A new family of solutions of the force-free field equation

In this paper, we determine the temperature profile along the footpoints of large coronal loops observed by TRACE in both the 171 Å and 195 Å passbands. The temperature along the lower part of these coronal loops only shows small variations and can probably be considered to be isothermal. Using the obtained temperature profile T(s) and an estimate of the column depth along the loop, we then determine the pressure along the lower part of the observed coronal loops and hence the value of the pressure scale length. The obtained scale lengths correspond in order-of-magnitude with the theoretically predicted gravitational scale height. We show that the differences between the observed and predicted scale heights are unlikely to be caused by (significant) flows along the loops but could possibly be a consequence of the inclination of the loops. This implies that the quasi-periodic intensity oscillations observed in the loops are most probably caused by compressive waves propagating upward at the coronal sound speed.     

Magnetic fields and the structure of the solar corona

During the eclipse of 12 November 1966, the solar corona was photographed at an effective wavelength of 6500 Å with an f/16, 11.1 cm aperture camera. Reduction of the observations yields coronal radiances and polarizations from 1.4 to 3.5 solar radii. Standard techniques are used for the separation of F and K-coronas, determination of coronal electron densities and temperatures, and estimation of the orientation of the major streamers in space.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

The UV continuum 1450–2100 Å and the problem of the solar temperature minimum

This study is based on a set of ten solar rocket spectra well exposed for photometry photographed on July 27, 1966 by Purcell, Snider, and Tousey.The photometry of the far UV continuum illustrates the transition of the solar temperature minimum at 1700 Å in the solar spectrum - (a) the continuum intensity decreases by 30–50% between 1700 Å and the¹ D limit of silicon at 1682 Å, and (b) the equivalent brightness temperature shows minimum values throughout the spectral range 1540–1682 Å, which average just under 4700 ± 100K.The minimum UV brightness temperature is 300K higher than the far infrared measurement of the solar minimum temperature, and possible reasons for this are discussed.Brightness temperatures measured in prominent CO band heads and in the aluminum 1937 Å auto-ionization line also are given.     

Interplanetary type III radiobursts and relativistic electrons

For the time periods 1979 April 22–May 17 and 1980 May 9–June 10, when the HELIOS spacecraft were located inside 0.5 AU, we compared the antenna temperature T _A of the 466 kHz type III bursts measured by the SBH instrument on ISEE 3 with the fluxes of 0.5 MeV electrons measured by HELIOS. For 51 flare-associated kilometric type III bursts (FAIII bursts) with log(T _A) > 10 we find: (1) 25 bursts (49%) are accompanied by a relativistic electron event in interplanetary space, (2) the probability for detection of an electron event decreases from more than 74% inside a cone of ± 20 ° to 56% inside a cone of ± 60° around the flare site, (3) there is only a small correlation between the brightness temperature of the radio burst and the size of the electron event, and (4) despite the broad scatter of these values there is a clear indication that for a given size of the relativistic electron event the intensity of the type III burst is about a factor of 5 higher if it is accompanied by a type II burst. These results give evidence (a) that at least part of the relativistic electrons frequently is accelerated together with non-relativistic electrons and (b) that the coronal shock associated with the metric type II burst has a weaker effect on relativistic than on non-relativistic electrons.Now at DFVLR, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.     

The far ultraviolet spectrum of the sun

Predictions of solar flux and limb darkening calculated from the Utrecht Reference Model, the Mutschlecner model, and the Bilderberg Continuum Atmosphere are compared with the rocket ultraviolet observations. The calculations employ recent experimental and theoretical determinations of metallic photo-ionization cross-sections. The spectral region between the continuous absorption edge from the first excited level of silicon at 1680 Å and the ground-state absorption edge at 1525 Å proves particularly significant for an investigation of the solar temperature minimum. The analysis indicates that the solar temperature minimum is relatively broad and flat, having a nearly constant temperature over somewhat more than a scale height, and that the chromospheric rise occurs just above 5000 = 10^–4 or so. Within the assumptions of the present models, a satisfactory interpretation of the ultraviolet spectrum can be reached with a temperature minimum of 4600° ± 100 °K.     

Observations of the infrared FeXIII lines in the solar corona of 12 November, 1966

The purpose of this paper is to report on some intensity measurements of the Fe xiii lines at 10 747 Å and 10 798 Å made during the total eclipse of 12 November, 1966. Infrared spectra were taken of the solar corona at a dispersion of 90 Å per mm, using an RCA image converter and spectrograph aboard the NASA CV 990 aircraft off the coast of southern Brazil. The spectra have been reduced to equivalent width in terms of the coronal continuum and values derived for different points in the corona.The observed equivalent widths of the lines lie in the range 10 to 30 Å for the 10 747 line and 5 to 12 Å for the 10 798 line. The ratio of these equivalent widths is found to vary from 2.3 in the inner corona to 6 at a point 1.36 solar radii from the center of the Sun.The above results are discussed in terms of the excitation mechanisms involved in producing the lines. In particular, the results are compared with the recent theoretical calculations of Chevalier and Lambert, who are the first to include the effects of proton collisions in the excitation of the 3p ^{2 3} P levels of Fexiii. Our observations are consistent with an electron density of 4 × 10⁸ in the inner corona; a value which compares favorably with those derived by other observers from the strength of the K continuum. These are, to our knowledge, the first eclipse observations of the infrared Fe xiii lines which indicate that proton collisions are important in the excitation of the coronal lines. The coronal abundance of iron is estimated from the equivalent width of the 10 747 line, and in common with other observers we find an overabundance as compared to the photospheric abundance by a factor of 10.     

The absorption spectrum of atmospheric water vapor in the vicinity of the He 10830 Å triplet

Wavelengths of clean atmospheric water lines, and some solar lines, in the wavelength interval 10750 Å to 10900 Å have been measured to an accuracy approaching ± 1 mÅ. Strengths and wavelengths have been measured for all atmospheric water lines with absorption coefficients > 5 × 10^–4 cm^–1 gm^–1 cm^–2 at 280K, that lie within 15 Å of the He I 10830 Å featur of the stronger He component is affected by a weak water line which reduces atmospheric transmission by nearly 1 % with 10 mm precipitable water in the line of sight.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

Rocket observation of the EUV images of a solar flare and active regions

Images of a flare and active regions were obtained in the extreme ultraviolet emission lines such as CIII 977 Å, Ne VIII 770 Å, and HI L, and hydrogen Lyman continua with a spatial resolution of less than ten seconds of arc together with one-dimensional scanning at 1650 Å. A microchannel plate was used as a detector, and pointing accuracy was, for about half of the observation time, around 0.5 arc sec.The relationship between the shape of the flare and the structure of the photospheric magnetic field is discussed. A map of the electron temperature distribution derived from the intensity ratio of the Lyman continua at 880 Å and 815 Å showed a lower temperature in regions of higher activity. A very small geometrical thickness of 50–500 m in the C III emitting region of the flare was found. And the layer emitting the continuum in 1650 Å is shown to be at a temperature of 5300 K in the flare and 4700 K in active regions.     

An Optical,Dual-Beam,Automated Medium Resolution Spectropolarimeter for the Vainu Bappu Telescope

Fabrication of an optical dual-beam spectropolarimeter as an add-on facility to an existing astronomical spectrograph at the Vainu Bappu Telescope is described. The polarimetric optics consists of a superachromatic Pancharatnam design half-wave plate and a modified Glan-Taylor polarizing beam splitter. Instrumental response, calibration and characterization of the system are presented. Performance of the spectropolarimeter has been assessed based on the results of observations of polarized and unpolarized standard stars. The attainable accuracy of the instrument is found to be dependent on the S/N of the data. The present data set yields an accuracy of ±0.5% at 4000 Å and ±0.3% at 7500 Å, at a spectral resolution of 7.2 Å. Analysis of spectropolarimetric data is systematically covered for removal of instrumental errors. The spectropolarimetric reduction software (SPRS), extremely versatile, user friendly and compatible with the IRAF image processing package, was developed for reducing spectropolarimetric data. The empirical relation by Serkowski (IAU Symposium 52, Interstellar Dust and Related Topics, J. M. Greenberg and H. C. van de Hulst (eds.), Dordrecht, Reidel, 1975, p. 145) for wavelength dependence of polarization due to interstellar medium has been fitted to the data for the star HD 43384 (9 Gem). Our result shows a polarization larger by 0.49% from Hsu and Berger (ApJ 262, 1982, 732). We attribute this difference to the long term variation in P for this star.     

Energetic Particles and Coronal Mass Ejections: a Case Study From ace and Ulysses

In 2001 the Ulysses spacecraft crossed the ecliptic plane near perihelion. The heliographic longitude with respect to the Earth was within ±20° of the west solar limb while it was ±15° of the ecliptic plane, which meant that coronal mass ejections seen off the solar west limb were likely to pass over Ulysses. On 10 May the largest >38 keV electron intensity of the mission, since the Jovian encounter in 1992, was observed, which was accompanied by a fast perpendicular shock. This event was preceded by a fast coronal mass ejection some two and a half days earlier which is the probable source of the shock. However, both the ACE spacecraft and Ulysses observed, simultaneously, an intense, prompt electron event on 7 May from a solar flare associated with earlier coronal mass ejections also observed off the west limb; Ulysses was magnetically connected to a longitude well behind the west limb. ACE did not observe any (at the 0.1% level) energetic electrons which were associated with the 10 May event seen at Ulysses. We discuss in detail the energetic particles seen at the two spacecraft during 7–11 May, with the objective of understanding the origin of the intense electron event seen on 10 May and the manner in which particles escaping from the shock populate the inner heliosphere. The energy spectrum of the ions at both ACE and Ulysses exhibits a maximum at around 400 keV; this form of the spectrum was seen at the shock itself. It appears that the strong shock driven by the fast coronal mass ejection is able to populate a large fraction of the inner heliosphere with accelerated ions. The shock-accelerated electrons do not pervade the inner heliosphere in the same manner as the ions. We suggest that the electron acceleration was enhanced by the presence of multiple coronal mass ejections.     

Further X-ray spectra of solar active regions

Measurements of the solar X-ray spectrum between 3 Å and 15 Å are reported. They were made with two slitless Bragg crystal spectrometers flown on a Sun-pointed Skylark rocket on 8 August, 1967.The use of a beryl crystal has provided higher spectral resolution than hitherto in the spectral range 12 Å and 15 Å leading, in particular, to a revised identification of the strong line at 13.71 Å. Separate components of the stronger emission lines are clearly seen from each of three coronal active regions which may be identified on radio and X-ray spectroheliograms.The absolute line fluxes are used to determine a model for each active region in terms of the differential emission measure as a function of electron temperature. Emission lines due to the transition 1s ^{2 1} S ₀ – 1s2s ³ S ₁ in several helium-like ions are identified and values of the local electron density derived from measurement of the line flux in these ions.     

Fluctuations of brightness and vertical velocity at various heights in the photosphere

In a spectrogram of exceptionally high spatial resolution, brightness and velocity fluctuations in seven weak to medium-strong Fe i lines have been measured and analyzed. Heights of formation of these lines have been computed using the Harvard-Smithsonian Reference Atmosphere (Gingerich et al., 1972), taking into account departures from LTE.The results show that granular velocity fluctuations decrease with increasing height up to the vicinity of the temperature minimum. If extrapolated downward to the height of formation of the continuum, the rms velocity fluctuation is 0.8 km s^-1 with an estimated error of ± 0.2 km s^-1.The correlation of continuum brightness fluctuations with velocity fluctuations decreases rapidly with height, and even becomes slightly negative at h > 160 km. This finding is consistent with the picture of the granulation consisting of convective elements overshooting into a stable atmosphere.On leave from Fraunhofer Institut, Freiburg, F.R.G.     

The identification of new forbidden coronal lines in the solar EUV spectrum

Identifications are proposed for twenty of the twenty-eight coronal lines observed in the spectra obtained during a rocket flight into the path of the 7 March, 1970 solar eclipse. The methods by which the lines have been identified are discussed. Most of the lines identified are from forbidden transitions between levels in the ground 2p ⁿ and 3p ⁿ configurations in high ions of magnesium, silicon, sulphur, iron, and nickel. The temperature range represented is from 6.9 × 10⁵ K to 2.5 × 10⁶ K. The classification of three lines of Fexii and two of Nixiv has led to a revised identification for the near ultraviolet ² D _3/2-² P _1/2 transition in Fe xii. This transition can be identified with the line at 3072 Å rather than that at 3021 Å as previously suggested in the literature.     

Center-to-limb profiles of the aluminum autoionization lines in the solar spectrum

The rotation of the solar corona has been studied using recurrence properties of the green coronal line (5303 Å) for the interval 1947–1970. Short-lived coronal activity is found to show the same differential rotation as short-lived photospheric magnetic field features. Long-lived recurrences show rigid rotation in the latitude interval ±57°.5. It is proposed that at least part of the variability of rotational properties of the solar atmosphere may be understood as a consequence of coexistence of differential and rigid solar rotation.On leave from Torino University, Italy, as an ESRO-NASA Fellow.     

The abundance of cadmium in the solar atmosphere

The solar spectrum at 3261 Å has been studied using the spectrograph at the Oslo Solar Observatory. From analysis of this wavelength region and recent results at 5085 Å, a solar cadmium abundance log N _Cd = 1.86 ± 0.15 is obtained.     

O VI (λ = 1032 Å) profiles in and above an active region prominence,compared to quiet Sun center and limb profiles

O vi ( = 1032 Å) profiles have been measured in and above a filament at the limb, previously analyzed in H i, Mg ii, Ca ii resonance lines (Vial et al., 1979). They are compared to profiles measured at the quiet Sun center and at the quiet Sun limb.Absolute intensities are found to be about 1.55 times larger than above the quiet limb at the same height (3); at the top of the prominence (15 above the limb) one finds a maximum blue shift and a minimum line width. The inferred non-thermal velocity (29 km s^–1) is about the same as in cooler lines while the approaching line-of-sight velocity (8 km s^–1) is lower than in Ca ii lines.The O vi profile recorded 30 above the limb outside the filament is wider (FWHM = 0.33 Å). It can be interpreted as a coronal emission of O vi ions with a temperature of about 10⁶ K, and a non-thermal velocity (NTV) of 49 km s^–1. This NTV is twice the NTV of quiet Sun center O vi profiles. Lower NTV require higher temperatures and densities (as suggested by K-coronameter measurements). Computed emission measures for this high temperature regime agree with determinations from disk intensities of euv lines.     

NIV line ratios in the Sun

Theoretical Niv emission line ratios, which incorporate several improvements over previous estimates, are presented for R ₁ = I(923.2 Å)/I(765.1 Å) and R ₂ = I(1718.6 Å)/I(1486.5 Å), which are electron density and temperature sensitive, respectively. A comparison of R ₁ with observational data for several solar features obtained with the Harvard S-055 spectrometer on board Skylab reveals generally good agreement between theory and observation, except for the quiet Sun, which is probably due to the 923.2 Å line being blended with an Feiii transition in this instance. The observed value of R ₂, determined from a quiet-Sun spectrum obtained by the S082-B spectrograph on board Skylab, implies an electron temperature in excellent agreement with that of maximum Niv fractional abundance in ionisation equilibrium, which provides observational support for the accuracy of the diagnostic calculations.     

Extreme Ultraviolet Emission Lines of ca xv in Solar and Laboratory Spectra

New R-matrix calculations of electron impact excitation rates in Caxv are used to derive theoretical electron density diagnostic emission line intensity ratios involving 2s ²2p ²–2s2p ³ transitions, specifically R ₁=I(208.70 Å)/I(200.98 Å), R ₂=I(181.91 Å)/I(200.98 Å), and R ₃=I(215.38 Å)/I(200.98 Å), for a range of electron temperatures (T _e=10^6.4–10^6.8 K) and densities (N _e=10⁹–10¹³ cm^–3) appropriate to solar coronal plasmas. Electron densities deduced from the observed values of R ₁, R ₂, and R ₃ for several solar flares, measured from spectra obtained with the Naval Research Laboratory's S082A spectrograph on board Skylab, are found to be consistent. In addition, the derived electron densities are in excellent agreement with those determined from line ratios in Caxvi, which is formed at a similar electron temperature to Caxv. These results provide some experimental verification for the accuracy of the line ratio calculations, and hence the atomic data on which they are based. A set of eight theoretical Caxv line ratios involving 2s ²2p ²–2s2p ³ transitions in the wavelength range 140–216 Å are also found to be in good agreement with those measured from spectra of the TEXT tokamak plasma, for which the electron temperature and density have been independently determined. This provides additional support for the accuracy of the theoretical line ratios and atomic data.     

Observational study of the five-minute oscillations in the solar atmosphere

An improved method is described for the measurement of both the solar radius and the height of the chromosphere in any desired wavelength. Possible sources of uncertainty are discussed and a comparison with other methods is made. The first results from the 1972 observing period are given: R = (960.24 ±0.16) for the continuum at 5011.5 Å and R = (966.9 ±0.4) for H ± 0.5 Å. This yields a mean height of Ha emission of (4900 ± 400) km.     

The high-dispersion continuous ultraviolet solar spectrum and the Balmer-jump

Among the intensities, determined at about 200 wavelengths between 3000 and 4100 Å in the spectrum of the centre of the sun's disk (Houtgast, 1965), the 32 highest ones (windows) were plotted and compared with absolute intensities given by other authors.The intensities in between the Fraunhofer lines from 3600 to 4000 Å, as determined here for the first time with high dispersion, reveal a detailed picture of several absorption features, one of which can be attributed to a Balmer jump of 0.03, a value in accordance with that found for stars and in agreement with the strengths of the high Balmer lines.The much higher value of the Balmer jump for the sun, as quoted in literature, in reality refers to the total intensity jump between 4000 and 3600 Å, which is mainly due to the crowding of Fraunhofer lines.