Photospheric and Chromospheric Oscillations in Solar Faculae

The differences between physical conditions in solar faculae and those in sunspots and quiet photosphere (increased temperature and different magnetic field topology) suggest that oscillation characteristics in facula areas may also have different properties. The analysis of 28 time series of simultaneous spectropolarimetric observations in facula photosphere (Fe?i 6569 Å, 8538 Å) and chromosphere (Hα, Ca?ii 8542 Å) yields the following results. The amplitude of five-minute oscillations of line-of-sight (LOS) velocity decreases by 20?–?40% in facula photosphere. There are only some cases revealing the inverse effect. The amplitude of four- to five-minute LOS velocity oscillations increases significantly in the chromosphere above faculae, and power spectra fairly often show pronounced peaks in a frequency range of 1.3?–?2.5 mHz. Evidence of propagating oscillations can be seen from space?–?time diagrams. We have found oscillations of the longitudinal magnetic field (1.5?–?2 mHz and 5.2 mHz) inside faculae.     

Connection Between Chromospheric Events and Photospheric Dynamics

We analyzed chromospheric events and their connection to oscillation phenomena and photospheric dynamics. The observations were done with the New Solar Telescope of Big Bear Solar Observatory using a broad-band imager at the wavelength of a TiO band and FISS spectrograph scanning Ca?ii and Hα spectral lines. The event in Ca?ii showed strong plasma flows and propagating waves in the chromosphere. The movement of the footpoints of flux tubes in the photosphere indicated flux tube entanglement and magnetic reconnection as a possible cause of the observed brightening and waves propagating in the chromosphere. An upward propagating train of waves was observed at the site of the downflow event in Hα. There was no clear relationship between photospheric waves and the Ca?ii and Hα events. Our observations indicate that chromospheric waves that were previously thought to originate from the photosphere may be generated by some events in the chromosphere as well.     

Solar Photospheric and Chromospheric Observations using a Lithium Niobate Fabry-Perot Etalon

We have made a narrow band tunable filter for solar observations using a Lithium Niobate Fabry-Perot etalon. The 60 mm aperture etalon with a free spectral range of 4.22 Å and finesse of 26 at = 6122 Å has been procured from CSIRO, Australia. The wavelength tuning is achieved by applying high voltage to the etalon substrate at the rate of 0.45 Å per 1000 Volts. The filter is being used for imaging the sun in H line and obtaining Doppler- and Magnetogram in CaI 6122 Å line. In this paper, we present some initial observations carried out with this filter at Udaipur Solar Observatory.     

Direct Measurement Results of the Time Lag of LOS-Velocity Oscillations Between Two Heights in Solar Faculae and Sunspots

We present an investigation of line-of-sight (LOS) velocity oscillations in solar faculae and sunspots. To study the phase relations between chromospheric and photospheric oscillations of the LOS velocity, we measured the time lag of the chromospheric signal relative to the photospheric one for several faculae and sunspots in a set of spectral line pairs. The measured time lags are different for different objects. The mean measured delay between the oscillations in the five-minute band in faculae is 50?s for the Si?i 10?827?Å?–?He?i 10?830?Å pair; for the pair Fe?i 6569?Å?–?Hα 6563?Å the mean delay is 20?s; for the pair Fe?i 4551?Å?–?Ba?ii 4554?Å the mean delay is 7?s; for the pair Si?i 8536?Å?–?Ca?ii 8542?Å the mean delay is 20?s. For the oscillations in the three-minute band in sunspot umbrae the mean delay is 55?s for the Si?i 10?827?Å?–?He?i 10?830?Å pair; for the Fe?i 6569?Å?–?Hα 6563?Å pair it was not possible to determine the delay; for the Fe?i 4551?Å?–?Ba?ii 4554?Å pair the mean delay is 6?s; for the Si?i 8536?Å?–?Ca?ii 8542?Å pair the mean delay is 21?s. Measured delays correspond to the wave propagation speed, which significantly exceeds the generally adopted speed of sound in the photosphere. This raises the question of the origin of these oscillations. The possibility that we deal with slow MHD waves is not ruled out.     

The Relationship Between Plasma Flow Doppler Velocities and Magnetic Field Parameters During the Emergence of Active Regions at the Solar Photospheric Level

A statistical study has been carried out of the relationship between plasma flow Doppler velocities and magnetic field parameters during the emergence of active regions at the solar photospheric level with data acquired by the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). We have investigated 224 emerging active regions with different spatial scales and positions on the solar disc. The following relationships for the first hours of the emergence of active regions have been analysed: i) of peak negative Doppler velocities with the position of the emerging active regions on the solar disc; ii) of peak plasma upflow and downflow Doppler velocities with the magnetic flux growth rate and magnetic field strength for the active regions emerging near the solar disc centre (the vertical component of plasma flows); iii) of peak positive and negative Doppler velocities with the magnetic flux growth rate and magnetic field strength for the active regions emerging near the limb (the horizontal component of plasma flows); iv) of the magnetic flux growth rate with the density of emerging magnetic flux; v) of the Doppler velocities and magnetic field parameters for the first hours of the appearance of active regions with the total unsigned magnetic flux at the maximum of their development.     

Correlation Between Solar Flare Productivity and Photospheric Magnetic Field Properties

From a large number of SOHO/MDI longitudinal magnetograms, three physical measures including the maximum horizontal gradient, the length of the neutral line, and the number of singular points are computed. These measures are used to describe photospheric magnetic field properties including nonpotentiality and complexity, which is believed to be closely related to solar flares. Our statistical results demonstrate that solar flare productivity increases with nonpotentiality and complexity. Furthermore, the relationship between the flare productivity and these measures can be well fitted with a sigmoid function. These results can be beneficial to future operational flare forecast models.     

Abnormal Stokes Profiles of the Photospheric Lines in the Region of Chromospheric Dual Flows in the Surroundings of a Solar Pore: 1. Observations

The results of the analysis of the full Stokes profiles of the photospheric lines Fe I λ 630.15 nm and Fe I λ 630.25 nm in a region of chromospheric dual flows appearance in the vicinity of a small pore are presented. The analysis is based on the spectropolarimetric observations of the active region NOAA 11024 with the THEMIS French–Italian telescope (Tenerife Island, Spain). The temporal variations in the high-resolution Stokes parameters I, Q, U, and V were considered for each pixel. It was found that the dual chromospheric flows appeared in the region of the abnormal Stokes profiles of the photospheric lines. Most of the Stokes profiles Q, U, and V have a complex shape and vary greatly from pixel to pixel, which indicates strong inhomogeneities in the structure of the magnetic field in that region. The amplitude and shape of the Stokes profiles were rapidly changing during the observations. A change in the polarity of the photospheric magnetic field took place during the observations in the region of a bright chromospheric point. The evidence of the emergence of a new small-scale magnetic flux of the opposite polarity is obtained; this could lead to magnetic reconnections, appearance of dual chromospheric flows, and occurrence of a microflare.     

The Relative Phase Asynchronization between Sunspot Numbers and Polar Faculae

The monthly sunspot numbers compiled by Temmer et al. and the monthly polar faculae from observations of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, for the interval of March 1954 to March 1996, are used to investigate the phase relationship between polar faculae and sunspot activity for total solar disk and for both hemispheres in solar cycles 19, 20, 21 and 22. We found that (1) the polar faculae begin earlier than sunspot activity, and the phase difference exhibits a consistent behaviour for different hemispheres in each of the solar cycles, implying that this phenomenon should not be regarded as a stochastic fluctuation; (2) the inverse correlation between polar faculae and sunspot numbers is not only a long-term behaviour, but also exists in short time range; (3) the polar faculae show leads of about 50–71 months relative to sunspot numbers, and the phase difference between them varies with solar cycle; (4) the phase difference value in the northern hemisphere differs from that in the southern hemisphere in a solar cycle, which means that phase difference also existed between the two hemispheres. Moreover, the phase difference between the two hemispheres exhibits a periodical behaviour. Our results seem to support the finding of Hiremath (2010).     

Latitudinal Variations of Line-of-Sight Velocity Oscillations in the Photosphere, Chromosphere and Prominences

By studying time variations in line-of-sight velocity in prominences, we found that the velocity oscillations with periods over 40 min have a reasonably well-marked dependence of the period length on the heliolatitude. Simultaneous observations of line-of-sight velocities in the photosphere and chromosphere showed that quasi-hourly oscillation periods at these levels of the solar atmosphere and in prominences have a similar latitudinal behaviour. Thus, the photosphere, chromosphere and prominences should be regarded as a unified oscillatory system.     

Multi-height Scattering Phase Shifts from Sunspots and Phase Differences Between Photospheric Heights with SDO/HMI and AIA Data

Following Couvidat (Solar Phys. 282, 15, 2013), we analyze data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) instruments onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory. Doppler velocity and continuum intensity at 6173 Å as well as intensity maps at 1600 Å and 1700 Å are studied on 14 active regions and four quiet-Sun regions at four heights in the solar photosphere. A Hankel–Fourier analysis is performed around these regions of interest. Outgoing–ingoing scattering phase shifts at a given atmospheric height are computed, as well as ingoing–ingoing and outgoing–outgoing phase differences between two atmospheric heights. The outgoing–ingoing phase shifts produced by sunspots show little dependence on measurement height, unlike the acoustic power reduction measured in Couvidat (2013). Phenomena happening above the continuum level, like acoustic glories, appear not to have a significant effect on the phases. However, there is a strong dependence on sunspot size, line-of-sight magnetic flux, and intensity contrast. As previously suggested by other groups, the region of wave scattering appears both horizontally smaller and vertically less extended than the region of acoustic power suppression, and occurs closer to the surface. Results presented here should help refine theoretical models of acoustic wave scattering by magnetic fields. Ingoing–ingoing phase differences between two measurement heights are also computed and show a complex pattern highly dependent on atmospheric height. In particular, a significant sensitivity of AIA signals to lower chromospheric layers is shown. Finally, ingoing–ingoing minus outgoing–outgoing phase differences between various measurement heights are discussed.     

Validity of the Relations Between the Synodic and Sidereal Rotation Velocities of the Sun

Existing methods for conversion between synodic and sidereal rotation velocities of the Sun are tested for validity using state-of-the-art ephemeris data. We found that some of them agree well with ephemeris calculations while others show a discrepancy of almost 0.01^° day^?1. This discrepancy is attributed to a missing factor and a new corrected relation is given.     

Nonlinear Force-Free Modeling of Coronal Magnetic Fields. II. Modeling a Filament Arcade and Simulated Chromospheric and Photospheric Vector Fields

We compare a variety of nonlinear force-free field (NLFFF) extrapolation algorithms, including optimization, magneto-frictional, and Grad – Rubin-like codes, applied to a solar-like reference model. The model used to test the algorithms includes realistic photospheric Lorentz forces and a complex field including a weakly twisted, right helical flux bundle. The codes were applied to both forced “photospheric” and more force-free “chromospheric” vector magnetic field boundary data derived from the model. When applied to the chromospheric boundary data, the codes are able to recover the presence of the flux bundle and the field’s free energy, though some details of the field connectivity are lost. When the codes are applied to the forced photospheric boundary data, the reference model field is not well recovered, indicating that the combination of Lorentz forces and small spatial scale structure at the photosphere severely impact the extrapolation of the field. Preprocessing of the forced photospheric boundary does improve the extrapolations considerably for the layers above the chromosphere, but the extrapolations are sensitive to the details of the numerical codes and neither the field connectivity nor the free magnetic energy in the full volume are well recovered. The magnetic virial theorem gives a rapid measure of the total magnetic energy without extrapolation though, like the NLFFF codes, it is sensitive to the Lorentz forces in the coronal volume. Both the magnetic virial theorem and the Wiegelmann extrapolation, when applied to the preprocessed photospheric boundary, give a magnetic energy which is nearly equivalent to the value derived from the chromospheric boundary, but both underestimate the free energy above the photosphere by at least a factor of two. We discuss the interpretation of the preprocessed field in this context. When applying the NLFFF codes to solar data, the problems associated with Lorentz forces present in the low solar atmosphere must be recognized: the various codes will not necessarily converge to the correct, or even the same, solution. On 07/07/2007, the NLFFF team was saddened by the news that Tom Metcalf had died as the result of an accident. We remain grateful for having had the opportunity to benefit from his unwavering dedication to the problems encountered in attempting to understand the Sun’s magnetic field; Tom had completed this paper several months before his death, leading the team through the many steps described above.     

耀斑色球压缩区的传播与谱线的不对称性

色球压缩区是耀斑大气动力学过程的一个基本特征，是产生色球谱线红不对称性的基础。本文基于压缩区从大气高层向低层传播的理论公式，在二种不同情况下，计算得到了压缩区内物质运动速度随高度和时间的变化．结果表明，色球蒸发区压力增量Δｐ为常数时压缩区之寿命比压缩区波阵面后的压力ｐ２为常数时要长得多，这就大大缓解了以往谱线不对称性的延续时间的理论值比观测值小的矛盾。形成高度不同的谱线具有不同程度的不对称性这一观测现象也同色球压缩区的传播特性相一致。     

Nonthermal Velocities in the Solar Transition Zone and Corona

Nonthermal velocities are presented for spectral lines covering the temperature range 10 4–10 6 K, measured from high-spectral-resolution data for several solar features observed at the limb by the high resolution telescope and spectrograph (HRTS), including a coronal hole, quiescent regions and several small-scale active regions. These results are compared with predictions based on acoustic waves and heating via Alfvén waves. It is likely that more than one mechanism is operating simultaneously, in particular, resonant Alfvén wave heating, which is very sensitive to background plasma motions.     

Spectral Characteristics of Solar Flares in Different Chromospheric Lines and Their Implications

Using the spectral data of representative solar flares observed with the infrared detector system of the solar spectrograph at Purple Mountain Observatory, we study the spectroscopic characteristics of solar flares in the Hα, the Ca i i 8?542 Å, and the He i 10?830 Å lines in different phases and various locations of flares and discuss their possible implications coupled with space observations. Our results show that in the initial phase of a flare the Hα line displays a red shift only with no wide wing. Large broadenings of the Hα line are observed a few minutes after the flare onset within small regions of 3?–?5^′′ in both disk and limb flares with and without nonthermal processes. Far wings similar to those of damping broadening appear not only in the Hα line but in the He i 10?830 Å line as well in flares with nonthermal processes. Sometimes we even detect weak far-wing emission in the Ca i i 8?542 Å line in disk flares. Such large broadenings are observed in both the footpoints and the flare loop-top regions and possibly result from strong turbulence and/or macroscopic motions. Therefore, the so-called nonthermal wing of the Hα line profile is not a sufficient condition to distinguish whether nonthermal electrons are accelerated or not in a flare. The Ca i i 8?542 Å line shows lower intensity in the loop-top regions and higher intensity in the parts close to the solar surface. Emissions larger than nearby continuum in the He i 10?830 Å line are detected only in small regions with strong X-ray emissions and avoid sunspot umbrae.