On the microturbulence in the solar photosphere

The velocity of microturbulent motions in the solar photosphere at the level of formation of weak Fraunhofer lines (h 150 km) is found to be 0.1 ± 0.2 km s^–1. The observations have been performed with the double-pass spectrometer in Kiev. Apart from thermal motions and damping effects we have taken into account convective and wave motions when calculating the broadening of absorption lines.     

Absolute wavelengths of Fraunhofer lines: Convective motions in the solar photosphere and the gravitational red shift

Absolute wavelengths for Fraunhofer lines are compared with laboratory measurements for several atomic and molecular spectra. The wavelength differences are shown to be consistent with the proposal that the deeper layers of the photosphere are in convective motion: _e -3 km/sec for log ₀> -1.0. Convective motions in the outer layers (log₀< - 1.0) are shown to be very small. Wavelength shifts of Fraunhofer lines formed in these outer layers are in good quantitative agreement with the predictions of the General Theory of Relativity.     

Source functions of infrared fraunhofer lines from equivalent widths

A method for obtaining the source function and value of r ₀ k _c/k _L,0 from the variation of equivalent width across the solar disk has been applied to several infrared Fraunhofer lines. The results indicate that most of the lines investigated have non-L.T.E. source functions which are less than or equal to the mean continuum intensity. De Jager and Neven (1968) appear to have underestimated the departures from L.T.E. in a number of cases.     

Continuous and line spectra of granules and intergranular lanes

Temperature and velocity structures above granules and intergranular lanes were studied on spectrograms covering Caii H and K lines. In agreement with our earlier results, it was confirmed more quantitatively that there appear two kinds of bright continua, one in the outer wings (granular continuum) and the other in the inner wings (temporarily called K0-continuum) of Caii H and K lines, and that these two kinds of bright continua are located more or less in a complementary fashion. Further, it was found that the bright K0-continuum is well associated with higher central residual intensity of absorption lines. These facts suggest that in the upper photosphere of, say, < 0.1, there are high temperature regions in the intergranular lanes. Motions above granular regions are essentially upwards, whereas those of intergranular regions are predominantly downwards, and in the uppermost photosphere the motions become more random.     

Center-to-limb analysis of the solar oxygen lines

Several lines of neutral oxygen observed at various positions on the solar disk were used to study the influence of (1) the temperature distribution, (2) the velocity field, and (3) the damping on the line profiles and the abundance of oxygen in the photosphere. Theoretical profiles were calculated on the basis of four different model atmospheres in LTE. It was found that the model proposed by Holweger (1967) best reproduced the center-to-limb observations of the lines studied. The weighted mean of the oxygen abundance turned out to be log _O = 8.83 on the basis of log _H = 12.00.     

Structure of the solar photospheric convection on subgranulation scales

We investigate the structure of convective flows in the solar photosphere on subgranulation scales. The solar granulation pattern is reproduced by solving the inverse problem of nonequilibrium radiation transfer on the basis of the profiles of the neutral iron line λ 523.42 nm. The wave motions are excluded by the k-ω filtration. The line-of-sight velocity has an asymmetric distribution inside the convective flows in large granules (1.5″ and larger) in the lower photosphere and at the bottom of the middle photosphere. This asymmetry is weaker in the upper photosphere. For smaller flows the distribution is more symmetric at all heights. The asymmetry of the temperature distribution is less pronounced. Large convective flows were found to have a fine structure: they are fragmentized into several smaller flows. The fine structure of large flows and spatial smearing are responsible for the observed asymmetry of the convection velocity distribution inside flows.     

The velocity field associated with the birth of sunspots

A velocity field is found to occur prior to the birth of sunspots or during the rapidly developing phase of new spots. Fraunhofer lines are always shifted redwards in the observed active regions which are situated at various distances from the disk center. The velocity amplitude derived from Na i D1-line, 5895.940, amounts to, at maximum, 1.5 km s^–1 which is always a little larger than that derived from the weaker line, NI i 5892.883. The velocity field disappears when the spot ceases to grow. The lifetime of the velocity is, at least, 1 hr. The velocity field is interpreted in terms of the continuous downward flow in the process of formation of sunspots.Bray and Loughhead (1964) regard the disturbance in the granulation pattern accompanying the birth and growth of sunspot pores as an evidence of the existence of rising loops of magnetic flux. In view of the similarity of the phase of development of active regions and the lifetime in the observations by Bray and Loughhead and by us, we suggest that the velocity field may be a spectroscopic feature accompanying the rising magnetic loops in the photosphere and the chromosphere. We briefly discuss the observed mode of penetration of the magnetic flux to the solar surface before and after the appearance of AFS's.     

The empirical determination of damping constants in the solar photosphere

The evaluation of damping constants is discussed and the results of their empirical determination by various authors are listed in the Appendix.The results of the determination of damping constants by analysing the wings of 38 strong Fe i lines are discussed and compared with previous results obtained by the same method from 27 moderate Fe i lines.The van der Waals damping constant ₆ multiplied by an enhancement factor E = 2.5 is suggested for the interpretation of Fe i Fraunhofer lines.     

Fabry-Pérot observations of the Rosette Nebula

The results of observations of the Rosette Nebula using the equipment described byMeaburn andSmith (1968) and the reduction procedures outlined inSmith andWalker (1968) are reported. The results and conclusions differ markedly from an earlier report (Flynn, 1965), of detailed radial-velocity observations of this nebula. The peak positions of the H-line profiles have now been shown not to vary greatly. The mean of 37 measurements at different points gives, for the heliocentric velocity of the Rosette nebula, +35±5 km sec^–1. The widths of the lines are consistent with a model of randomly directed streaming motions of order 15 to 25 km sec^–1.     

Forbidden sulphur I lines in the solar spectrum

The [SI] lines are due to transitions within the 3s²3p⁴ ground configuration of neutral sulphur. The results are presented from a search for the [Si] lines in the Fraunhofer spectrum. Two identifications are proposed with faint features in the Fraunhofer spectrum: ¹D₂-¹S₀ at = 7725.02 Å and ³P₂-¹D₂ at = 10821.23 Å. Their measured equivalent widths are shown to confirm the value for the solar abundance of sulphur, logN _S = 7.21 (in the scale logN _H = 12.00), which is derived from the permitted high-excitation lines. These lines give the first convincing identification of [Si] lines in an astrophysical source.     

A systematic method for the analysis of high-resolution fraunhofer line profiles

A fraunhofer line profile depends on various parameters, partly related to the photospheric structure (T, P _g, P _e, v _conv, v _turb), partly to the atom or ion involved (such as oscillator strength, energy levels), partly also resulting from the interaction of the relevant kind of particles with the photosphere, and the photospheric radiation field. In this paper we shall mainly pay attention to the determination of: the macroturbulent (convective) velocities, v _conv (); the damping constant (); the abundance, A _el; the distribution function (v _conv, ) of the convective velocities at each depth ; the source function, S (); the microturbulent velocities, v _turb ().The particular difficulty with these unknowns is that they are, as a rule, coupled in the resulting line profiles, that is: the shapes and intensities in these profiles are determined by the combined influence of these unknowns (together with the other above-given parameters).In this paper we describe a method to determine these six unknowns empirically by separating them, in analysing accurate high-resolution observations of line profiles of a multiplet. The unknown functions and quantities are consecutively determined in the above given succession. For each determination another, appropriate part of the line profile is used. In some cases the influence of the mutual coupling of the various parameters cannot be completely eliminated, and an iterative method has to be used.The method is summarized in Table II and section 2, and is further explained in sections 3 to 8. It is applied to an infrared Ci multiplet. The main results are the following:     

A search for rhenium lines in the Fraunhofer spectrum

On the basis of a series of low-noise, high-resolution photometric tracings of the Fraunhofer spectrum a search has been made in the sun for the ultimate lines of neutral rhenium. The records examined show no convincing evidence for the presence of solar Rei lines. For the rhenium content of the photosphere the present investigation gives an upper limit of approximately logN _Re =-0.3, on the standard scale where logN _H = 12.00.     

The geometrical height-scale and the pressure equilibrium in the sunspot umbra

Spectra of spots very near to the solar limb (limb distance 8) are used to determine the height difference between the levels of formation of the continuum and the line cores of 60 medium-strong Fraunhofer lines. For all lines (with Rowland Intensity < 10), this difference is < 1 (= 725 km) and well correlated with the Rowland intensity. The line absorption coefficient is calculated for some lines with known oscillator strength. This gives a possibility to deduce a value for the scale height of the umbra, which is found to be about 100 km, thus being equal to the photospheric scale height. Pure hydrostatic equilibrium exists, therefore, in the umbra, and vertical magnetic forces are negligible. Other methods for determining the scale height are discussed for comparison.The horizontal pressure equilibrium is discussed by taking into account the Wilson effect, and by neglecting dynamic terms (flow of matter). The magnetic field is confirmed to be force-free in higher layers (chromosphere). The pressure difference umbra-photosphere increases towards deeper layers, having a maximum at ^* - 1 which corresponds to about two times the magnetic pressure H ²/8. If rotational symmetry of the field is assumed, this can be explained by a minimum radius of curvature of the field lines of 1/4 spot radius.Mitteilungen aus dem Fraunhofer Institut Nr. 90.     

Unsteady free-convective flow and mass transfer in a rotating porous medium with Hall current,I

The Hall effect on the unsteady hydromagnetic free-convection resulting from the combined effects of thermal and mass diffusion of an electrical-conducting liquid through a porous medium past an infinite vertical porous plate in a rotating system have been analysed. The expressions for the mean velocity, mean skin friction, and mean rate of heat transfer on the plate are derived. The effects of magnetic parameterM, Hall parameterm, Ekman numberE, and permeability parameterK ^* on the flow field are discussed with the help of graphs and tables.Nomenclature C _p specific heat at constant pressure - C the species concentration inside the boundary layer - C _w the species concentration at porous plate - C the species concentration of the fluid at infinite - C dimensionless species concentration - D chemical molecular diffusivity - E Ekman number - Ec Eckert number - g acceleration due to gravity - Gr Grashof number - Gm modified Grashof number - H ₀ applied magnetic field - (J _x, J_y, J_z) components of current density - M magnetic parameter - m Hall parameter - P Prandtl number - q _m mean rate of heat transfer - Sc Schmidt number - t time - t dimensionless time - T temperature of fluid - T _w temperature of the plate - T temperature of fluid at infinite - T dimensionless temperature - (u, v, w) components of the velocityq - w ₀ suction velocity - (x, y, z) Cartesian coordinates - z dimensionless coordinate normal to the plate Greek symbols coefficient of volume expansion - * coefficient of thermal expansion with concentration - frequency - dimensionless frequency - k thermal conductivity - K ^* permeability parameter - dinematic viscosity - density of the fluid in the boundary layer - coefficient of viscosity - _e magnetic permeability - angular velocity - electrical conductivity of the fluid - _m mean skin friction - _mn mean skin friction in the direction ofx - _mv mean skin friction in the direction ofy     

High dispersion spectroscopy of quiescent prominences

A systematic study of the internal horizontal (line-of-sight) motions of quiescent prominences which were observed at the limb has been made by using fourier techniques to analyse the shift of the Ca ii K line as a function of height above the limb. The results indicate that a characteristic size for the velocity elements is present in 70% of the 13 prominences studied. This size of 4700 km is attributed to Alfvén waves induced by horizontal convective motions in the photosphere as previously suggested by Malville. The qualitative aspects of the observations are described by a simple model which is based on this hypothesis.Presently at Department of Astronomy, Pennsylvania State University, 525 Davey Lab., University Park, PA 16802.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

EUV arcades: Signatures of filament instability

We have examined seven active regions of the Skylab period in the EUV (Harvard College Observatory), and in H and K₃ (Observatoire de Meudon, spectroheliograms and patrols) in order to elucidate the magnetic geometry in the coronal environment of filaments. We have also looked for signatures of magnetic reconfigurations associated with instabilities (i.e. velocities or disappearances) of filaments. Out of sixteen H filaments observed, six were stable (lifetime 48^h). All the filaments lay within coronal cavities as seen in lines formed above 1.5 × 10⁶ K (Mgx 625, Sixii 521, Fexvi 417, Fexv 361). None of the stable filaments had arcades or arches spanning the cavities except (sometimes) at the ends of the filaments. On the other hand, most (8/10) of the unstable filaments (having concurrent Doppler shifts or a subsequent DB within 24^h) had arcades or single arches spanning their cavities. The arches were observed in EUV lines with formation temperatures as low as 2–4 × 10⁵ K (Oiv 554, Ovi 1032, Ne vii 465), as well as in hotter lines. A statistical test shows that the arcade/instability vs non-arcade/stability association is significant at the 99% confidence level. We suggest 2 types of scenario relating arcades to instabilities. The more preferable scenario is closely related to the Kuperus/Van Tend model of filament disruptions.     

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 the asymmetry of selected Fraunhofer lines

An analysis is made of the asymmetry of Fraunhofer lines observed with the double-pass monochromator of the horizontal solar telescope ASU-5 of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. The conclusion is that the character of macromotion in the radial direction varies with height; in a tangential direction the motions at different depths are homogeneous. The asymmetry of weak lines is due to convection rather than to wave motions.     

Lα, Lβ (of Hi), k and h (of Mgii), K and H (of Ca ii) observations in a quiescent prominence with the OSO-8 LPSP instrument

A sequence of images taken at different positions in the resonance lines of Ca ii, Mg ii, and H i was obtained over a quiescent prominence with the LPSP instrument on OSO-8. Ca ii K (and H) profiles are reconstructed at different locations in the prominence with a (10 × 5) arc sec² resolution. Significant variations of FWHM and line shifts are found: FWHM range from 0.14 Å to 0.5 Å; blue shifts reach about 14 km s^-1. The ratio of K to H absolute intensities shows a large spread around the average value of 1.2. The same ratio for the Mg ii lines in the whole prominence is higher (1.7), a fact already noticed at the edge of an active prominence (Vial et al., 1979). The ionization degree, as measured by the L/Ca K ratio, shows noticeable variations within the prominence. The L intensity is about 0.3 times the intensity measured in the quiet Sun, and the L/L ratio is less than one half the disk value. These results indicate important variations of the thermal conditions inside the prominence.DASOP, Observatoire de Paris, 92190 Meudon, France.     

The center-to-limb variations of four Ca i lines in the photospheric spectrum at λ6500

We study the center-limb (CL) variation of the average profiles of four Ca i lines near 6500 and compare these observations with synthetic data obtained from several line formation models having different thermal structures, line parameters, LTE and non-LTE conditions, and micro and macroturbulence values, to assess the formation characteristics of our Ca i lines in the solar photosphere.Comparison of numerical results with observations indicates that non-LTE is indispensable to fit the CL variation of the central residual intensity for the line 6493, and anisotropic microturbulence is indispensable to improve the CL behavior of the equivalent widths for all lines. The Ca i line analysis favors a cool photospheric model, but this cannot be disentangled clearly from the effects of non-LTE and small-scale velocity fields on the grounds of the present line formation models.