On the effect of error correlation on linear inversions

We have examined the effect on linear helioseismic inversions of correlations in data errors, taking an example from one-dimensional rotational splitting inversion. Artificial data with correlated errors were generated and then inverted with or without using the proper covariance matrix. The effects of using incorrect covariance matrices, on solutions as well as on trade-offs, are discussed. It is found that improper account of the correlations can be deleterious to the faithfulness of the inversions, and yields incorrect error estimates, which under some circumstances can lead to misleading inferences.     

The visibility of low‐frequency solar acoustic modes

We make predictions of the detectability of low‐frequency p modes. Estimates of the powers and damping times of these low‐frequency modes are found by extrapolating the observed powers and widths of higher‐frequency modes with large observed signal‐to‐noise ratios. The extrapolations predict that the low‐frequency modes will have small signal‐to‐noise ratios and narrow widths in a frequency‐power spectrum. Monte Carlo simulations were then performed where timeseries containing mode signals and normally distributed Gaussian noise were produced. The mode signals were simulated to have the powers and damping times predicted by the extrapolations. Various statistical tests were then performed on the frequency‐amplitude spectra formed from these timeseries to investigate the fraction of spectra in which the modes could be detected. The results of these simulations were then compared to the number of p‐modes candidates observed in real Sun‐as‐a‐star data at low frequencies. The fraction of simulated spectra in which modes were detected decreases rapidly as the frequency of modes decreases and so the fraction of simulations in which the low‐frequency modes were detected was very small. However, increasing the signal‐to‐noise (S/N) ratio of the low‐frequency modes by a factor of 2 above the extrapolated values led to significantly more detections. Therefore efforts should continue to further improve the quality of solar data that is currently available. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Magnetic and thermal phase shifts in the local helioseismology of sunspots

Phase perturbations due to inclined surface magnetic field of active region strength are calculated numerically in quiet Sun and simple sunspot models in order to estimate and compare the direct and indirect (thermal) effects of the fields on helioseismic waves. It is found that the largest direct effects occur in highly inclined field characteristic of penumbrae, and scale roughly linearly with magnetic field strength. The combined effects of sunspot magnetic and thermal anomalies typically yield negative travel-time perturbations in penumbrae. Travel-time shifts in umbrae depend on details of how the thermal and density structure differs from the quiet Sun. The combined shifts are generally not well approximated by the sum of the thermal and magnetic effects applied separately, except at low field strengths of around 1 kG or less, or if the thermal shift is small. A useful rule-of-thumb appears to be that travel-time perturbations in umbrae are predominantly thermal, whereas in penumbrae they are mostly magnetic.     

The heating of the solar transition region

The temperature curve in the solar chromosphere has puzzled astronomers for a long time.Referring to the structure of supergranular cells,we propose an in ductive heating model.It mainly includes the following three steps.(1) A small-scale dynamo exists in the supergranulation and produces alternating small-scale magnetic fluxes;(2) The supergranular flow distributes these small-scale fluxes according to a regular pattern;(3) A skin effect occurs in the alternating and regularly-distributed magnetic fields.The induced current is concentrated near the transition region and heats it by resistive dissipation.     

Brightness fluctuations of the Sun and p‐mode oscillations: The inverse problem and nonadiabatic waves in the photosphere

Using photometric observations of the Sun as a star (DIFOS, SoHO) we were able to solve the inverse heloiseismic problem and determine the global time‐dependent relative temperature fluctuations as functions of the geometric height. This was done under the adiabatic assumption. A mathematical tool was developed to solve the inverse problem, which is ill‐posed. The calculations were done using the numerical software Matlab 7. The adiabatic solution shows signs of temperature waves in the lower photosphere, which agrees with calculations done by Rodríguez Hidalgo et al. (2001) and Stodilka (2011). (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Detection and temporal coherence of p‐modes below 1.4 mHz

Data collected recently by the helioseismic experiments aboard the SOHO spacecraft have allowed the detection of low degree p‐modes with increasingly lower order n. In particular, the GOLF experiment is currently able to unambiguously identify low degree modes with frequencies as low as 1.3 mHz. The detection of p‐modes with very low frequency (i.e., low n), is difficult due to the low signal‐to‐noise ratio in this spectral region and its contamination by solar signals that are not of acoustic origin. To address this problem without using any theoretical a priory, we propose a methodology that relies only on the inversion of observed values to define a spectral window for the expected locations of these low frequency modes. The application of this method to 2920‐day‐long GOLF observations is presented and its results discussed. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Evolution of temperature in granule and intergranular space

The temporal evolution of temperature in a dissolving granule and in an adjacent intergranular space is presented. The semi‐empirical evolutionary models have been calculated using an inversion method applied to 4‐min time series of Stokes I spectral line profiles. The models are presented in the form of the functional dependence of temperature T(log τ₅, t) on optical depth τ₅ at 500 nm and time t. The observed disappearance of the granule is accompanied with overall cooling of the granular photosphere. Temperature changes greater than 100 K have been found in deeper (log τ₅ ≥ 0) and upper layers (log τ₅ ≤ –2) whereas the intermediate layers are thermally stable. The intergranular space, which is 2 arcsec off the granule, keeps the temperature structure of the layers from log τ₅ = 0.5 to log τ₅ = –2 without global evolutionary changes except short‐term and spatially confined heating. Finally, the significant temperature changes in the upper layers (log τ₅ ≤ 2.5) observed during the time interval of 4 min are found to be typical for the granular and intergranular photosphere.     

The NST: First results and some lessons for ATST and EST

In January 2009, first light observations with the NST (New Solar Telescope) in Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) were made. NST has a 1.7 m primary with a 1.6 m clear aperture. First observational results in TiO and Hα are shown and discussed. The NST primary mirror is the most aspheric telescope mirror deployed to date. The NST is early in its commissioning, and the plans for this phase will be sketched. Lessons learned in building and implementing the NST are germane for the ATST and EST telescopes and will be discussed. The NST has an off‐axis Gregorian configuration consisting of a parabolic primary, heat‐stop, elliptical secondary and diagonal flats. The focal ratio of the primary mirror is f/2.4. The working wavelength range covers from 0.4 to 1.7 µm in the Coudé Lab beneath the telescope and all wavelengths including the far infrared at the Nasmyth focus on the dome floor (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Comparison of Large-Scale Flows on the Sun Measured by Time-Distance Helioseismology and Local Correlation Tracking

We present a direct comparison between two different techniques: time-distance helioseismology and a local correlation tracking method for measuring mass flows in the solar photosphere and in a near-surface layer. We applied both methods to the same dataset (MDI high-cadence Dopplergrams covering almost the entire Carrington rotation 1974) and compared the results. We found that, after necessary corrections, the vector flow fields obtained by these techniques are very similar. The median difference between directions of corresponding vectors is 24°, and the correlation coefficients of the results for mean zonal and meridional flows are 0.98 and 0.88, respectively. The largest discrepancies are found in areas of small velocities where the inaccuracies of the computed vectors play a significant role. The good agreement of these two methods increases confidence in the reliability of large-scale synoptic maps obtained by them.     

Automated detection and tracking of solar magnetic bright points

Magnetic bright points (MBPs) in the internetwork are among the smallest objects in the solar photosphere and appear bright against the ambient environment. An algorithm is presented that can be used for the automated detection of the MBPs in the spatial and temporal domains. The algorithm works by mapping the lanes through intensity thresholding. A compass search, combined with a study of the intensity gradient across the detected objects, allows the disentanglement of MBPs from bright pixels within the granules. Object growing is implemented to account for any pixels that might have been removed when mapping the lanes. The images are stabilized by locating long-lived objects that may have been missed due to variable light levels and seeing quality. Tests of the algorithm, employing data taken with the Swedish Solar Telescope, reveal that ≈90 per cent of MBPs within a  75 × 75  arcsec² field of view are detected.     

Effects of Dispersion of Wave Packets in the Determination of Lifetimes of High-Degree Solar p Modes from Time – Distance Analysis: TON Data

We use the method of time – distance analysis to measure lifetimes of solar p modes in the range ℓ=100 − 600 and ν=3.0 − 4.5 mHz with data taken with the Taiwan Oscillation Network (TON). The lifetimes of p modes are determined by the changes in the amplitude and width of the cross-correlation function of a wave packet with the number of skips. The amplitude of the cross-correlation function decreases exponentially with the number of skips as in previous work. This decrease has been interpreted as the effect of the finite p-mode lifetime. In this study, we find that the width of the cross-correlation function increases with the number of skips. We interpret this phenomenon as the effect of the dispersion of the wave packet. We include this effect in the determination of the lifetime of the wave packet. The lifetime increases after the dispersion is taken into account. We also study the change in lifetime between solar minimum and maximum.     

二维太阳光谱观测方法和技术

经典的太阳光谱观测是一维的，它有很大的局限性。从５０年代起，天文工作者采用多种方法开展二维太阳光谱观测，已经研制出一系列仪器，建立完整的资料归算程序，取得优良成果。在二维观测资料的基础上，用理论方法推出深度分布，可以得出三维的立体图像，这会成为太阳研究的主要方法之一。     

ASO-S卫星工程LST爆发模式触发和终止方案

先进天基太阳天文台(ASO-S)是计划于2021年底或2022年上半年发射的中国首颗综合性太阳探测卫星,莱曼阿尔法太阳望远镜(LST)作为ASO-S的有效载荷之一,具体包括莱曼阿尔法全日面成像仪(SDI)、日冕仪(SCI)以及白光望远镜(WST) 3台科学仪器和2台导行镜(GT),其主要目标是在多个波段对太阳上的两类剧烈爆发现象(太阳耀斑和日冕物质抛射)进行连续不间断的高分辨率观测.为了实现这一观测目标, LST所有仪器的观测模式中均包含了一种针对爆发事件而设置的爆发模式.该模式下, SCI将以更高的频率进行图像采集, SDI和WST则以更高的频率对爆发所在区域进行图像采集.测试结果表明,观测图像经过中值滤波、像元合并处理后,可以通过监测图像各像元亮度的相对变化提取爆发事件的时间和位置信息.这些信息将为LST观测模式间的相互切换提供重要电子学输入.     

Effect of Gravity on the Fast Modes of a Horizontal Coronal Slab

Theoretical studies of the normal modes of a coronal slab often neglect gravity, as in Edwin and Roberts (Solar Phys. 71, 239, 1982). Here we study analytically the effect of gravity acting on a horizontal slab as a first step away from a homogeneous medium. Because of the inclusion of gravity, the symmetry of a homogeneous slab is lost, so the normal modes cannot be classified into kink and sausage modes. The presence of gravity also modifies the oscillatory frequencies of the slab, as well as the lower cutoff frequency, resulting in the possible transition between surface and body modes. For general coronal parameters, the dimensionless gravity term turns out to be small, so these effects are also small. A.J. Díaz’s current affiliation: Universitat de les Illes Balears, Palma, E-07122, Spain.     

The Latitudinal Effect of Corotating Interaction Regions on Galactic Cosmic Rays

The response of galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) to an isolated enhancement of the non-axisymmetric component of the solar open magnetic field between June and November 1996 is investigated by using a combination of solar observations and numerical modelling of the interplanetary medium. The most obvious coronal hole visible from Earth at the time had little shielding effect on the flux of GCRs, as measured at Earth by neutron monitors. It is found that the evolution of the corotating interaction regions generated by a less obvious coronal hole was the principal controlling factor. Moreover, we demonstrate the imprint of the latitudinal and longitudinal evolution of that coronal hole on the variation of GCRs. The latitudinal extent of this solar minimum corotating interaction region had a determining, but local, shielding effect on GCRs, confirming previous modelling results.