Physical conditions in a quiescent prominence derived from UV spectra obtained with the UVSP instrument on the SMM

A quiescent prominence observed above the north-west limb on November 20, 1980, is analyzed using data obtained with the Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter (UVSP) on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM). The spectral data include the lines 1215 Å of Hi, 1401 Å of Oiv, 1402 Å of Siiv, 1548 Å of Civ, 1640 Å of Hei, and 1655 Å of Ci. From an analysis of these lines and their emission patterns we deduce physical characteristics of the prominence plasma, and suggest in particular that the prominence consisted of flux tubes at various temperatures. In the hotter parts of the plasma the number density reached values of about 3 × 10¹¹ cm^#X2212;3.     

An evaluation of the possibility of studying flare plasma turbulence using the satellites of Hei line forbidden components

Using the Baranger-Mozer method, we explore the possibility of diagnosing the flare plasma of forbidden Hei lines, that permits the determination of the plasma oscillation frequency and noise level. Examination of the Hei lines observed in solar flare has led us to conclude that:

1. the appearance of satellites of forbidden components in the flares spectrum, due to turbulent electric fields, is the most probable for Hei 3819.606 Å lines;
2. the Baranger-Mozer method is more sensitive to the high-frequency component of turbulent fields than to the low-frequency ones;
3. the upper limit of the turbulent oscillation level in flares is evaluated.

In the spectrum of the solar flare of 26 September, 1963 we detected satellites of the forbidden component of the 3820 Å line and used its relative intensity to derive the level of low-frequency oscillations (～1.5 kVcm^-1).     

DLA abundances in the CUBES’s spectral window

Absorption systems observed along the line of sights to distant quasars are observed at all redshifts and the full range of the electromagnetic spectrum is needed to recover the variety of transitions of different elements. However, some important elements are found within the Lyman forest and their absorption line profiles need to be analyzed against the presence of possible Ly-α contamination. Considering the cosmological evolution of the number density of hydrogen clouds, the probability to detect uncontaminated metal lines is higher in the UV-Optical region exploited by CUBES. The list of these elements includes some important ones such as D, H₂, O?i, N?i, O?vi, Ar?i, P?ii, C?ii, S?ii and B?ii. The determination of some of them in the Damped Ly-α galaxies and their astronomical interest are briefly discussed.     

Remarks concerning Ward's ‘the latitudinal motion of sunspots and solar meridional circulations’

Oscillator strengths are calculated for 259 lines of Ti i by taking configuration interaction into account in a somewhat simplified treatment. Radial integrals are obtained by an adaptation of the scaled Thomas-Fermi method. The great majority of selected lines originate from slightly perturbed terms. From a satisfactory comparison of our g \({\text{f}}\) -values with recent experimental data and with solar results in the visible region, we have been able to extend the work for some infrared lines. Very few transition probabilities were known for Ti i in that spectral range. On the basis of our oscillator strengths, a mean value logN _ti = 4.88 ± 0.12 (in the usual scale), is proposed for the solar photospheric abundance, in agreement with the meteoritic value.     

The solar niobium abundance

The solar Nb abundance is derived from five Nb i and ten Nb ii lines in the photospheric spectrum. Equivalent widths are obtained from measurements on spectra recorded at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Synthetic spectrum calculations gave abundances of 2.23 and 2.08 from neutral and ionized lines respectively in the logarithmic A _H = 12.00 scale. This gives an average abundance value of A _Nb = 2.13 ± 0.10.     

Lifetimes of some excited states in the rare earths: La ii,Ce ii,Pr ii,Nd ii,Sm ii,Yb i,Yb ii,and Lu ii

Radiative lifetimes for excited states in La ii, Ce ii, Pr ii, Nd ii, Sm ii, Yb i, Yb ii, and Lu ii have been determined by means of the beam-foil technique or the zero-field level-crossing method. The lifetimes for La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Sm, and Yb are shorter than those computed by summing the transition probabilities of Corliss and Bozman by a factor of up to ~5. The large discrepancies between the abundance of La, Ce, Pr, Nd, and Sm in the solar photosphere and in meteorites are eliminated or greatly reduced if the abundance determinations of the solar photosphere are based upon the gf values of Corliss and Bozman, corrected for by the present lifetimes.     

Spectrophotometric studies of star HD 157978

Examination of the stellar spectrum of this star reveals that it has a composite spectrum. It could be classified as (A7V+G5V). It contains three forbidden [Feii] lines which are of the essential features of η Carinae stars. The spectrum also contains H, Hei, Feii, Mni, Tiii, and other different lines. The K-line seems to be sharp double line while other lines appear single ones which suggest early component may be double. This also seems to be true according to radial velocity measurements.     

Solar Activity and Deep Convection Modeling

We suggest from synoptic charts of radial magnetic field and intensities of spectral lines (Fe?i, He?ii, and Fe?ix/x) over Carrington rotations 1942??C?2050 that deep convective layers control the pattern of large-scale solar activity. A new result is a Kolmogorov-type energy spectrum of the longitudinal variations of solar activity. This spectrum for nonphotospheric scales of convection (harmonic number m<100) is a new ??fingerprint?? of turbulence in the deep layers of the solar convection zone (CZ). The manifestation of one source of convective turbulence in the deep CZ is revealed as the excess in the power spectrum over the Kolmogorov spectrum. This source may be identified with giant convection cells at the CZ bottom. The convective cascade of the turbulence starts at the vortex size corresponding to the trans-CZ convective cells with the turnover time which the mixing length theory (MLT) predicts. This connection between the MLT formalism and real features in the Sun could account for the success of the MLT in stellar modeling.     

Spectral Line Selection for HMI: A Comparison of Fe I 6173 Å and Ni I 6768 Å

We present a study of two spectral lines, Fe I 6173 Å and Ni I 6768 Å, that were candidates to be used in the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) for observing Doppler velocity and the vector magnetic field. The line profiles were studied using the Mt. Wilson Observatory, the Advanced Stokes Polarimeter and the Kitt Peak-McMath Pierce telescope and one-meter Fourier transform spectrometer atlas. Both Fe I and Ni I profiles have clean continua and no blends that threaten instrument performance. The Fe I line is 2% deeper, 15% narrower, and has a 6% smaller equivalent width than the Ni I line. The potential of each spectral line to recover pre-assigned solar conditions is tested using a least-squares minimization technique to fit Milne-Eddington models to tens of thousands of line profiles that have been sampled at five spectral positions across the line. Overall, the Fe I line has a better performance than the Ni I line for vector-magnetic-field retrieval. Specifically, the Fe I line is able to determine field strength, longitudinal and transverse flux four times more accurately than the Ni I line in active regions. Inclination and azimuthal angles can be recovered to ≈2^° above 600 Mx cm^?2 for Fe I and above 1000 Mx cm^?2 for Ni I. Therefore, the Fe I line better determines the magnetic-field orientation in plage, whereas both lines provide good orientation determination in penumbrae and umbrae. We selected the Fe I spectral line for use in HMI due to its better performance for magnetic diagnostics while not sacrificing velocity information. The one exception to the better performance of the Fe I line arises when high field strengths combine with high velocities to move the spectral line beyond the effective sampling range. The higher g _eff of Fe I means that its useful range of velocity values in regions of strong magnetic field is smaller than Ni I.     

Prominence Cavity Regions Observed Using SWAP 174 Å Filtergrams and Simultaneous Eclipse Flash Spectra

SWAP images from PROBA2 taken at 174 Å in the Fe ix/x lines are compared with simultaneous slitless flash spectra obtained during the solar total eclipse of 11 July 2010. Myriad faint low-excitation emission lines together with the He i and He ii Paschen α chromospheric lines are recorded on eclipse spectra where regions of limb prominences are obtained with space-borne imagers. We analyzed a deep flash spectrum obtained by summing 80 individual spectra to evaluate the intensity modulations of the continuum. Intensity deficits are observed and measured at the prominences boundaries in both eclipse and SWAP images. The prominence cavities interpreted as a relative depression of plasma density, produced inside the corona surrounding the prominences, and some intense heating occurring in these regions, are discussed. Photometric measurements are shown at different scales and different, spectrally narrow, intervals for both the prominences and the coronal background.     

Coronal Diagnostics from Narrowband Images Around 30.4 nm

Images taken in the band centered at 30.4 nm are routinely used to map the radiance of the He?ii Ly?α line on the solar disk. That line is one of the strongest, if not the strongest, line in the EUV observed in the solar spectrum, and one of the few lines in that wavelength range providing information on the upper chromosphere or lower transition region. However, when observing the off-limb corona, the contribution from the nearby Si?xi 30.3 nm line can become significant. In this work we aim at estimating the relative contribution of those two lines in the solar corona around the minimum of solar activity. We combine measurements from CDS taken in August 2008 with temperature and density profiles from semiempirical models of the corona to compute the radiances of the two lines, and of other representative coronal lines (e.g. Mg?x 62.5 nm, Si?xii 52.1 nm). Considering both diagnosed quantities from line ratios (temperatures and densities) and line radiances in absolute units, we obtain a good overall match between observations and models. We find that the Si?xi line dominates the He?ii line from just above the limb up to ≈?2?R _⊙ in streamers, while its contribution to narrowband imaging in the 30.4 nm band is expected to become smaller, even negligible in the corona beyond ≈?2?–?3?R _⊙, the precise value being strongly dependent on the coronal temperature profile.     

Progress in ultraviolet stellar spectrophotometry with S59

A progress report is given of investigations related to observations of stellar spectra obtained with the ultraviolet stellar spectrophotometer S59 aboard the ESRO TD-1A satellite. We describe first the processing of the observations: intensity and wavelength calibration, identification of lines, classification of spectra. Thereafter some important groups of lines are dealt with: non-LTE computation of the Mgii lines are presented: apart from the peculiar emission line and shell stars they compare well with the observations; intensity ratios, of Feii and Feiii lines are an important temperature classification criterion. Interstellar UV lines indicate large deficiencies of some metals, as compared to solar values. A new ultraviolet continuous extinction curve is determined. We discuss the strong outstreaming motions observed in α Cygni, and the consequent mass loss of this star (< 3 × 10^?10 \(\mathfrak{M}_ \odot \) yr^?1and finally we describe the composite spectrum of the (WC8+09I) bnary γ² Velorum; the ultraviolet continuous spectrum of the WC star is about one magnitude brighter than any theory predicts.     

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.     

Properties of the ionised gas of circumnuclear star-forming regions in early-type spirals

A study of circumnuclear star-forming regions (CNSFRs) in several early-type spirals has been carried out in order to investigate their main properties: stellar and gas kinematics, dynamical masses, ionising stellar masses, chemical abundances and other properties of the ionised gas. Both high resolution (R～20,000) and moderate resolution (R～5000) have been used. In some cases, these regions (about 100–150 pc in size) are composed of several individual star clusters with sizes between 1.5 and 4.9 pc, estimated from Hubble Space Telescope images. Stellar and gas velocity dispersions are found to differ by about 20 to 30 km?s^?1, with the Hβ emission lines being narrower than both the stellar lines and the [Oiii]λ5007 Å lines. The twice ionised oxygen, on the other hand, shows velocity dispersions comparable to those of stars. We have applied the virial theorem to estimate dynamical masses of the clusters, assuming that the systems are gravitationally bounded and spherically symmetric, and using previously measured sizes. The measured values of the stellar velocity dispersions yield dynamical masses of the order of 10⁷ to 10⁸ M_⊙ for the full CNSFRs. We obtain oxygen abundances which are comparable to those found in high-metallicity disc Hii regions from direct measurements of electron temperatures and consistent with solar values within the errors. The region with the highest oxygen abundance is R3+R4 in NGC3504, 12+log(O/H)=8.85, about 1.5 times solar. The derived N/O ratios are, on average, larger than those found in high-metallicity disc Hii regions, and they do not seem to follow the trend of N/O vs. O/H which marks the secondary behaviour of nitrogen. On the other hand, the S/O ratios span a very narrow range—between 0.6 and 0.8 times solar. Compared to high-metallicity disc Hii regions, CNSFRs show values of the O₂₃ and the N2 parameters whose distributions are shifted to lower and higher values, respectively. Hence, even though their derived oxygen and sulphur abundances are similar, higher values would in principle be obtained for the CNSFRs if pure empirical methods were used to estimate abundances. CNSFRs also exhibit lower ionisation parameters than their disc counterparts, as derived from [Sii]/[Siii]. Their ionisation structure also seems to be different, with CNSFRs showing radiation-field properties more similar to Hii galaxies than to disc high-metallicity Hii regions.     

The coronal hole at the 7 March 1970 solar eclipse

Coronal interferograms in the lines of Fe xiv 5303 Å, He i 5876 Å and Fe x 6374 Å were obtained during the total solar eclipse of 10 July, 1972 (see Figure 2). He i emission was found in the chromosphere only. The upper limit of the D₃ equivalent width in terms of the coronal continuous background is 0.013 Å in the inner corona (r=1.15 R⊙). The λ6374 negative was taken with low contrast. The half width of 16374 is 1.0–1.08 Å for a limited area of the corona (P=88?104°, r=1.30?1.44 R⊙). A detailed photometry of the 5303 Å line was carried out and the behaviour of the half widths and equivalent widths were studied in different regions of the corona. The half width of λ5303 increases with distance from the Sun's center in almost all the studied regions (1.2 R⊙ ? r ? 1.7 R⊙). This increase corresponds to an increase of the non-thermal velocities with a gradient of 1–2 km s^-1 per 0.1 R⊙. The equivalent widths, expressed in the coronal continuous background intensity remain constant on the average.     

Analysis of the intensities and profiles of the spectral line Mg xii 8.42 Å in the solar X-ray spectrum

High resolution profiles of the Mg xii 8.42 Å line in the solar X-ray spectrum were recorded from the Intercosmos 7 satellite. The Mg xii line intensity provides a sensitive indicator of the hot plasma content (T ? 3 × 10⁶ K) in coronal condensations and X-ray flare volumes. The ratio of the line intensity to the intensity of the adjacent continuum has been used to compute approximate thermal models of the emitting regions. For all the investigated coronal condensations the temperature distribution of plasma has been found to be a function monotonically decreasing with temperature. But for some X-ray bursts there occurred a distinct excess of the hot plasma of temperature between 6–10 × 10⁶K. FWHM values of the Mg xii line profiles have been used to estimate ion temperature in the emitting regions.     

Optical observations of the interstellar absorption lines towards the M8 Nebula

High resolution optical observations (FWHM ～ 10–13 km s^?1) of the I-S gas towards the early-type stars HD 164 794, HD 164816, and HD 165052 in the M8 Nebula are presented. A high velocity componentV _LSR=?26 km s^?1 has been detected in all 3 stars' spectra. A line profile fitting analysis has been carried out on the observed Caii and Nai absorption lines to determine cloud component column densities and to subsequently determine the physical and chemical conditions of the associated I-S gas.     

Velocities and Linewidths in the Network and Cell Interiors of a Polar Coronal Hole Compared with the Quiet Sun

The relative Doppler velocities and linewidths in a polar coronal hole and the nearby quiet-Sun region have been obtained from the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) observations using emission lines originating at different heights in the solar atmosphere from the lower transition region (TR) to the low solar corona. The observed region is separated into the network and the cell interior, and the behavior of the above parameters were examined in the different regions. It has been found that the histograms of Doppler velocity and width are generally broader in the cell interior than in the network. The histograms of Doppler velocities of the network and cell interior do not show significant differences in most cases. However, in the case of the quiet Sun, the Doppler velocities of the cell interior are more blueshifted than those of the network for the lowermost line He?ii 304 Å, and an opposite behavior is seen for the uppermost line Mg?ix 368 Å. The linewidth histograms show that the network–cell difference is more prominent in the coronal hole. The network has a significantly larger linewidth than the cell interior for the lowermost TR line He?ii 304 Å for the quiet Sun. For the coronal hole, this is true for the three lower TR lines: He?ii 304 Å, O?iii 599 Å, and O?v 630 Å. We also obtained the correlations between the relative Doppler velocity and the width. A mild positive correlation is found for the lowermost transition-region line He?ii 304 Å, which decreases even more or become insignificant for the intermediate lines. For the low coronal line Mg?ix 368 Å, the correlation becomes strongly negative. This might be caused by standing waves or waves propagating from the lower to the upper solar atmosphere. The results may have implications for the generation of the fast solar wind and coronal heating.     

The age decay of stellar magnetic activity in MS field solar-type stars

The age decay of two indicators of the stellar magnetic activity (λ 2800 Mgii emission flux and λ 10830 Hei equivalent width) have been studied for field solar-type stars. The Li abundance has been used, in most of the cases, as a stellar age indicator. A calibrated decay law for Mgii has been determined and compared with a similar one, recently published, for the Caii K emission. The greater scatter in the Hei results is atributed to the different rotation rates.     

Emission features in the solar corona after the perihelion passage of Comet 1979 XI

On the coronograph spectrophotographic records taken on 31.372 UT, August 1979, some faint emission features were found which can be ascribed to Siii and Niii. These emissions were obviously a transient phenomena which were detected only 10 hr after the supposed fall of Comet 1979 XI in the Sun's photosphere. It cannot be excluded that the appearance of Si and Ni lines was triggered by the evaporation of dust particles with a high abundance of heavier elements in the solar corona. This assumption is also supported by intensity distribution of the Fex coronal line around the Sun's limb. The maximum coincide with the position angle of the projected path of the comet.