Time-dependent interaction of granules with magnetic flux tubes

The time-dependent interaction of the granulation velocity field with a magnetic flux tube is investigated here. It is seen that when a magnetic field line is displaced normal to itself so as to simulate thebuffeting action of granules, a flow of gas is initiated along the field. By choosing a lateral velocity field which is consistent with observations of granules, it is found that the resulting gas motion is a downward flow with a velocity compatible with the observed downflow in isolated photospheric flux tubes. It is therefore proposed that the observed photospheric downflow is a manifestation of the interaction of granules with flux tubes.     

General magnetic field and rotation of the outer layers of the sun

We investigate how the rotation of the outer layers of the sun will be influenced by a variable general magnetic field. Applying the resulting formulae to the spectroscopic observations of the velocity of rotation at the solar limb in middle and high latitudes, the variation of the rotational velocity during the cycle 1901–1912 as found by Newall and by Halm can be made to agree with modern views on the general magnetic field.Mitteilung des Astronomischen Instituts der Universität Tübingen, Nr. 117.     

A study of supergranulation using a Diode Array Magnetograph

The evolution of the velocity and magnetic fields associated with supergranulation has been investigated using the Sacramento Peak Observatory Diode Array Magnetograph. The observations consist of time sequences of simultaneous velocity, magnetic field, and chromospheric network measurements. From these data it appears that the supergranular velocity cells may have lifetimes in excess of the accepted value of 24 hours. Magnetic field motions associated with supergranulation were infrequent and seem to be accompanied by changes in the velocity field. More prevalent were the slow dissipation and diffusion of stationary flux points. Vertical velocity fields of 200 m s–1 appear to be confined to downflows in magnetic field regions at supergranular boundaries. These downflows are only observed using certain absorption lines. Corresponding upflows in the center of supergranules of less than 50 m s^–1 may be present but cannot be confirmed.     

Gas motions in the plane of the spiral galaxy NGC 3631

The velocity field of the nearly face-on galaxy NGC 3631, derived from observations in the H α line and H  i radio line, is analysed to study perturbations related to the spiral structure of the galaxy. We confirm our previous conclusion that the line-of-sight velocity field gives evidence of the wave nature of the observed two-armed spiral structure. Fourier analysis of the observed velocity field is used to determine the location of corotation of the spiral structure of this galaxy, and the radius of corotation R _c is found to be about 42 arcsec, or 3.2 kpc. The vector velocity field of the gas in the plane of the disc is restored, and, taking into account that we previously investigated vertical motions, we now have a full three-dimensional gaseous velocity field of the galaxy. We show clear evidence of the existence of two anticyclonic and four cyclonic vortices near corotation in a frame of reference rotating with the spiral pattern. The centres of the anticyclones lie between the observed spiral arms. The cyclones lie close to the observed spirals, but their centres are shifted from the maxima in brightness.     

Solar wind interaction with the tail of Comet Kohoutek

Helical waves of large amplitude observed recently in the tail of Comet Kohoutek are interpreted as stable waves arising due to non-linear evolution of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability. The dispersion equation for waves of a finite amplitude shows that the phase velocity of these waves should approximately coincide with the velocity of the plasma outflow in the tail rather than with the Alfvén velocity. This fact is shown to be in agreement with observations. One may estimate the magnetic field in the Comet Kohoutek tail from both the amplitude of observed helical waves and the pressure balance at the tail boundary. The field turns out to be of the order of the interplanetary magnetic field or less, i.e. ?25 γ near ～0.5 AU.     

Magnetoactive lines in the medium with the velocity gradient

The magnetic splitting peculiarities of the absorption lines in the sunspot spectrum are considered. The most common and typical of them is breaking of all Stokes parameter symmetry in regard to the line center. The possible reason of this effect is the macroscopic gas motion with inhomogeneous velocity. Computed contours are given for the line Fe i λ5250 Å with various combinations of magnetic and velocity fields. Magneto-optical effects within the line which are connected with the magnetic and velocity field inhomogeneity are discussed. The observation results are discussed for longitudinal magnetic field zero lines. These observations were carried out for the sunspot and photosphere in two spectral lines Fe i λλ 5250 and 5233 Å. In the sunspot the regular displacement of one zero line with respect to the other zero line takes place whereas in the photosphere the displacements are random. The possible reason of the regular displacement is the change of the magnetic field direction in the different optical layers wherein corresponding spectral lines are formed effectively. The connection between the zero line displacement of a longitudinal magnetic field and the crossover effect is discussed. The computation results are given which agree with observations and illustrate the above-mentioned relationship. The influence of the Stokes parameter asymmetry on the measured magnetic field signals is considered.     

On the possibility of investigation of the magnetic field structure in subphotospheric layers of the Sun according to observations of sunspot torsional oscillations

A method of investigation of the magnetic field structure in subphotospheric layers of the Sun has been developed. The method is based on observations of the torisonal oscillations of single sunspots. Characteristics of the torsional oscillations have been obtained from observations of the longitudinal magnetic field and radial velocities of seven single sunspots in the photospheric line Fe I λ5253 Å. The parameters of the torsional oscillations and magnetic tubes in the deep layers have been determined. The radius of the cross section of a magnetic flux tube forming a sunspot is greatest near the Sun’s surface and is approximately equal to the radius of a sunspot umbra. Down to the deeper layers, it decreases quite quickly. The longitudinal electric current appearing in the magnetic tube changes direction. The typical time of the current changes is determined by the period of the torsional oscillations. The intensity of the longitudinal magnetic field in the tube increases with depth. The Alfven wave velocity averaged over the length of a magnetic tube is tens or hundreds of times less than this velocity in a sunspot umbra. It decreases with an increase in the period of oscillations. A decrease in the Alfven wave velocity leads to an increase in the twisting angle of magnetic field lines.     

Line profile analysis of an active region corona observed successively at the east and west limb

A systematic line profile analysis of Fexiv λ 5303 coronal line was carried out for a single active region successively observed both above the east and west solar limb (4, 18, and 19 October, 1974). Cross-correlations of the intensity, temperature and velocity structures among these three sets of observations show that although considerable variations are seen in intensity with accompanying some change in temperature, the velocity field can be stable as far as the magnetic field configuration remains stable. It is also pointed out that the standard wavelength of the green line would be 5302.81₅ Å which is somewhat shorter than the currently adopted value of 5302.86 Å, and that a ‘general’ flow from west to east might exist in this region superposed on the local velocity field.     

The AGN and gas disc in the low surface brightness galaxy PGC 045080

We present radio observations and optical spectroscopy of the giant low surface brightness (LSB) galaxy PGC 045080 (or 1300+0144). PGC 045080 is a moderately distant galaxy having a highly inclined optical disc and massive H  i gas content. Radio continuum observations of the galaxy were carried out at 320, 610 MHz and 1.4 GHz. Continuum emission was detected and mapped in the galaxy. The emission appears extended over the inner disc at all three frequencies. At 1.4 GHz and 610 MHz it appears to have two distinct lobes. We also did optical spectroscopy of the galaxy nucleus; the spectrum did not show any strong emission lines associated with active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity but the presence of a weak AGN cannot be ruled out. Furthermore, comparison of the Hα flux and radio continuum at 1.4 GHz suggests that a significant fraction of the emission is non-thermal in nature. Hence we conclude that a weak or hidden AGN may be present in PGC 045080. The extended radio emission represents lobes/jets from the AGN. These observations show that although LSB galaxies are metal poor and have very little star formation, their centres can host significant AGN activity. We also mapped the H  i gas disc and velocity field in PGC 045080. The H  i disc extends well beyond the optical disc and appears warped. In the H  i intensity maps, the disc appears distinctly lopsided. The velocity field is disturbed on the lopsided side of the disc but is fairly uniform in the other half. We derived the H  i rotation curve for the galaxy from the velocity field. The rotation curve has a flat rotation speed of ∼190 km s⁻¹.     

The radial evolution of the IMF fluctuations: A comparison with theoretical models

We conducted an analysis of the radial evolution of the wave phenomena observed in the inner solar system and associated with the high velocity solar wind stream pattern. The combined interplanetary magnetic field observations performed by Helios-1 and Helios-2 spacecraft allow to draw the following conclusions: (a) The compressive contribution to field fluctuations with periods less than 6 hr is observed to increase with the increasing heliocentric distance and the total variance of the field components decreases appreciably faster than r ^–3. (b) When compared with theoretical models, Helios observations confirm a better agreement with wave modes which saturate at a constant value of the ratio between the wave energy density and the ambient field energy density.Also at Istituto per il Plasma nello Spazio, CNR, Frascati, Italy.     

Acceleration Effects in MDI Magnetogram Data

Acceleration effects are found in the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) magnetogram data because changes in the line profiles during the 30-s measurement are introduced by underlying p-mode velocity variations. This imparts an oscillatory component to the magnetic flux signal. Simulated profiles using Maltby M and Harvard Smithsonian Reference Atmospheres (HSRA) are shifted in accordance with a given velocity amplitude and period and the MDI algorithm for data measurement is applied. The simulated oscillatory component to the magnetic flux density always has a phase difference with respect to the underlying velocity of –90°. The maximum introduced RMS amplitude is a function of velocity amplitude and field strength, but realistic errors are on the order of 5/2000 G, or 0.25% of field strength. Comparison of simulations with observations shows RMS amplitudes of MDI flux density are much greater than predicted by this effect. A 2-component HSRA model, tested to determine if stronger fields with smaller fill factors could fit the data, still can not reproduce the observations. It is concluded that oscillatory amplitudes of magnetic flux density measured with MDI are not due to acceleration effects, although the effect could contribute up to 25% of the measured amplitude. Attempts to remove acceleration effects from the magnetic flux signal are not successful. Also, we confirm that velocities measured in linearly polarized light in the vicinity of a strong magnetic field contain larger errors than velocities measured in circularly polarized light (Yang and Norton, 2001).     

Rotation curves for 135 edge-on galaxies

We summarize the results of our survey of rotation curves for edge-on galaxies. The observations were carried out with the 6-m Special Astrophysical Observatory telescope. Over the four years of our observations, we obtained spectra for 306 galaxies from the FGC catalog (Karachentsev et al. 1993). Rotation curves and radial velocities are given for 135 galaxies. The median radial velocity of the galaxies studied is 7800 km s^?1. Together with the observations performed by other authors with different instruments, this survey allowed us to produce a homogeneous sample of edge-on galaxies from the RFGC catalog (Karachentsev et al. 1999) uniformly distributed over the entire sky and to analyze the velocity field of galaxies on scales up to 100 Mpc.     

Ultraviolet variability of HD 62001 – The central star of the missing nebula V-V 1-7

IUE observations of HD 62001 do not confirm the ultraviolet variability of 0.15 mag seen from the ANS observations. These intriguing variations in ANS observations seem to be caused by a nearby (∼ 70 arcsec away) B star getting in and out of the field of view of the telescope, which had a jitter of 20 arcsec. There seems to be no evidence for the presence of a hot companion, either from the energy distribution or from UV variability. However, visual light variations are present. This, coupled with the radial velocity variations, indicates a binary nature probably of Algol type. Based on observations obtained with IUE satellite at the Villafranca Satellite Tracking Station of the European Space Agency.     

A chromospheric dark‐cored fibril in Ca II IR spectra

We investigate the thermodynamical and magnetic properties of a “dark‐cored” fibril seen in the chromospheric Ca II IR line at 854.2 nm to determine the physical process behind its appearance. We analyse a time series of spectropolarimetric observations obtained in the Ca II IR line at 854.2 nm and the photospheric Fe I line at 630.25 nm. We simultaneously invert the spectra in both wavelength ranges with the SIR code to obtain the temperature and velocity stratification with height in the solar atmosphere and the magnetic field properties in the photosphere. The structure can be clearly traced in the line‐of‐sight (LOS) velocity and the temperature maps. It connects from a small pore with kG fields to a region with lower field strength. The flow velocity and the temperature indicate that the height of the structure increases with increasing distance from the inner footpoint. The Stokes V signal of 854.2 nm shows a Doppler‐shifted polarization signal with the same displacement as in the intensity profile, indicating that the supersonic flow seen in the LOS velocity is located within magnetized plasma. We conclude that the chromospheric dark‐cored fibril traces a siphon flow along magnetic field lines, driven by the gas pressure difference caused by the higher magnetic field strength at the inner footpoint. We suggest that fast flows guided by the magnetic field lead to the appearance of “dark‐cored” fibrils in intensity images. Although the observations included the determination of the polarization signal in the chromospheric Ca II IR line, the signal could not be analysed quantitatively due to the low S/N. Chromospheric polarimetry will thus require telescopes of larger aperture able to collect a sufficient number of photons for a reliable determination of polarization in deep and only weakly polarized spectral lines (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

New Plateau de Bure observations of M 1–92; unveiling the core

M 1–92 is a very well studied bipolar pPN that can be considered an archetype of this type of sources; it shows a clear axial symmetry, along with the kinematics characteristic of this class of envelopes around post-AGB stars. We performed sub-arcsecond resolution observations of the J=2–1 rotational line of ¹³CO in M 1–92 with the new extended configurations of the IRAM Plateau de Bure interferometer, for studying the morphology and velocity field of the molecular gas better in the nebula, particularly in its central parts. We found that the equatorial structure dividing the two lobes is a thin flat disk, which expands radially with a velocity proportional to the distance to the central stellar system. The kinetic age of this equatorial flow is very similar to that measured in the two lobes, suggesting that the whole structure was formed as a result of a single event some 1200 yr ago, after which the nebula reached an expansion velocity field with axial symmetry. The small widths and velocity dispersion in the gas forming the lobe walls confirm that the acceleration responsible for the nebular shape could not last more than 100–120 yr. In view of the similarity to η Car, we speculate on the possibility that the whole nebula was formed as a result of a magneto-rotational explosion in a common-envelope system. The study of the possible importance of this mechanism in the context of global PNe and pPNe reshaping should be one on the fields in which future ALMA observations will make a crucial contribution. Based on observations carried out with the IRAM Plateau de Bure Interferometer. IRAM is supported by INSU/CNRS (France), MPG (Germany) and IGN (Spain).     

The velocity field of UGC 6697 revisited

The edge-on galaxy UGC 6697 has a peculiar morphological appearance: a high surface brightness SE component and what appears to be a tidal tail with blue color and low surface brightness extending toward the NW, as dramatically evidenced in subarcsecond broad band images taken with the VLT and in a deep Hα frame. Long-slit spectroscopy shows a 500 km/s rigid-body rotation curve with a sudden central velocity jump, of more than 200 km/s amplitude. Fabry-Perot observations of the Hα emission line enable us to trace a detailed 2D velocity field, confirming the complex kinematical behaviour, particularly in the circumnuclear region where multiple velocity components are clearly superposed on the same line of sight. This region hosts a double nucleus and shows sudden color and metallicity gradients, which can be reconciled with the complex velocity field assuming the presence of a second galaxy hidden behind the main body of UGC 6697. This revised version was published online in September 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The small scale velocity field of a quiescent prominence

The small scale velocity field of a large quiescent prominence is studied from simultaneous filtergrams in the red and violet wings of the Ca ii K-line.The average spatial separation of peak velocities is about 3000 km. The duration of individual velocity elements appears to increase with increasing area of the elements. In some positions of the prominence the direction of the velocity persists through the 5 hrs of observations. It is suggested that emitting elements of gas, which flow along the magnetic lines of force, produce peak velocities when they pass through particular locations of the prominence region.There is no clear evidence in the data for oscillations or waves.     

The solar flare of 1980 July 14 and the emergent magnetic flux model

We make a combined study of the class 3B flare of 1980 July 14 using the H_α patrol, white-light photographs, velocity field measurements of the Yunnan Observatory, the SMM data on X-rays, and the radio observations by the Beijing Observatory. The morphological changes are analysed in terms of the EMF model and a number of physical parameters evaluated. Our results show: 1) that the EMF model is in basic agreement with the observations, 2) that the current sheet could be located at or near the points where the zero velocity line cuts the dark filament and the magnetic neutral line and 3) that the hard tX-ray burst was produced by the non-thermal electrons in the current sheet, while the soft X-ray burst was produced by the thermal bremsstrahlung of a hot plasma in the active region.     

The fine structure of the velocity field in a 2B/M2.3 importance flare

This paper investigates the velocity field in the flare region during the impulsive phase of the 2B/M2.3 importance solar flare of June 26, 1999. Spectral H _α observations of the flare with high temporal and spatial resolution were made with the KG-2 coronograph of the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. Velocities are estimated by the bisector method. The velocity field in the flare region and flare kernel during the impulsive phase are found to be very complex, have a fine structure, and alter rapidly with time. Different elements of the flare exhibit line shifts of different magnitude and even different directions. This means that there are local Doppler motions in the fine structural elements of the flare.