Convection regions and coronas of sun and stars

Photospheric models were calculated for 90 stars with effective temperatures between 2500 K and 41600 K for five logg-values ranging from 1 to 5. Molecule formation was taken into account. In order to have an idea about possible instabilities in the different stellar layers some quantities, characteristic for convection and turbulence were calculated, such as the Rayleigh-, Reynolds-, Prandtl- and Péclet-numbers. It turned out that all the investigated stars contain unstable layers, including the hottest. Nevertheless, only stars with effective temperatures of 8300 K or less contain layers where the convective energy transport is important. For all stars the convective velocities were calculated and also the generated mechanical fluxes in the convection zones were tabulated.Under the hypothesis that this mechanical energy flux is responsible for the heating of the corona, coronal models were constructed for the Sun and for some stars with effective temperatures between 5000 K and 8320 K for logg-values of 4 or 5.For Main Sequence stars the largest fluxes are generated in F-stars; stars withT _eff=7130 K and logg=4 possess also the hottest and most dense coronas with a computed temperature of 3.7·10⁶ K and logN _e =10.5.The solar corona computed in this way, on the basis of a photospheric mechanical flux of 0.14·10⁸ erg cm^–2 sec^–1, has a temperature of 1.3·10⁶ K and logN _e =9.8. This density is apparently too high, but even when including in the computations all theoretical refinements proposed in the last few years by various authors it does not appear possible to obtain a solar coronal model with a smaller density.However, when taking into account the inhomogeneous structure of the chromosphere and by associating the calculated mechanical fluxes to the coarse mottles, and lower fluxes to the undisturbed regions we find a mean coronal temperature of 1.1·10⁶ K and a mean logN _e -values of 9. The computed velocity of the solar wind at a distance of 10⁴ km above the photosphere has a value between 7 and 11 km sec^–1. These latter values are in fair agreement with the observations.     

The photospheric abundance of iron

The center-to-limb variation of equivalent widths of 198 Fei lines in the spectral region 5500 to 7000 Å was studied with five photospheric models. The gf-values of Corliss and Warner (1964) were used in the analysis. The photospheric iron abundance was found to vary with excitation potential. This can be explained by a systematic error in the gf-values of high excitation lines and an error of 250 to 500K in the temperature of the arcs used for measuring the gf-values. Departures from LTE in the solar Fei lines are also a possibility. The adopted photospheric abundance of iron, log(N _Fe/N _H) is - 5.2.     

The total photospheric motion field

Brief consideration is given to the conception of the total photospheric motion field. A synthesis of the most thorough investigations is made and the radial (V ^rad) and tangential (V ^tg) components of the velocity amplitude of the total photospheric motion field are deduced. At depth logτ₅ = ?3.0 V ^rad and V ^tg have average values of 1.2 and 1.7 km s^?1 respectively. They increase smoothly with depth and reach their maximum values of V ^rad=3.0, V ^tg=3.4 km s^?1 at depths logτ₅= ?0.2 and logτ₅ = +0.4 respectively. In the deep photospheric layers both components seem to decrease with depth.     

On the Hβ, [OIII] lines and continuum variability character in the nucleus of Seyfert galaxy NGC 1275

The radiation fluxes of the NGC 1275 galaxy central region are being observed on the 1.25-m telescope, using a scanning spectrophotometer with the entrance aperture 10″ in three Δλ=80 Å spectral regions: Hβ, 4959+5007 Å [OIII] and continuum. There were 35 nights of observations during 1982–1987. With the time resolution of half an hour 379 measurements were obtained in each spectral region. The analysis of these results shows:

1. The standard deviations of measurements in each spectral region 2–3 times exceed the errors of observations.
2. The radiation flux distribution resembles to normal one only for Hβ line.
3. Two-humps forms of continuum flux distribution curve is like that of radio emission in 8 mm and 2.6 cm wavelengths.
4. Various forms of fluxes distribution curves of Hβ and [OIII] lines permit us to suppose that the location of these lines emission regions near the sources of excitation are different.

     

Computedn=2 level populations in helium-like ions from Cv to Nixxvii

The population densities of all levels with principal quantum numbern=2 in a number of helium-like ions with nuclear charge numberZ, in the range 6 to 28 have been evaluated as a function of various parameters, i.e., electron temperature,T _e, electron density,N _e, radiation temperature,T _r, dilution factor,W, and of the state of ionization. The spectral line fluxes from all possible radiative transitions from these levels have been calculated for an optically thin plasma. The effects of cascades following collisional excitation of higher levels or radiative and dielectronic recombination have been computed in detail. Innershell ionization of the lithium-like ion to form the helium-like ion in a 2³ S or 2¹ S state has been considered. It can have a strong influence on the forbidden line intensity in a non-equilibrium plasma. Collisional and radiative coupling of levels of the same multiplicity (e.g. 2³ S ₁ and 2³ P _2,1,0) have been considered as a function ofT _e, N_e orT _r, W, respectively. The computations were performed both for stationary and time-varying plasmas. In the latter case strong departures from a stationary ionization equilibrium can significantly alter the line fluxes. A few examples of the results are shown and discussed.     

Hydrogen ionization and n=2 population for model spicules and prominences

Using slab model atmospheres that are irradiated from both sides by photospheric, chromospheric, and coronal radiation fields we have determined the ionization and excitation equilibrium for hydrogen.The model atom consists of two bound levels (n = 1 and n = 2) and a continuum. Ly- was assumed to be optically thick with the transition in detailed radiative balance. The Balmer continuum was assumed to be optically thin with the associated radiative ionization dominated by the photospheric radiation field (T _rad = 5940 K). The ionization equilibrium was determined from an exact treatment of the radiative transfer problem for the internally generated Ly-c field and the impressed chromospheric and coronal field (characterized by T _rad = 6500K).Our calculations corroborate the hypothesis that N₂, the n = 2 population density, is uniquely determined by the electron density N _e. We also present ionization curves for 6000K, 7500K, and 10000K models ranging in total hydrogen density from 1 × 10¹⁰/cm³ to 3 × 10¹²/cm³. Using these curves it is possible to obtain the total hydrogen density from the n = 2 population density in prominences and spicules.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Observation of possible Fe xvii 2p 53p(1S0)-2p 53s(1 P 1, 3 P 1) transitions in spectra of a solar active region and flare

Expected wavelengths and relative intensities are obtained, from calculations of other workers, for the hitherto unobserved transitions 2p ⁵3p(¹ S ₀)-2p ⁵3s(¹ P ₁, ³ P ₁) in Fe xvii. A candidate pair of lines at 197.05 Å and 242.09 Å was found in laboratory spectra and appears to be present in the spectra of a solar active region observed by the OSO-7 Goddard spectroheliograph, and in the spectrum of a Skylab-observed solar flare.     

First Observations from the Multi-Application Solar Telescope (MAST) Narrow-Band Imager

The Multi-Application Solar Telescope is a 50 cm off-axis Gregorian telescope recently installed at the Udaipur Solar Observatory, India. In order to obtain near-simultaneous observations at photospheric and chromospheric heights, an imager optimized for two or more wavelengths is being integrated with the telescope. Two voltage-tuneable lithium-niobate Fabry–Perot etalons along with a set of interference blocking filters have been used for developing the imager. Both of the etalons are used in tandem for photospheric observations in Fe i 6173 Å and chromospheric observation in H\(\alpha\) 6563 Å spectral lines, whereas only one of the etalons is used for the chromospheric Ca II line at 8542 Å. The imager is also being used for spectropolarimetric observations. We discuss the characterization of the etalons at the above wavelengths, detail the integration of the imager with the telescope, and present a few sets of observations taken with the imager set-up.     

The dependence of facula-photosphere contrast in molecular lines on dissociation energy

Assuming local thermodynamic equilibrium and the same relative abundances to prevail both in photosphere and faculae, the concentration-optical depth curves for molecules CH, NH, OH, C₂, CN and CO have been obtained for the four combinations of two photospheric and two facular models and the relative excesses of these molecules in the photosphere over those in faculae have been calculated. The change of photospheric model significantly affects the relationship, for a given facular model, between and D ₀, the dissociation energy of the molecule concerned. Besides, the average depth of formation in the facular models and photospheric models shows a relationship with D ₀.     

Ultraviolet spectrum of FU Ori and a “Compromise” model of the FUor

We have analyzed the Hubble Space Telescope spectrum of the young star FU Ori in the range 2300–3100 Å. The long-wavelength part of the spectrum is similar to the spectrum of a supergiant with T _eff ? 5000–6000 K, but the range of wavelengths shorter than ?2600 Å is dominated by radiation from a region with T _eff ? 9000 K. We discuss the possibility of explaining these peculiarities of the spectrum, the Al II] 2669.2 emission line profile, and the results of X-ray observations for FU Ori in terms of an accretion disk model whose thickness increases as the star is approached starting from distances ?10¹² cm. Near the star, the disk has the shape of a cone in which only the part of its surface on the far (from the observer) side is visible. The suggested model is a kind of a compromise between the models of a thin α-disk and a supergiant: basically, this is an accretion model, but it resembles a supergiant in observational manifestations. Numerous absorption lines originating in the disk wind are superimposed on the disk spectrum. The wind is a cold (T ? 5000 K), dense (N _e ? 10¹¹ cm^?3) gas. The number of wind absorption lines in the ultraviolet spectrum of FU Ori increases with decreasing wavelength. This causes a rapid decline in intensity in the short-wavelength part of the spectrum. As a result, the maximum temperature in the disk estimated from low-resolution IUE spectra has been underestimated.     

A model of thermospheric temperature and composition

An empirical model of thermospheric temperature (T_∞T₁₂₀, and s) and composition (H, He, N, O, N₂, O₂, and Ar) was derived from measurements of 8 satellites (AE-C, AE-E, AEROS-A, AEROS-B, ARIEL-3, ESRO-4, OGO-6, and SAN MARCO-3) and 4 incoherent scatter stations (Arecibo, Jicamarca, Millstone Hill, and St Santin). The altitude covered extends from 120 km up to about 600 km over the time period 1967 to 1976. The analytical framework used in the model resembles closely the MSIS setup: time independent terms, solar flux terms, geomagnetic activity (K_p) effect, annual (semiannual) and diurnal (semidiurnal, terdiurnal) variations, longitudinal terms, the U.T. effect, and corrections compensating for deviations from diffusive equilibrium at altitudes below 200 km. The model describes quiet to medium disturbed geomagnetic conditions (K_p ? 4) at solar fluxes (10.7cm) ranging from 60 to 180 × 10^?22 Wm^?2Hz^?1. To get an impression of the accuracy presently obtained, the model is compared with MSIS, Jacchia (1977), and the models of Thuillier (T_∞ and Engebretson (N). The best agreement is found for the temperature and the constituents He, O, and N₂ with increasing deviations in the order of H, N, Ar, and O₂.     

Rotational excitation of protonated hydrogen cyanide (HCNH+) by He atom at low temperature

We report on ab initio coupled-cluster calculations of the interaction potential energy surface for the HCNH⁺–He complex. The aug-cc-pVTZ Gaussian basis, to which is added a set of bond functions placed at mid-distance between HCNH⁺ center of mass and He atom is used. The HCNH⁺ bonds length are set to their values at the equilibrium geometry, i.e., r _e [HC]=1.0780 Å, r _e [CN]=1.1339 Å and r _e [NH]=1.0126 Å. The interaction energy presents a global minimum located $266.9~\mathrm{cm^{-1}}$ below the HCNH⁺–He dissociation limit. Using the interaction potential obtained, we have computed rotational excitation cross sections in the close-coupling approach and downward rate coefficients at low temperature (T≤120 K). It is expected that the data worked out in this study may be beneficial for further astrophysical investigations as well as laboratory experiments.     

A comparison of theoretical Fe xii emission line strengths with EUV observations of a solar active region

New theoretical electron-density-sensitive Fe xii emission line ratios $$R_1 = I(3s^2 3p^3 {}^4S_{3/2} - 3s3p^4 {}^4P_{5/2} )/I(3s^2 3p^3 {}^2P_{3/2} - 3s3p^4 D_{5/2} )$$ and $$R_2 = I(3s^2 3p^3 {}^2P_{3/2} - 3s3p^4 {}^2D_{5/2} )/I(3s^2 3p^3 {}^4S_{3/2} - 3s3p^2 P_{3/2} )$$ are derived using R-matrix electron impact excitation rate calculations. We have identified the Fexii \(3s^2 3p^3 {}^4S_{3/2} - 3s3p^4 {}^4P_{5/2} ,{\text{ }}3s^2 3p^3 {}^2P_{3/2} - 3s^3 3p^4 {}^2D_{5/2} ,{\text{ }}3s^2 3p^3 S_{3/2} - 3s^2 3p^3 P_{3/2} \) and \(3s^2 3p^3 {}^4S_{3/2} - 3s^2 3p^3 {}^2P_{1/2}\) transitions in an active region spectrum obtained with the Harvard S-055 spectrometer on board Skylab at wavelengths of 364.0, 382.8, 1241.7, and 1349.4 Å, respectively. Electron densities determined from the observed values of R ₁ (log N _e ? 11.0) and R ₂(log N _e ? 11.4) are significantly larger than the typical active region measurements, but are similar to those derived from some active region spectra observed with the Skylab 2082A instrument, which provides observational support for the atomic data adopted in the line ratio calculations, and also for the identification of the Fe xii transitions in the S-055 spectrum. However the observed value of R ₃ = I(1349.4 Å)/I(1241.7 Å) is approximately a factor of two larger than one would expect from theory which, considering that the 1349.4 Å line lies at the edge of the S-055 wavelength coverage, may reflect errors in the instrument efficiency curve. Another possibility is that the 1349.4 Å transition is blended, probably with Si ii 1350.1 Å.     

Synchronous microwave brightenings of solar active regions from RATAN-600 spectral observations

The observations of the solar radio emission on September 11, 2001, with the RATAN-600 radio telescope (southern sector) at four centimeter wavelengths (1.92, 2.24, 2.74, and 3.21 cm) revealed synchronous brightenings in solar radio sources. These were identified on the solar photosphere with active regions that were spaced up to ～10⁶ km apart (AR 9608 and AR 9616). We discuss manifestations of the possible mechanisms of synchronous brightenings in solar sources in a narrow microwave spectral band. The significant linear correlation (ρ_c = 0.84–0.92) between the relative fluxes of AR 9610 and AR 9608 at 1.92 and 2.24 cm and the significant linear correlation (ρ_c = 0.65–0.84) between the relative fluxes of AR 9606 and AR 9608 at 3.21 cm in a two-hour interval of observations are indicative of the interconnection between these active regions not only during flares and bursts, but also in the periods of their absence. This confirms the existence of a large-scale temporal component in the dynamics of the radio flux variations for these active regions. We found a difference between the temporal variations of the radio emission from the halo and the solar radio sources under consideration. The times of increase in the total solar soft X-ray (0.5–4.0 Å, 1.0–8.0 Å; GOES 8, GOES 10) flux are shown to coincide with the times of increase in the fluxes from the solar radio sources at short centimeter wavelengths.     

The Raman signature of H2 in the uv spectra of Uranus and Neptune: Constraints on the haze optical properties and on the para-H2 fraction

The geometric albedos of Uranus and Neptune, inferred from archived Hubble Space Telescope observations and from the ground-based measurements of Karkoschka, 1994, are modeled in the wavelength range 2200–4200 Å. The radiative transfer model, which includes Rayleigh–Raman scattering and Mie scattering by haze particles, aims at reproducing the fine structure of the geometric albedos at a resolution of 2–10 Å. The steep variation of the total optical depth allows to investigate the influences of both the stratospheric and tropospheric haze layers and that of the deep tropospheric cloud, although their relative importance is difficult to estimate accurately. Using the haze models of Baines et al., 1995, the optical properties of the Mie scatterers are inferred. The haze material on Uranus is characterized by a slowly decreasing imaginary index of refraction: n_i varies from about 0.10 to 0.01–0.02 between 2200 and 4200 Å. Below 3000 Å, the absorptivity of Neptuness haze material is comparable to that on Uranus or slightly lower (n_i ∼ 0.03–0.10). Above 3000 Å, it exhibits a steeper decrease (from 0.30 to 0.003). The main source of uncertainty at longer wavelengths is the reflectivity of the underlying (H₂S ?) cloud. At shorter wavelengths, molecular scattering strongly dominates Mie scattering and the determination of the absorptivities is estimated to be accurate within a factor of 2. For Neptune, there is an additional uncertainty due to the inability of the initial haze model to provide a fit to the observed albedo. The Baines et al. model was modified by multiplying the number-densities of the hydrocarbons haze layers by a factor of 2.5–4.8, making it more consistent with the results of Pryor et al., 1992. For Uranus, these results suggest a darkening of the southern hemisphere since the Voyager epoch, in agreement with recent HST imaging. As a whole, the Neptunian haze seems to be more transparent than that of Uranus, possibly owing to the more turbulent dynamical state of the troposphere. Longwards of 3000 Å, the inferred absorptivities are consistent with laboratory measurements on tholins produced from CH₄–H₂ gas mixtures (Khare et al., 1987). The para-H₂ mole fraction on both planets is constrained from the strength of a prominent H₂ Raman feature at 2853 Å. On Uranus, at latitudes between 45 and 75°S and in the 50–500 mbar pressure range, the best agreement is obtained with an equilibrium para-H₂ distribution. On Neptune, there is an indication of a slight departure from equilibrium in the same pressure range at mid-southern latitudes. Although this new method is significantly less accurate, its results are consistent with those of previous investigations based on the analysis of H₂ quadrupole lines (Baines et al., 1995) and of the Voyager IRIS spectra (Conrath et al., 1998).     

The temperature of nonspherical circumstellar dust grains

The temperatures of prolate and oblate spheroidal dust grains in the envelopes of stars of various spectral types are calculated. Homogeneous particles with aspect ratios a/b≤10 composed of amorphous carbon, iron, dirty ice, various silicates, and other materials are considered. The temperatures of spherical and spheroidal particles were found to vary similarly with particle size, distance to the star, and stellar temperature. The temperature ratio T _d(spheroid)/T _d(sphere) depends most strongly on the grain chemical composition and shape. Spheroidal grains are generally colder than spherical particles of the same volume; only iron spheroids can be slightly hotter than iron spheres. At a/b≈2, the temperature differences do not exceed 10%. If a/b≥4, the temperatures can differ by 30–40%. For a fixed dust mass in the medium, the fluxes at wavelengths λ≥100 are higher if the grains are nonspherical, which gives overestimated dust masses from millimeter observations. The effect of grain shape should also be taken into account when modeling Galactic-dust emission properties, which are calculated when searching for fluctuations of the cosmic microwave background radiation in its Wien wing.     

Flowing afterglow studies of temperature dependencies for electron dissociative recombination of HCNH, CH3CNH and CH3CH2CNH and their symmetrical proton-bound dimers

A study has been made using a variable temperature flowing afterglow Langmuir probe technique (VT-FALP) to determine the equilibrium temperature dependencies of the dissociative electron-ion recombination of the protonated cyanide ions (RCNH⁺, where R=H, CH₃ and C₂H₅) and their symmetrical proton-bound dimers (RCNH⁺NCR). The power law temperature dependencies of the recombination coefficients, α_e, over the temperature range 180 to 600 K for the protonated ions are α_e(T)(cm³ s⁻¹)=3.5±0.5×10⁻⁷ (300/T)^1.38 for HCNH⁺, α_e(T)=3.4±0.5×10⁻⁷ (300/T)^1.03 for CH₃CNH⁺, and α_e(T)=4.6±0.7×10⁻⁷ (300/T)^0.81 for CH₃CH₂CNH⁺. The equivalent values for the proton-bound dimers are α_e(T)(cm³ s⁻¹)=2.4±0.4×10⁻⁶(300/T)^0.5 for (HCN)₂H⁺ to α_e(T)=2.8±0.4×10⁻⁶(300/T)^0.5 for (CH₃CN)₂H⁺, and α_e(T)=2.3±0.3×10⁻⁶(300/T)^0.5 for (CH₃CH₂CN)₂H⁺. The relevance of these data to molecular synthesis in the interstellar medium and the Titan ionosphere are discussed.     

Convective flux in the solar photosphere as determined from fluctuations

The fractional convective flux πF _c (x _c /πF) is computed for the effective level x _c = logτ _c = 0.125, using bi-dimensional co-spectra for relative continuum-brightness fluctuations ΔI and radial velocity fluctuations ΔV measured for the C _i 5052.16 spectral line. A more uncertain flux for x _Fe ≈ - 0.9 is obtained for the Fe _i 5049.83 line. Since the results (Figure 1) incorporate current uncertainties in RMS _ΔI , RMS _ΔV and RMS _ΔT (x), where ΔT are photospheric temperature fluctuations, they must be considered qualitative until these uncertainties are appreciably reduced. The requirement that the fractional convective flux < 1, places restrictions on these uncertainties which suggest that current RMS _ΔT (x)'s are too large. The results confirm the importance of overshoot at the top of the solar hydrogen convection zone and suggest a non-negligible fractional convective flux throughout the lower photosphere. Qualitatively, they do not agree with the predictions of the generally-used, local, mixing-length theory or those of Parsons' (1969) modified mixing-length theory. However, qualitative agreement with the predictions of the non-local, generalized mixing-length theory of Spiegel (1963) and with the non-local theory of Ulrich (1970) cannot be considered as observational confirmation of these theories.     

Magnetic ordering of the polar airglow

The visible airglow experiment on the Atmosphere Explorer-C satellite has gathered sufficient data over the Earth's polar regions to allow one to map the geographic distribution of particle precipitation using emissions at 3371 and 5200 Å. Both of these features exhibit large variations in space and time. The 3371 Å emission of N₂(C³π), excited by low energy electrons, indicates substantial energy inputs on the dayside in the vicinity of the polar cusp. More precipitation occurs in the morning than evening for the sample reported here, while the entire night sector between magnetic latitudes 65° and 77.5° is subjected to particle fluxes. Regions of enhanced 5200 Å emission from $\text{N}\text{(}{}^2\text{D)}$ are larger in horizontal extent than those at 3371 Å. This smearing effect is due to ionospheric motions induced by magnetospheric convection.     

Scale-dependent infrared radiative damping rates on Mars and their role in the deposition of gravity-wave momentum flux

Using a Curtis-matrix model of 15 μm CO₂ radiative cooling rates for the martian atmosphere, we have computed vertical scale-dependent IR radiative damping rates from 0 to 200 km altitude over a broad band of vertical wavenumbers ∣m∣ = 2π(1-500 km)⁻¹ for representative meteorological conditions at 40°N and average levels of solar activity and dust loading. In the middle atmosphere, infrared (IR) radiative damping rates increase with decreasing vertical scale and peak in excess of 30 days⁻¹ at ∼50-80 km altitude, before gradually transitioning to scale-independent rates above ∼100 km due to breakdown of local thermodynamic equilibrium. We incorporate these computed IR radiative damping rates into a linear anelastic gravity-wave model to assess the impact of IR radiative damping, relative to wave breaking and molecular viscosity, in the dissipation of gravity-wave momentum flux. The model results indicate that IR radiative damping is the dominant process in dissipating gravity-wave momentum fluxes at ∼0-50 km altitude, and is the dominant process at all altitudes for gravity waves with vertical wavelengths ?10-15 km. Wave breaking becomes dominant at higher altitudes only for “fast” waves of short horizontal and long vertical wavelengths. Molecular viscosity plays a negligible role in overall momentum flux deposition. Our results provide compelling evidence that IR radiative damping is a major, and often dominant physical process controlling the dissipation of gravity-wave momentum fluxes on Mars, and therefore should be incorporated into future parameterizations of gravity-wave drag within Mars GCMs. Lookup tables for doing so, based on the current computations, are provided.