Fine Structure of the Quiet Solar Chromosphere: Limb-Crossing Features

In this article we study chromospheric structures (spicules) crossing the solar limb in H images corrected for limb darkening. This correction enabled us to view structures both on the disk and beyond the limb in the same image. The observations were obtained at the Sacramento Peak Observatory at H±0.75 Å. The processed images reveal both bright and dark (relative to the local background) features crossing the limb. We also observed bushes (rosettes) crossing the limb, as well as structures indicating probably arch-shaped mottles beyond the limb.     

The bright streaks in the Hα disk chromosphere

Evidence is presented demonstrating the existence of a type of chromospheric structure in the form of bright streaks. These are extensions across the solar disk of elongated bright mottles which originate in the central regions of clusters of mottles. They are best observed on good filtergrams at H ± 0.5 Å through comparison with filtergrams at other positions on the line profile. Their length can be as much as 200 sec of arc. The bright streaks appear to be predominantly horizontal loop structures, while the well-known spicules are mainly vertical structures. A bright streak may be well defined or rather diffuse along its length, and many of them are accompanied by darker boundaries or envelopes. It is usual to find a loop of bright streak bridging the central areas of two mottle clusters. It seems that the observed pattern in the space between the chromospheric network at H ± 0.5 Å results partly from the interactions of the bright streaks of different stages of evolution traversing the area in different directions.     

New observational results for the solar chromosphere

High resolution photographs of the solar chromosphere have been obtained with the 40-cm refractor of the Athens Observatory and a 0.5 Å Halle H filter. Our best photographs show a resolution of 0.6, which is comparable with the theoretical resolving limit of 0.4, at H. The achieved resolution permitted us to secure some excellent observations of the fine structure of the chromosphere on the disk as well as on the limb. The study of these observations leads to the following results: (a) the bright filaments of the disturbed chromosphere as well as the penumbral ones appear to consist of knots, (b) inside the cells of the chromospheric network of the quiet chromosphere, bright roundish granule-like formations are present, their mean size being of the order of 2500 km. (c) the bright fine mottles seem to lie at the root of the elongated dark ones, each pair of them giving rise to a spicule.     

High-resolution photography of the solar chromosphere

Bright chromospheric mottles observed at the H line centre are found to have sizes ranging from 1450 to 4400 km and lifetimes of about 11 min. They occur in close juxtaposition to dark mottles which, at intermediate heliocentric angles ( 60°), are found to be displaced towards the limb relative to the associated bright mottles. The magnitude of the displacement indicates a height difference of 4300 km. In conjunction with height measurements of bright mottles beyond the limb (Loughhead, 1969), this implies that bright and dark mottles are phenomena of the lower ( 3300 km) and upper ( 5000–7600 km) chromosphere respectively.     

Spectral investigation of chromospheric fine structure

H spectra and effectively simultaneous filtergrams were taken at the Fraunhofer Observatory on Capri with the 35 cm domeless Coudé. The spatial resolution of the 19 best spectra selected for analysis was estimated to be 1–2 arc sec. The comparison of several hundred H line profiles emitted by typical chromospheric structure elements with theoretical prediction yielded strong evidence to suggest that the chromosphere consists of two parts: A lower, rather uniform layer at rest superposed by clouds (condensations of great spatial variability) which constitute the well-known structure pattern of H filtergrams. For most image points the line-of-sight velocity, optical thickness, source function and Doppler broadening of these clouds could be determined. While the values of the latter three quantities were found to be similar to what Beckers (1968) has found for limb spicules the velocity of the bright and of the dark mottles is considerably smaller than to be expected if these features were the spicules as seen on the disk. However, our results do not rule out the possibility that the spicules rise at the centers of rosettes where they are difficult to detect.Mitteilung aus dem Fraunhofer Institut No. 105.     

Solar spicules observed through a K-filter

Some properties of the solar spicules as observed outside the limb through a Halle K-filter at the centre of the line are investigated. The observations have been made at the Pic-du-Midi Observatory. The results are as follows: (a) The chromosphere at the limb appears more diffuse in the K line than in the H line, the spicules being not well resolved. (b) The ratio of spicule intensity to the background intensity increases with height, as in the case of H spicules, but it is, in every height, smaller than that in H. (c) The spicule mean width is measured photometrically and found equal to 1900 km. (d) The lifetime is found to be 4.5 min. (e) The mean chromospheric height is estimated to be 6.000 km.     

The spotless flare of 16 March 1981 – I. Pre-Flare Activations of the Chromospheric Fine Structure

This paper is based on observations in the H line with the aim to carry out a detailed study of the spotless flare of importance 1N that was observed at the Baikal Astrophysical Observatory on 16 March 1981. The study focuses on the evolution of the region of interest from the time of its appearance from behind the limb, and on the pre-flare activation of chromospheric features four hours before the flare. The disturbances that preceded the flare spanned an area of about 120 square degrees. The bulk of activations occurred along and near the path of the polarity inversion line (PIL) of the longitudinal component of the magnetic field. The flare was preceded by an eruptive filament, a disturbance of the fine structure of supergranulation cells, and by the formation of dark vortex structures in regions where flare ribbons form; dark mottles in these regions signaled the operation of an oscillatory process with a period of about 3–4 min, and the region where one of the flare ribbons formed showed a `tunnel' of a system of small-scale dark loops. A close association of the chromospheric activations and flare mottles, with the boundaries of the chromospheric and magnetic networks, is established.     

Spectral investigation of the chromosphere

Several hundred H spectrograms from areas close to the solar limb were taken with the 35 cm Coudé refractor at Anacapri. The 41 spectra with the greatest spatial resolution were selected and analysed. At the supergranular boundaries a considerable fraction of the line profiles were found to correspond to Beckers Cloud Model (BCM). Moreover, the BCM parameters of the dark mottles at the limb appear to be approximately equal to those from the center of the disk. On the other hand, we also obtained evidence in disagreement with the general applicability of the BCM to all features of the chromospheric fine structure.We attempted to present the large set of observational data in a fashion that permits their interpretation by alternative theoretical models.Mitteilungen aus dem Fraunhofer Institut Nr. 151.     

A study of the fine structure of the solar chromosphere at the limb

We have measured the dimensions, distances from the inner limb and the lifetime of bright mottles at the limb. Spicule lifetimes have been measured too. The problem of the dark band, lying just above the inner limb, as well as the relations between bright mottles and spicules are discussed.     

Fine Structure of the solar atmosphere from near-limb observations in three wavelengths

We analyze a time series of high-resolution observations near the limb, in the continuum, in the Mg b ₁ line (-0.4 Å off line center), and in the wings of H (+0.75 Å). The observations were obtained with a CCD camera at the Vacuum Tower telescope of the Sacramento Peak Observatory. We study the association of facular points, as they appear at different heights of the solar atmosphere (continuum, b ₁ - 0.4 Å, H + 0.75 Å) with the feet of fine dark mottles.     

Spectral investigation of the chromosphere

Highly resolved H spectra and filtergrams obtained at the Fraunhofer Observatory on Capri were analysed by a method whose principles have been described before. As a result the tentative conclusion of our previous work has been confirmed: The mottles of the chromospheric fine structure are clouds superimposed on the low chromosphere. Furthermore, it is proposed that the latter is identical with the interior of the supergranular cells whose spatial averages lend themselves to an interpretation in terms of a spherically symmetric model. On the other hand, we present evidence that the boundary regions which are formed by the mottles of the fine structure pattern and which constitute the upper chromosphere are not adequately described by spatial averages. Instead, the properties of the individual structural elements should be taken into account by an appropriate theory, if only in a statistical fashion. Some of these properties, viz. source function, optical thickness, Doppler width and velocity, were measured for a large number of elements. On the basis of indirect evidence we suggest that the spicules seen on limb photographs of chromospheric lines are identical with the elements of the supergranule boundary structure.Mitteilung aus dem Fraunhofer Institut Nr. 116.     

D3 spicules and the lower chromosphere

High resolution filtergrams of the solar limb in D₃ and off-band H have been used to investigate the spatial structure of the D₃ chromosphere. It was found that spicules provide the major contribution to the intensity of the D₃ emission band observed above the limb, with the remainder of the emission coming from a semi-homogeneous background component at low heights.The observations can be understood on the basis of the photoionization model, whereby it is found that helium is only slightly ionized at the height of peak intensity in the D₃ emission band, and that spicules are at least 3 times denser than their surroundings at this height.In coronal holes, the D₃ emission is confined to isolated emission patches, and these patches contain a fine structure resembling normal chromospheric spicules.     

On the size of the structure elements in the solar chromosphere

Photometric reductions of the spectrograms obtained during the third flight of the Soviet Stratopsheric Solar Station are discussed. A comparison of photometric scans in H and its far wings near to the continuum leads to the conclusion that chromospheric mottles are at least several times broader than photospheric granules. The optimum size of mottles is about 0.8–1.1. The H profiles of mottles are practically the same as those obtained from the ground observations. The broadening of mottles is considered as an effect of expansion of magnetic arcs growing up to chromospheric levels.     

Resolution of the Hα double-limb controversy

The discussion of the H double limb had reached the point where the question of its existence as a real solar phenomenon could not be resolved without new observations made with the Lockheed filter and the Mount Wilson spectroheliograph. A study of the instrumental profiles had indicated that there was sufficient off-band light to produce the observed inner limb step in the Mount Wilson instrument, but this analysis was not completely satisfactory because of limitations inherent in the measurement of instrument functions with a Hg-198 source. The instrumental profile work did indicate, however, that the spectral purity of the instruments in question could be substantially improved by the use of narrow-band interference filters. An experimental program was thus launched to determine the effect of such a blocking filter on the appearance of the H limb. The results of these observations with three Halle filter systems and the Mount Wilson spectroheliograph are that the inner limb completely disappears at the center of H when a blocking filter is used to reduce unwanted light, which originates at wavelengths beyond ±0.8 Å. In addition, the contrast and visibility of the chromospheric fine structure is increased by eliminating the off-band light. Thus the experiment conclusively demonstrates that the apparent inner limb is not a solar feature but is due entirely to instrumental parasitic light.     

Fine structure of the Solar Chromosphere: Arch-Shaped Mottles

We analyze a time series of high resolution observations near the solar limb, obtained in H and the Mg b1 line. We identified arch-shaped dark mottles, which are thin, faint H structures observable under very good seeing conditions, best seen in H +0.75 Å. Their mean length is about 15, their mean height about 6 and indicative lifetimes is of the order of 5 min. They show negative (away from the observer) line-of-sight velocities. A possible interpretation is that material flows from the apex towards the feet of the arches.     

Derivation of physical parameters of chromospheric structures assuming a constant and a varying source function

H profiles of a rosette region consisting of several bright and dark mottles were obtained with the Multichannel Subtractive Double Pass (MSDP) spectrograph mounted on the 50 cm 'Tourelle' refractor of the Pic du Midi Observatory. These profiles have been analysed in terms of the classical cloud model which assumes a constant source function and holds only for optically thin structures. A new technique is also described which enables the determination of various physical parameters of chromospheric features taking into account the variation of the source function with the optical depth. This method can be applied, in contrast to the classical cloud model, to all lines whether optically thin or optically thick and gives a good fit to the entire profile from the core to the wings. A comparison of the results given by the two different methods is also performed.     

The solar filigree

As a birefringent filter is tuned from the center of H to the continuum the H bright mottles appear to break up into a network of grains. The name filigree is suggested for this bright network. Its size, shape, contrast and time evolution is described as well as its relation to the abnormal granulation, magnetic field and spicules.On leave from The University of Hawaii.     

Loop interaction scenario of a trace flare

We analyzed simultaneous EUV images from the Transition Region And Coronal Explorer (TRACE) and H and H filtergrams from Huairou Solar Observing Station (HSOS). In active region NOAA 8307, an H C5.5 flare occurred near 06:10 UT on 23 August 1998. In this paper, we concentrated on loop–loop interaction, as well as their relationship to the C5.5 flare. We find that while opposite polarity magnetic fields cancelled each other, H bright points appeared, and then the flare occurred. Looking at EUV images, we noticed that a TRACE flare, associated with the C5.5 flare in H and H filtergrams, first appeared as patch-shaped structures, then the flare patches expanded to form bright loops. We used a new numerical technique to extrapolate the chromospheric and coronal magnetic field. Magnetic field loops, which linked flare ribbons, were found. It was suggested that loop interaction in the active region was the cause of the TRACE and H flare; the magnetic topological structures were clearly demonstrated and the TRACE flare was probably due to the interaction among energetic low-lying and other longer (higher) magnetic loops. Each primary flare kernel, seen from H, H filtergrams, and EUV images, was located near the footpoints of several interacting loops.     

Synoptic Hα Full-Disk Observations of the Sun from Big Bear Solar Observatory – I. Instrumentation,Image Processing,Data Products,and First Results

The Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) has a long tradition of synoptic full-disk observations. Synoptic observations of contrast enhanced full-disk images in the Caii K-line have been used with great success to reproduce the Hi L irradiance variability observed with the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS). Recent improvements in data calibration procedures and image- processing techniques enable us now to provide contrast enhanced H full-disk images with a spatial resolution of approximately 2 and a temporal resolution of up to 3 frames min–1.In this first paper in a series, we describe the instruments, the data calibration procedures, and the image-processing techniques used to obtain our daily H full-disk observations. We also present the final data products such as low- and high-contrast images, and Carrington rotation charts. A time series of an erupting mini- filament further illustrates the quality of our H full-disk observations and motivate one of the future research projects. This lays a solid foundation for our subsequent studies of solar activity and chromospheric fine structures. The high quality and the sunrise- to-sunset operation of the H full-disk observations presented in this paper make them an ideal choice to study statistical properties of mini-filament eruptions, chromospheric differential rotation, and meridional flows within the chromosphere, as well as the evolution of active regions, filaments, flares, and prominences.     

Some statistical properties of Ellerman bombs

One hundred seventy-eight Ellerman bombs were identified and studied with on- and off-band H filtergrams of two active centers, one near disk center and the other near the east limb. The photographs, taken through a 1/4 Å bandpass filter, occasionally attained resolution as fine as 0.3. The mean duration of bombs at H-2 Å was about 13 min near disk center and 11 min near the limb; these times increase slightly when we observe closer to the core of H. Eighty-six percent of the bombs in the near-limb region and 56% in the disk-center region were seen to be accompanied by ejections of dark material; the ejections were 3–30 long. The ejection length appears to be proportional to the bomb size times the bomb lifetime.