere are discussed, based on joint observing with the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer – TRACE and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory – SOHO. We find that the oscillation amplitude above the umbra increases with increasing temperature, reaches a maximum for emission lines formed close to 1–2× 10⁵ K, and decreases for higher temperatures. Oscillations observed with a high signal-to-noise ratio show deviations from pure linear oscillations. The results do not support the sunspot filter theory, based on the idea of a chromospheric resonator. Whereas the filter theory predicts several resonant peaks in the power spectra, equally spaced 1 mHz in frequency, the observed power spectra show one dominating peak, close to 6 mHz. Spectral observations show that the transition region lines contribute less than 13 percent to the TRACE 171 Å channel intensity above the umbra. The 3-min oscillations fill the sunspot umbra in the transition region. In the corona the oscillations are concentrated to smaller regions that appear to coincide with the endpoints of sunspot coronal loops, suggesting that wave propagation along the magnetic field makes it possible for the oscillations to reach the corona.     

The supergranule velocity field

A study of supergranule motions confirms horizontal velocities with peak values of typically 0.36 km s^–1 as observed in Fe i 8688 Å. These show no significant variation with height over the range of formation of C i 9111, Fe i 8688, and Mg i 8806, but there is a substantial reduction to about one-half of this at the level of Ca ii 8542.Near disk center, supergranule vertical velocities in Fe i 8688 have rms values ±0.01 km ^–1, after allowance for the residual effects of the line-of-sight component of the horizontal supergranule motions, the five-minute oscillations, granule motions, and detector drift. There is a marginally-significant association of magnetic elements, and hence of cell boundaries, with downward motions; but this requires further testing.Measurements of downward velocities 0.1 km^–1 in regions of strong magnetic field when using unpolarized light are attributed to the much higher downflow inside the elements themselves and have nothing to do with supergranule motions.Visiting Astronomer, Kitt Peak National Observatory.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Penumbral velocity oscillations

Doppler velocity variations of four sunspot penumbrae were observed in November 1988 at the Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife, using the spectral line Fe i 5576 Å. All of the penumbrae show local power maxima in the five-minute range, while no power is found around three minutes. This indicates that the five-minute oscillations are still present in the penumbrae, but the direction of the velocities might be tilted by the magnetic field. On the other hand, the maxima of the power and of the Evershed flow do not always occur at the same locations.The Gregory-Coudé telescope is operated by the Universitäts-Sternwarte Göttingen in cooperation with the Kiepenheuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik in Freiburg and the Institut für Astronomie und Astrophysik der Universität Würzburg.     

Vector magnetic fields in sunspots

Observations of a round, unipolar sunspot in the Zeeman triplet Fe i 6302.5 with the High Altitude Observatory Stokes Polarimeter are used to derive the vector magnetic field in the spot. The behavior of the magnitude, inclination, and azimuth of the field vector B across the spot is discussed. A linear relation is found between the continuum intensity I _c and the field magnitude B. Time series obtained in the umbra show significant power in the magnitude of the field at a period of t 180 s but the other components of the field vector do not display this behavior.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Wave propagation in the photosphere

Using a 32 minutes sequence of observation, brightness and velocity fluctuations in the wings of the Mgi line at 5172.7 Å and Fe ii line at 5197.578 Å are analysed. The analysis of phase shifts and amplitude ratios leads to the following conclusions:

Temporal variations of the magnetic field in sunspots

We obtained simultaneous spectra with a spatial resolution of 1/2 and a temporal resolution of 15 s in H, Ca ii-K, Caii 8542 Å, and three Fei lines of the sunspot group responsible for the large flares of August, 1972 (McMath No. 11976). A time series taken 1972, August 3 in the Fei 6173 Å Zeeman sensitive line was analyzed for oscillations of field strength and the angle between the field and the line of sight, and for changes of the field associated with the Ca ii-K umbral flashes discovered by Beckers and Tallant (1969). The power spectra show no significant peaks, conflicting with the results of Mogilevskii et al. (1972) who reported oscillations in the longitudinal component of the field strength with periods of 56, 90, and 150 s. Changes in the field were not observed to be correlated with the occurrence of umbral flashes. These results place restrictions on magnetic modes of energy transport between the photospheric layers and the chromospheric layers where the umbral flashes are observed.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Longitudinal and temporal variations of sunspot regions and coronal holes during Cycle 21

The relationship between sunspot activity in heliographic longitude and coronal holes is investigated for the period corresponding to Cycle 21 (Carrington rotations 1623–1779). The major result is that, based on He i 10830 Å data, a strong inverse association is found between the longitudinal positions of sunspot groups and the size and number of coronal holes (especially, the equatorial extensions of polar holes). Frequencies of coincidences in longitude were determined for both types of activity and the evolution of coronal holes over Cycle 21 is depicted in the form of a butterfly diagram displaying their latitudinal and longitudinal extents. A tabular listing identifies average longitude and persistence of sunspot active longitudes.     

Brightness fluctuations in the K-line wings

A power-spectrum and cross-spectrum analysis has been made of measurements of temporal fluctuations of intensity observed in the K-line wing (2.07 Å from line center) and of simultaneous measurements of temporal fluctuations of Doppler displacement of the cores of 3931.122 Fe i and 3933 Ca ii (K₃). The measurements were made in a quiet region near the center of the Sun's disk. We find that the average power spectra of the intensity fluctuations have two significant peaks of about equal strength: one at 0.0033 Hz (300-s period); and one at about 0.001 Hz (1000-s period). The average rms value of these intensity fluctuations is 0.0435±0.0082. Maximum brightness comes before maximum violet displacement of the Fe i line. The mean of the best determined phases is 137° and of all the data 108°. At those places on the Sun where the 300-s oscillations can be identified in the k₃ core, the Doppler displacement of the Fe i line leads that of the K₃ core by a mean phase angle of 27°.     

A complete photoelectric sunspot spectrum: An atlas from 3900–8000 Å

Complete photoelectric spectra of the photosphere as well as of both umbra and penumbra of a typical sunspot, ranging from 3900–8000 Å, have been obtained at the Locarno observatory. An automatic scanning device, a high precision electronic divider and an on-line Oscillomink penless recorder enabled us to eliminate the noise produced by image distortion and to scan the entire visible spectrum within just 5 h. The recordings have a linear dispersion of about 50 mm/Å and a spectral resolution of 40 mÅ or better. Simultaneously with these observations the momentary continuous spot intensity and its fast variation with time due to seeing variations have been recorded with a frequency resolution up to 100 Hz. In order to provide as much data as possible for the correction of the umbral spectrum for parasitic light, we also measured the limb profile and the aureola intensity at several wavelengths.At present, the recordings are being processed and combined into an atlas, which we plan to make available in either numerical or graphical form.As a first result, we compare our corrected continuous sunspot intensities with those of other authors and derive standard reference data on the radiation of both umbra and penumbra of a typical sunspot. Finally we make a comparison between some radiative properties of sunspots and late-type stellar atmospheres.     

Identification of forbidden coronal lines of Fe x and Ni xii

The transitions 3s ²3p ⁴3d ⁴ D, ⁴ F–3s3p ⁵3d ⁴ F have been studied in the Cl i isoelectronic sequence from Ca iv to Fe x. The determination of the 3s ²3p ⁴3d quartet intervals in Fe x has led to the identification of eleven coronal lines in the region from 1463 Å to 5539 Å as forbidden transitions within this configuration. By extrapolation, an additional coronal line is identified with a similar transition in Ni xii.     

On the fine structure of the evershed effect

The fine structure of the Evershed effect was studied using spectrograms obtained on 3 July 1969 at the Pulkovo Observatory. The results of the study of Fei and Cai lines show that the outward motion in the penumbra is concentrated only in dark filaments. It is supposed that interfilamentary spaces are parts of the photosphere not covered by dark filaments. The velocity variation along a few dark filaments shows that maximum velocity is at a distance 0.8 Rs from the center of the sunspot. The mean velocity in the interfilamentary elements is of the same order as that in the photosphere directly adjoining the penumbra. The results of measurement in Ti ii, Fe ii and CH lines show that in the colder upper part of the penumbra (CH) the velocity is greater than the velocity measured in the deeper layers (Feii and Tiii). The mean velocity at the outer boundaries of the dark filaments (Tii) is 1.5–2.0 km/s.