Intermediate-term periodicities in the green corona brightness of the Sun

We have analysed intermediate-term periodicities in the green corona by dividing 10° latitudinal belts for the solar cycles 18, 19, and 20 (1947–1976). Discrete Fourier transform technique was used and three noticeable periodicities (3.48, 2.57, and 2.27 years) were found. The physical origin of these periods is not known, but evidence in our results exclude the possibility that the observed periods are a harmonic due to the method of analyse. The period of 3.48-year is the strongest one. 17.6-month periodicity was found only on around +40° belt while 155-day periodicity was not found in our analysis.     

North-south asymmetries of solar particle events in upper stratospheric ozone

Stratospheric ozone depressions, following intense solar particle events (SPE) observed by the backscattered ultraviolet (BUV) experiment on the Nimbus-4 satellite, indicate the existence of distinct asymmetries between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. These asymmetries are observed in the magnitude of the depressions above the 5-mb level, their temporal variations, and the spatial (i.e., latitude and longitude) dependence of these variations. Possible causes of asymmetries, shown by two events on 4 August 1972 and 25 January 1971, can be attributed to: (1) tilt of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) with respect to the Earth's dipole magnetic field which influences the precipitation of energetic solar particles into the polar atmospheres; (2) differences in ozone chemistry caused by the large change in atmospheric temperature between summer and winter hemispheres; (3) seasonal differences of the stratosphere's dynamic states which are affected by upward propagating planetary waves in winter in contrast to the relatively undisturbed zonal flow in summer; (4) topographic asymmetry between Northern and Southern Hemispheres.These effects are shown by three-dimensional plots of the events in geographic coordinates and by color contour plots of the stratospheric ozone distributions in geomagnetic and geographic polar coordinates, respectively.     

A method for the evaluation of the brightness distribution in the solar corona

With photography of the solar corona at eclipses as an example, a method is given to calculate the relative brightnesses along a solar radius from a set of photographs. This set must be taken with different exposures, the ratio of two successive exposures, however, being constant. From the photometry of the density the relative brightnesses can be derived by a procedure consisting of three steps:

1. Reconstruction of a differential characteristic curve,
2. Compensation of the whole set of photographs. This leads to a discrete number of density-values to be associated with the relative brightnesses of the corona. For an arbitrary density-value
3. an improved method of interpolation based on the least square method is required. The procedure can more easily be carried out by computer-analysis.

     

Eleven-years inversion of the green corona emission

A cross-correlation analysis of coronal green line intensity (5303 Å) and interplanetary magnetic field polarity for the period 1947–1970 shows that the coronal features are organized in a constant pattern with respect to the 4-sector structure through the solar cycle. A sudden inversion of the coronal pattern with respect to the sector structure takes place at the solar minima. The high emission regions of the green corona are located near the solar magnetic sector boundaries having polarities (?, +), (+, ?), (?, +) during cycles 18, 19, 20 respectively in the northern hemisphere, and (+, ?), (?, +), (+, ?) in the southern hemisphere.     

The green corona,the solar wind and geoactivity

The long-term distribution of the Green Corona Low Brightness Regions (GCLBR) on the solar surface is investigated. The frequency curves of the GCLBR follow the solar cycle, but are displaced considerably relative to the curve of the sunspot number cycle. The observed displacement increases with the size of the GCLBR and reaches up to 4–5 years for the largest regions. It is, however, interesting that the displacement in the equatorial zone is opposite to that in the higher-latitude zones.An older idea on the physical affinity between GCLBR and coronal holes led us to study the frequency of GCLBR and the properties of High-Speed Plasma Streams (HSPS) in the solar wind. Maximum velocity and duration of the coronal-hole-related HSPS seem to be well correlated with the number and size of GCLBR located in the N 60-N 20 and S 20-S 60 latitudinal zones. This is particularly evident at the end of the solar cycle.Geophysical Kp and aa indices are used to demonstrate a possible genetic dependence of geoactivity on the size, position on the Sun's surface and frequency of the GCLBR. In this sense, the most pronounced period is 1973–1976.

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The longitudinal distribution of the green corona activity

Two solar cycle observational material (1947–1968) from several corona stations brought to one intensity scale have been used to study the longitudinal distribution of the green corona activity. The active longitudes rotating with a period of 28 days are visualized. There is only very small dependence of the rotational period on the heliographic latitude. This fact recalls the known theory of the underphotospheric rigid body rotation.     

Periodicities in the green corona for the sun as a star

A coronal index (CI) derived from the limb observations of the 530.3 nm emission corona (green corona) over 1964–1987 was analyzed by the Fourier transform technique (FTT) to find periodicity in this layer of solar atmosphere. As expected, two pronounced periods were indicated: the rotational, about 27 d, and the activity cycle length, 11 years. Beside these there are seen other periodicities of less significancies, namely of about 5,2.2,1 and 0.5 year. The values of these periodicities in individual cycles 20 and 21 slightly differs that could be related to different activity zone depths beneath the photosphere.     

The radio brightness of the undisturbed outer solar corona in the presence of a radial magnetic field

The radio brightness of the quiet outer solar corona at a frequency of 35 MHz in the presence of a radial magnetic field is computed. It is found that the brightness temperature of the ordinary radiation increases significantly. It is also found that in the presence of a radial magnetic field, coronal holes will appear as bright emission regions on the disk and as depressions at the limb.     

Major flare effects on the intensity of the green corona and geomagnetic activity

The effects of the solar major flares indicated by the intensive radio bursts, high velocity streams or shock waves, coronal and ionospheric disturbances on the geomagnetic and coronal activities are investigated during the near the maximum phase of 21st solar cycle, in detail. The significant and the weak increases in the level of the geomagnetic and coronal activities indices were observed, respectively, after the occurrence of these events.     

Solar brightness distribution at 3mm wavelength from observations of the eclipse of 1976 October 23

Observations of the Sun were made at 3 mm wavelength during the total eclipse of 1976 October 23. Analysis of the record obtained near third contact indicates that the Sun at this wavelength is slightly limb-brightened, and that the solar radius is 1.007 times the photospheric radius.     

North-south asymmetry in the heliospheric current sheet and the IMF sector structure

It is shown that in a heliomagnetic field the presence of a magnetic quadrupole in addition to a magnetic dipole introduces a north-south asymmetry in the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) about the heliographic equator. The dominant polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) for the above type of current sheet reverses sign at a transition latitude _T, which lies in a heliohemisphere opposite to the one in which the HCS has more heliolatitudinal extension. The position of _T in the heliosphere and the north-south asymmetry introduced in the HCS change with the relative phase of the dipole and quadrupole components present in the solar magnetic field. The effect of the above type of asymmetric HCS in the IMF mean sector width is evaluated and the results are in agreement with the observations during the minima of solar cycle 21.     

On the nature of the transition region between the solar corona and chromosphere

We have calculated an equilibrium temperature distribution over the column depth of plasma in the transition region between the solar corona and chromosphere by assuming the plasma in the transition region and the chromosphere to be heated by the heat flux from the corona and the energy fluxes from the convective zone, respectively. The corona-chromosphere transition region is shown to be actually a stable, very thin layer in which, however, the standard collision approximation is well applicable for describing the heat flux. The solution we found explains well the currently available results of satellite observations of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation from the transition region.     

On a relation between the indices of solar activity in the photosphere and the corona

In the first part a new index of solar activity in the photosphere is introduced i.e. the areas index I _a defined with the help of the relation, where A and f are the total areas of the sunspots and faculae respectively corrected for foreshortening.In the second part a relation of the form: is proposed, where S represents the intensity of solar radio-emission in the frequency range 1000 f < 10000 MHz, i _f is the index of solar flares, S ₀o is the corresponding value of s for I _a = 0 and K is a constant.In the third part a relation of the form: is proposed, where I 5303 is the mean intensity of the coronal line 5303 Å for each quarter of the years 1954–1964, n _pf is the corresponding number of proton flares, I ₀ is the value of I ₅₃₀₃ corresponding to I = 0 and K is a constant.     

A relationship between the brightness temperatures for type III bursts

Type III bursts often have brightness temperatures at the fundamental greater than 10⁹K. If the fundamental emission is due to scattering of Langmuir waves into transverse waves by thermal ions, this implies that induced scattering dominates over spontaneous scattering, which in turn requires that the energy density in Langmuir waves be greater than some minimum value, e.g. W ^l > 3 × 10^-10 erg cm^-3 for bursts at f _p = 100 MHz. Such Langmuir waves become isotropic on a time-scale shorter than the rise-time of type III bursts, e.g. < l s at f _p = 100 MHz. Consequently, their coalescence, leading to emission at the second harmonic, proceeds. The above inequalities would imply a brightness temperature at the second harmonic in excess of 10⁹K at f = 200 MHz.The predicted values of the brightness temperatures _T1 ^t and _T2 ^t (at the fundamental and second harmonic respectively) can be expressed in terms of an optical depth . After is eliminated a functional relation between _T1 ^t , _T2 ^t and the plasma frequency, f _p , remains. The form of this relation is not dependent on a quantitative theory of how the Langmuir waves are generated by the stream of electrons. Consequently, comparison with observed quantities should provide further insight into the detailed properties of the emission processes.     

Large-scale distribution of magnetic fields,green corona and prominences during an extended activity cycle

The interrelations of the latitudinal distribution of the coronal green emission maxima, maximal numbers and areas of prominences, magnetic fields, sunspots, and polar faculae in the 20th and 21st sunspot cycles have been investigated. It is again demonstrated how the behaviour of all studied data depends on their heliographic latitude. In the polar zone, well separated from the equatorial we observe following polarity magnetic fields transported only polewards, while the equatorial zone is occupied mostly by leading polarity fields, developed there, moving equatorwards, and crossing the equator to the other hemisphere with the new cycle during the minimum of sunspot activity.This magnetic field distribution is well emphasized by the places of maximal occurrence of prominences and by the distribution of coronal green emission maxima which also differ in dependence on latitude.The question of identifying the first and last evolutionary stages of an extended cycle of activity is discussed and the existence of a magnetic activity cycle lasting 15–17 years is suggested.     

North-south asymmetry in solar, interplanetary, and geomagnetic indices

Data of hourly interplanetary plasma (field magnitude, solar wind speed, and ion density), solar (sunspot number, solar radio flux), and geomagnetic indices (Kp, Ap) over the period 1970-2010, have been used to examine the asymmetry between the solar field north and south of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS). A persistent yearly north-south asymmetry of the field magnitude is clear over the considered period, and there is no magnetic solar cycle dependence. There is a weak N-S asymmetry in the averaged solar wind speed, exhibited well at times of maximum solar activities. The solar plasma is more dense north of the current sheet than south of it during the second negative solar polarity epoch (qA < 0). Moreover, the N - S asymmetry in solar activity (Rz) can be statistically highly significant. The sign of the average N - S asymmetry depends upon the solar magnetic polarity. The annual magnitudes of N - S asymmetry depend positively on the solar magnetic cycle. Most of the solar radio flux asymmetries occurred during the period of positive IMF polarity.     

Solar activity and the corona

This review puts together what we have learned about coronal structures and phenomenology to synthesize a physical picture of the corona as a voluminous, thermally and electrically highly-conducting atmosphere responding dynamically to the injection of magnetic flux from below. The synthesis describes complementary roles played by the magnetic heating of the corona, the different types of flares, and the coronal mass ejections as physical processes by which magnetic flux and helicity make their way from below the photosphere into the corona, and, ultimately, into interplanetary space. In these processes, a physically meaningful interplay among dissipative magnetohydrodynamic turbulence, ideal ordered flows, and magnetic helicity determines how and when the rich variety of relatively long-lived coronal structures, spawned by the emerged magnetic flux, will evolve quasi-steadily or erupt with the impressive energies characteristic of flares and coronal mass ejections. Central to this picture is the suggestion, based on recent theoretical and observational works, that the the emerged flux may take the form of a twisted flux rope residing principally in the corona. Such a flux rope is identified with the low-density cavity at the base of a coronal helmet, often but not always encasing a quiescent prominence. The flux rope may either be bodily transported into the corona from below the photosphere, or reform out of a state of flaring turbulence under some suitable constraint of magnetic-helicity conservation. The appeal of this synthesis is its physical simplicity and the manner it relates a large set of diverse phenomena into a self-consistent whole. The implications of this view point are discussed.The topics covered are: the large-scale corona; helmet streamers; quiescent prominences; coronal mass ejections; flares and heating; magnetic reconnection and magnetic helicity; and, the hydromagnetics of magnetic flux emergence.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Electrons in the solar corona

The polarimetric survey of electrons in the K-corona initiated at Pic-du-Midi and Meudon Observatories in 1964 now covers a full solar cycle of activity. The measurements are photometrically calibrated in an absolute scale.In June 1967 a persistent coronal feature was fan-shaped as a lame coronale above quiescent prominences. We deduce an electron density of N ₀ = 1.5 × 10⁸ at 60 000 km above the photosphere, a total number of 14 × 10³⁹ electrons, a hydrostatic temperature of 1.7 × 10⁶ K, and a total thermal energy 3N _eKT = 1.0 × 10³¹ ergs. When a center of activity appeared, a major localized condensation developed to replace the old elongated feature, with N ₀ = 4.5 × 10⁸, a total of 4.5 × 10³⁹ electrons and the same temperature of 1.7 × 10⁶ K.Also, a fan-shaped feature of exceptional intensity was analysed on 8 September 1966, with N ₀ = 6 × 10⁸ and a total of 24 × 10³⁹ electrons.Fan-shaped features are frequent above quiescent prominences. They degenerate above a height of 2R into thinner isolated columns or blades with temperatures also around 1.7 × 10⁶ K.