Present and Future Observing Trends in Atmospheric Magnetoseismology

With modern imaging and spectral instruments observing in the visible, EUV, X-ray, and radio wavelengths, the detection of oscillations in the solar outer atmosphere has become a routine event. These oscillations are considered to be the signatures of a wave phenomenon and are generally interpreted in terms of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves. With multiwavelength observations from ground- and space-based instruments, it has been possible to detect waves in a number of different wavelengths simultaneously and, consequently, to study their propagation properties. Observed MHD waves propagating from the lower solar atmosphere into the higher regions of the magnetized corona have the potential to provide excellent insight into the physical processes at work at the coupling point between these different regions of the Sun. High-resolution wave observations combined with forward MHD modeling can give an unprecedented insight into the connectivity of the magnetized solar atmosphere, which further provides us with a realistic chance to reconstruct the structure of the magnetic field in the solar atmosphere. This type of solar exploration has been termed atmospheric magnetoseismology. In this review we will summarize some new trends in the observational study of waves and oscillations, discussing their origin and their propagation through the atmosphere. In particular, we will focus on waves and oscillations in open magnetic structures (e.g., solar plumes) and closed magnetic structures (e.g., loops and prominences), where there have been a number of observational highlights in the past few years. Furthermore, we will address observations of waves in filament fibrils allied with a better characterization of their propagating and damping properties, the detection of prominence oscillations in UV lines, and the renewed interest in large-amplitude, quickly attenuated, prominence oscillations, caused by flare or explosive phenomena.     

SUMER - Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation

The instrument SUMER - Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation is designed to investigate structures and associated dynamical processes occurring in the solar atmosphere, from the chromosphere through the transition region to the inner corona, over a temperature range from 10⁴ to 2 × 10⁶ K and above. These observations will permit detailed spectroscopic diagnostics of plasma densities and temperatures in many solar features, and will support penetrating studies of underlying physical processes, including plasma flows, turbulence and wave motions, diffusion transport processes, events associated with solar magnetic activity, atmospheric heating, and solar wind acceleration in the inner corona. Specifically, SUMER will measure profiles and intensities of EUV lines; determine Doppler shifts and line broadenings with high accuracy; provide stigmatic images of the Sun in the EUV with high spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution; and obtain monochromatic maps of the full Sun and the inner corona or selected areas thereof. SUMER will be flown on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), scheduled for launch in November, 1995. This paper has been written to familiarize solar physicists with SUMER and to demonstrate some command procedures for achieving certain scientific observations.     

Radio Versus EUV/X-Ray Observations of the Solar Atmosphere

This paper reviews the contrasting properties of radio and EUV/X-ray observations for the study of the solar atmosphere. The emphasis is placed on explaining the nature of radio observations to an EUV/X-ray audience. Radio emission is produced by mechanisms which are well-understood within classical physics. Bremsstrahlung tends to be dominant at low frequencies, while gyro-resonance emission from strong magnetic fields produces bright sources at higher frequencies. At most radio frequencies the images of the Sun are dominated almost everywhere by bremsstrahlung opacity, which may be optically thick or thin depending on circumstances. Where gyro-resonance sources are present they may be used as sensitive probes of the regions above active regions where magnetic field strengths exceed several hundred gauss, and this unique capability is one of the strengths of radio observations. Typically a gyro-resonance radio source shows the temperature on an optically thick surface of constant magnetic field within the corona. Since each radio frequency corresponds to a different magnetic field strength, the coronal structure can be `peeled away' by using different frequencies. The peculiarities of radio observing techniques are discussed and contrasted with EUV/X-ray techniques. Radio observations are strong at determining temperatures and coronal magnetic field strengths while EUV/X-ray observations better sense densities and reveal coronal magnetic field lines: in this way the two wavelength domains are nicely complementary.     

Observations of Transition Region Plasma

Recent space missions have changed our view of the solar transition region. In particular the ESA/NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and NASA's TRACE satellite have provided a unique opportunity to explore the solar atmosphere in detail. The combination of high spatial, spectral and temporal observations has made it possible to derive three dimensional images of the emission and velocity structures of solar features. Active region loop structures at transition region temperatures appear to be extremely time variable and dynamic, a result with profound implications for our understanding and modeling of the upper solar atmosphere. Large Dopplershifts have also been observed in these structures. A 3-minute transition region oscillation has been observed above sunspots suggesting upward-propagating acoustic waves. Clear evidence of velocity oscillations in the internetwork regions has also been observed in both the chromosphere and the transition region. The longstanding and puzzling problem of the apparent net red shift of emission lines from the transition region has been revisited. The extensive wavelength coverage of the SOHO spectrometers has made it possible to extend the measurements to much higher temperatures compared to previous instruments. The combination of magnetograms, EUV spectral imaging and the high resolution broad-band images from TRACE has also given us new insight concerning the structure of the transition region and its relation with the photospheric magnetic field. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1005224709046     

Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Irradiance Measurements During Solar Cycle 22

The solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) irradiance, the dominant global energy source for Earth's atmosphere above 100 km, is not known accurately enough for many studies of the upper atmosphere. During the absence of direct solar EUV irradiance measurements from satellites, the solar EUV irradiance is often estimated at the 30–50% uncertainty level using both proxies of the solar irradiance and earlier solar EUV irradiance measurements, primarily from the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory (now Phillips Laboratory) rockets and Atmospheric Explorer (AE) instruments. Our sounding rocket measurements during solar cycle 22 include solar EUV irradiances below 120 nm with 0.2 nm spectral resolution, far ultraviolet (FUV) airglow spectra below 160 nm, and solar soft X-ray (XUV) images at 17.5 nm. Compared to the earlier observations, these rocket experiments provide a more accurate absolute measurement of the solar EUV irradiance, because these instruments are calibrated at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with a radiometric uncertainty of about 8%. These more accurate sounding-rocket measurements suggest revisions of the previous reference AE–E spectra by as much as a factor of 2 at some wavelengths. Our sounding-rocket flights during the past several years (1988–1994) also provide information about solar EUV variability during solar cycle 22.     

Review of Hinode results

Hinode is an observatory‐style satellite, carrying three advanced instruments being designed and built to work together to explore the physical coupling between the photosphere and the upper layers for understanding the mechanism of dynam‐ ics and heating. The three instruments aboard are the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT), which can provide high‐precision photometric and polarimetric data of the lower atmosphere in the visible light (388–668 nm) with a spatial resolution of 0.2–0.3 arcseconds, the X‐Ray Telescope (XRT) which takes a wide field of full sun coverage X‐ray images being capable of diagnosing the physical condition of coronal plasmas, and the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) which observes the upper transition region and coronal emission lines in the wavelength ranges of 17–21 nm and 25–29 nm. Since first‐light observations in the end of October 2006, Hinode has been continuously providing unprecedented high‐quality solar data. We will present some new findings of the sun with Hinode, focusing on those from SOT (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The EUV Imaging Spectrometer for Hinode

The EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on Hinode will observe solar corona and upper transition region emission lines in the wavelength ranges 170?–?210 Å and 250?–?290 Å. The line centroid positions and profile widths will allow plasma velocities and turbulent or non-thermal line broadenings to be measured. We will derive local plasma temperatures and densities from the line intensities. The spectra will allow accurate determination of differential emission measure and element abundances within a variety of corona and transition region structures. These powerful spectroscopic diagnostics will allow identification and characterization of magnetic reconnection and wave propagation processes in the upper solar atmosphere. We will also directly study the detailed evolution and heating of coronal loops. The EIS instrument incorporates a unique two element, normal incidence design. The optics are coated with optimized multilayer coatings. We have selected highly efficient, backside-illuminated, thinned CCDs. These design features result in an instrument that has significantly greater effective area than previous orbiting EUV spectrographs with typical active region 2?–?5 s exposure times in the brightest lines. EIS can scan a field of 6×8.5 arc?min with spatial and velocity scales of 1 arc?sec and 25 km?s^?1 per pixel. The instrument design, its absolute calibration, and performance are described in detail in this paper. EIS will be used along with the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) and the X-ray Telescope (XRT) for a wide range of studies of the solar atmosphere.     

Magnetic Field Diagnostics and Spatio-Temporal Variability of the Solar Transition Region

Magnetic field diagnostics of the transition region from the chromosphere to the corona faces us with the problem that one has to apply extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) spectro-polarimetry. While for the coronal diagnostics techniques already exist in the form of infrared coronagraphy above the limb and radio observations on the disk, one has to investigate EUV observations for the transition region. However, so far the success of such observations has been limited, but various current projects aim to obtain spectro-polarimetric data in the extreme UV in the near future. Therefore it is timely to study the polarimetric signals we can expect from these observations through realistic forward modeling. We employ a 3D magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) forward model of the solar corona and synthesize the Stokes I and Stokes V profiles of C?iv (1548 Å). A signal well above 0.001 in Stokes V can be expected even if one integrates for several minutes to reach the required signal-to-noise ratio, and despite the rapidly changing intensity in the model (just as in observations). This variability of the intensity is often used as an argument against transition region magnetic diagnostics, which requires exposure times of minutes. However, the magnetic field is evolving much slower than the intensity, and therefore the degree of (circular) polarization remains rather constant when one integrates in time. Our study shows that it is possible to measure the transition region magnetic field if a polarimetric accuracy on the order of 0.001 can be reached, which we can expect from planned instrumentation.     

Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) on?the?Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO): Overview?of?Science Objectives, Instrument Design, Data?Products, and Model Developments

The highly variable solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation is the major energy input to the Earth’s upper atmosphere, strongly impacting the geospace environment, affecting satellite operations, communications, and navigation. The Extreme ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) onboard the NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) will measure the solar EUV irradiance from 0.1 to 105?nm with unprecedented spectral resolution (0.1?nm), temporal cadence (ten seconds), and accuracy (20%). EVE includes several irradiance instruments: The Multiple EUV Grating Spectrographs (MEGS)-A is a grazing-incidence spectrograph that measures the solar EUV irradiance in the 5 to 37?nm range with 0.1-nm resolution, and the MEGS-B is a normal-incidence, dual-pass spectrograph that measures the solar EUV irradiance in the 35 to 105?nm range with 0.1-nm resolution. To provide MEGS in-flight calibration, the EUV SpectroPhotometer (ESP) measures the solar EUV irradiance in broadbands between 0.1 and 39?nm, and a MEGS-Photometer measures the Sun’s bright hydrogen emission at 121.6?nm. The EVE data products include a near real-time space-weather product (Level?0C), which provides the solar EUV irradiance in specific bands and also spectra in 0.1-nm intervals with a cadence of one minute and with a time delay of less than 15?minutes. The EVE higher-level products are Level?2 with the solar EUV irradiance at higher time cadence (0.25?seconds for photometers and ten seconds for spectrographs) and Level?3 with averages of the solar irradiance over a day and over each one-hour period. The EVE team also plans to advance existing models of solar EUV irradiance and to operationally use the EVE measurements in models of Earth’s ionosphere and thermosphere. Improved understanding of the evolution of solar flares and extending the various models to incorporate solar flare events are high priorities for the EVE team.     

Evolution of the Fine Structure of Magnetic Fields in the Quiet Sun: Observations from Sunrise/IMaX and Extrapolations

Observations with the balloon-borne Sunrise/Imaging Magnetograph eXperiment (IMaX) provide high spatial resolution (roughly 100 km at disk center) measurements of the magnetic field in the photosphere of the quiet Sun. To investigate the magnetic structure of the chromosphere and corona, we extrapolate these photospheric measurements into the upper solar atmosphere and analyze a 22-minute long time series with a cadence of 33 seconds. Using the extrapolated magnetic-field lines as tracer, we investigate temporal evolution of the magnetic connectivity in the quiet Sun’s atmosphere. The majority of magnetic loops are asymmetric in the sense that the photospheric field strength at the loop foot points is very different. We find that the magnetic connectivity of the loops changes rapidly with a typical connection recycling time of about 3±1 minutes in the upper solar atmosphere and 12±4 minutes in the photosphere. This is considerably shorter than previously found. Nonetheless, our estimate of the energy released by the associated magnetic-reconnection processes is not likely to be the sole source for heating the chromosphere and corona in the quiet Sun.     

Extraction of Solar Coronal Magnetic Loops with the Directional 2D Morlet Wavelet Transform

We present an automated extraction method based on the continuous wavelet transform (CWT) for analyzing solar magnetic loops. The aim of the work is to extract, from the images taken from solar EUV telescopes, the traces of bright loops presumably shaped by the magnetic field of the solar corona. The technique is that of wavelet analysis, using the two-dimensional Morlet wavelet, because of its efficiency in detecting oriented features, which allows us to follow closely the curvature of the loops. Next, we segment the wavelet modulus image and we threshold it, both globally and locally (i.e., adaptively), in order to eliminate the remaining noise. Altogether, our method performs well, it is robust and fast, and could be used as a standard tool for analyzing large data sets expected from missions like SDO.     

Very Large Array,SOHO, and RHESSI Observations of Magnetic Interactions and Particle Propagation across Large-Scale Coronal Loops

Very Large Array (VLA) observations at wavelengths of 20 and 91 cm have been combined with data from the SOHO and RHESSI solar missions to study the evolution of transequatorial loops connecting active regions on the solar surface. The radio observations provide information about the acceleration and propagation of energetic electrons in these large-scale coronal magnetic structures where energy release and transport take place. On one day, a long-lasting Type I noise storm at 91 cm was seen to intensify and shift position above the northern hemisphere region following an impulsive hard X-ray burst in the southern hemisphere footpoint region. VLA 20-cm observations as well as SOHO EIT EUV images showed evolving coronal plasma that appeared to move across the solar equator during this time period. This suggests that the transequatorial loop acted as a conduit for energetic particles or fields that may have triggered magnetic changes in the corona where the northern noise storm region was seen. On another day, a hard X-ray burst detected at the limb was accompanied by impulsive 20- and 91-cm burst emission along a loop connecting to an active region in the same hemisphere but about 5′ away, again suggesting particle propagation and remote flare triggering across interconnecting loops.     

Physical properties of the quiet solar chromosphere–corona transition region

The physical properties of the quiet solar chromosphere–corona transition region are studied. Here the structure of the solar atmosphere is governed by the interaction of magnetic fields above the photosphere. Magnetic fields are concentrated into thin tubes inside which the field strength is great. We have studied how the plasma temperature, density, and velocity distributions change along a magnetic tube with one end in the chromosphere and the other one in the corona, depend on the plasma velocity at the chromospheric boundary of the transition region. Two limiting cases are considered: horizontally and vertically oriented magnetic tubes. For various plasma densities we have determined the ranges of plasma velocities at the chromospheric boundary of the transition region for which no shock waves arise in the transition region. The downward plasma flows at the base of the transition region are shown to be most favorable for the excitation of shock waves in it. For all the considered variants of the transition region we show that the thermal energy transfer along magnetic tubes can be well described in the approximation of classical collisional electron heat conduction up to very high velocities at its base. The calculated extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission agrees well with the present-day space observations of the Sun.     

The magnetic field in the solar atmosphere

This publication provides an overview of magnetic fields in the solar atmosphere with the focus lying on the corona. The solar magnetic field couples the solar interior with the visible surface of the Sun and with its atmosphere. It is also responsible for all solar activity in its numerous manifestations. Thus, dynamic phenomena such as coronal mass ejections and flares are magnetically driven. In addition, the field also plays a crucial role in heating the solar chromosphere and corona as well as in accelerating the solar wind. Our main emphasis is the magnetic field in the upper solar atmosphere so that photospheric and chromospheric magnetic structures are mainly discussed where relevant for higher solar layers. Also, the discussion of the solar atmosphere and activity is limited to those topics of direct relevance to the magnetic field. After giving a brief overview about the solar magnetic field in general and its global structure, we discuss in more detail the magnetic field in active regions, the quiet Sun and coronal holes.     

Intricacies of the fine structure of the eclipse corona

The inner white-light corona (up to 2 solar radii) can only be observed during total solar eclipses. New mathematical methods of the corona image processing and digital photo cameras or CCD cameras allow us to detect very faint structures (of a few arcseconds) in this part of the corona, even from images taken with relatively small telescopes (1–2 meters in the focal length). In the present paper we will discuss such structures as observed during the last few solar eclipses, mainly those of 2001 and 2006. Obtained results show that the white-light corona is highly structured not only in the sense of a variety of different types of its classical “objects”, e.g., polar plumes, helmet streamers, threadlike streamers, etc, but also within these objects themselves. Voids, loops, radial and non-radial threads, and other yet-undefined dark structures (“empty space”?) are well visible especially inside helmet streamers. This strongly indicates that the classical picture of the corona characterized by a hydrostatic distribution of density and temperature is no longer a sufficient assumption. It is magnetic forces that play a dominant role in shaping and structuring this part the corona. Given a remarkable similarity between the EUV corona as observed by SOHO and the white-light corona observed by us during the above-mentioned eclipses up to two solar radii. We suggest that the “missing” observations of the white-light corona should be replaced by those of the EUV one. Moreover, the last eclipse’s observations also indicate that the knots of some prominences extend well into the white-light corona. So, the next total eclipses of the Sun, of 1 August 2008 and 22 July 2009, offer an excellent opportunity for preparing joint observations for space-borne and ground-based eclipse teams.     

Variability of Solar Five-Minute Oscillations in the Corona as Observed by the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer (ESP) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory/Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (SDO/EVE)

Solar five-minute oscillations have been detected in the power spectra of two six-day time intervals from soft X-ray measurements of the Sun observed as a star using the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer (ESP) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE). The frequencies of the largest amplitude peaks were found to match the known low-degree (?=0?–?3) modes of global acoustic oscillations within 3.7 μHz and can be explained by a leakage of the global modes into the corona. Due to the strong variability of the solar atmosphere between the photosphere and the corona, the frequencies and amplitudes of the coronal oscillations are likely to vary with time. We investigated the variations in the power spectra for individual days and their association with changes of solar activity, e.g. with the mean level of the EUV irradiance, and its short-term variations caused by evolving active regions. Our analysis of samples of one-day oscillation power spectra for a 49-day period of low and intermediate solar activity showed little correlation with the mean EUV irradiance and the short-term variability of the irradiance. We suggest that some other changes in the solar atmosphere, e.g., magnetic fields and/or inter-network configuration may affect the mode leakage to the corona.     

First Results from SOHO

SOHO, the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA to study the Sun, from its deep core to the outer corona, and the solar wind. Three helioseismology instruments are providing unique data for the study of the structure and dynamics of the solar interior, from the very deep core to the outermost layers of the convection zone. A set of five complementary remote sensing instruments, consisting of EUV, UV and visible light imagers, spectrographs and coronagraphs, give us our first comprehensive view of the outer solar atmosphere and corona, leading to a better understanding of the enigmatic coronal heating and solar wind acceleration processes. Finally, three experiments complement the remote sensing observations by making in- situ measurements of the composition and energy of the solar wind and charged energetic particles, and another instrument maps the neutral hydrogen in the heliosphere and its dynamic change by the solar wind. This paper reports some of the first results from the SOHO mission. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Characteristics of active-region sources of solar wind near solar maximum

Previous studies of the source regions of solar wind sampled by ACE and Ulysses showed that some solar wind originates from open magnetic flux rooted in active regions. These solar wind sources were labeled active-region sources when the open flux was from a strong field region with no corresponding coronal hole in the NSO He 10830 Å synoptic coronal-hole maps. Here, we present a detailed investigation of several of these active-region sources using ACE and Ulysses solar wind data, potential field models of the corona, and solar imaging data. We find that the solar wind from these active-region sources has distinct signatures, e.g., it generally has a higher oxygen charge state than wind associated with helium-10830 Å coronal-hole sources, indicating a hotter source region, consistent with the active region source interpretation. We compare the magnetic topology of the open field lines of these active-region sources with images of the hot corona to search for corresponding features in EUV and soft X-ray images. In most, but not all, cases, a dark area is seen in the EUV and soft X-ray image as for familiar coronal-hole sources. However, in one case no dark area was evident in the soft X-ray images: the magnetic model showed a double dipole coronal structure consistent with the images, both indicating that the footpoints of the open field lines, rooted deep within the active region, lay near the separatrix between loops connecting to two different opposite polarity regions.     

High-energy solar capabilities of approved space missions

Several instruments on approved space missions will provide coverage of energetic solar flare activity during the next solar maximum. However, only Japan's SOLAR-A is dedicated to observations of solar activity. These planned experiments will provide significant improvements in detection sensitivity for gamma rays and neutrons, generally using similar detection techniques to those employed previously. Improvements in the temporal resolution of energetic flare phenomena will also be realized, but with generally sporadic solar coverage. Important capabilities critically required for advancing our understanding of the solar flare phenomenon, such as dedicated high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy, imaging hard X-ray and low-energy gamma-ray detectors, polarimeters, and dedicated high-efficiency neutron detectors, are not included on any of the approved missions.