Solar Filaments and Photospheric Network

The locations of barbs of quiescent solar filaments are compared with the photospheric/chromospheric network, which thereby serves as a proxy of regions with enhanced concentrations of magnetic flux. The study covers quiet regions, where also the photospheric network as represented by flow converging regions, i.e., supergranular cell boundaries, contain largely weak magnetic fields. It is shown that close to 65% of the observed end points of barbs falls within the network boundaries. The remaining fraction points into the inner areas of the network cells. This confirms earlier findings (Lin et al., Solar Physics, 2004) that quiescent filaments are basically connected with weaker magnetic fields in the photosphere below.     

On the relationship between magnetic fields and supergranule velocity fields

We studied the size, correlation lifetime and horizontal velocity amplitude of supergranules in regions with different magnetic activity. We found that the supergranule velocity cells have similar scale, correlation lifetime and horizontal velocity amplitude in the unipolar enhanced magnetic network regions and in the mixed-polarity quiet Sun. However, the correlation lifetime of magnetic structure is much longer in the enhanced network. We investigated the velocity pattern of moving magnetic features (MMF) surrounding a decaying sunspot. The velocity of MMFs is consistent with the outflow surrounding the sunspot as measured by Dopplergrams. The velocity cell surrounding the sunspot has a much larger velocity amplitude and a longer lifetime than regular supergranule cells. We found that ephemeral regions (ER) have a slight tendency to emerge at or near boundaries of supergranules. Almost all the magnetic flux disappears at the supergranule boundaries. In most cases, two poles of cancelling features with opposite magnetic polarities approach along the boundaries of supergranules.     

Umbral intensities of large sunspots

It is proposed that present observations of the chromosphere and transition region in EUV, optical and mm wavelengths are best described by a three-component concept. The three components are taken to be: the interiors of supergranular cells, the hot plagettes overlying faculae, and the cooler, transient mottles which surround them in the network boundaries. The enhanced emission of the hot plagettes in transition ions is interpreted as a direct result of the increased pressure scale height over faculae relative to the cell interiors.     

The chromospheric magnetograph

By comparison of photoelectric magnetograms with high resolution Hα pictures it is possible to formulate a set of rules by which the magnetic field may be derived directly from the filtergrams. This is possible because of the regularities of magnetic field configurations on the sun and because chromospheric morphology is determined by the magnetic field. Off-band pictures (preferably 0.5 Å red) show a well-defined enhanced chromospheric network, the boundaries of which coincide with the 5 G contour of longitudinal field on the Mt. Wilson magnetograms. The actual fields are presumably more concentrated along the dark structure of the network. Higher fields are marked by filled-in cells. Regions of predominantly transverse fields may be inferred from the absence of normal network structure and the presence of chromospheric fibrils. The quiet chromosphere is recognized by the presence of oscillatory motion and the absence of fibrils or strong network structure. Thus, the chromosphere may be divided into three types of regions: enhanced network, horizontal field, and quiet network. The polarity of the magnetic field may be recognized by plage-antiplage asymmetry; that is, the fact that only following magnetic fields show bright plage in the center of Hα.     

The velocities of intranetwork and network magnetic fields

We analyzed two sequences of quiet-Sun magnetograms obtained on June 4, 1992 and July 28, 1994. Both were observed during excellent seeing conditions such that the weak intranetwork (IN) fields are observed clearly during the entire periods. Using the local correlation tracking technique, we derived the horizontal velocity fields of IN and network magnetic fields. They consist of two components: (1) radial divergence flows which move IN fields from the network interior to the boundaries, and (2) lateral flows which move along the network boundaries and converge toward stronger magnetic elements. Furthermore, we constructed divergence maps based on horizonal velocities, which are a good representation of the vertical velocities of supergranules. For the June 4, 1992 data, the enhanced network area in the field of view has twice the flux density, 10% higher supergranular velocity and 20% larger cell sizes than the quiet, unenhanced network area. Based on the number densities and flow velocities of IN fields derived in this paper and a previous paper (Wang et al., 1995), we estimate that the lower limit of total energy released from the recycling of IN fields is 1.2 × 10²⁸ erg s^–1, which is comparable to the energy required for coronal heating.     

The velocity pattern of weak solar magnetic fields

We have measured the proper motion of magnetic elements on the quiet Sun by means of local correlation tracking. The existence of a pattern in the intranetwork (IN) flow is confirmed. This velocity field is consistent with the direct Doppler measurement of the horizontal component of the supergranular velocity field. The IN elements generally move toward the network boundaries. By tracking test points we confirm that the magnetic elements converge in areas corresponding to the magnetic network. But because the IN elements are of random polarity, they cannot contribute to the growth or maintenance of the magnetic network.By calculating the cross correlation between the magnetogram and Dopplergram, we confirm that the supergranule boundaries and the magnetic network are roughly correlated.     

The geometry of the chromosphere-corona transition region inferred from the center-to-limb variation of the radio emission

Based on the observations of the EUV spectroheliograms, the effective chromosphere-corona transition region is assumed to be restricted in a small volume element in the boundaries of the supergranular network. The center-to-limb variation of the quiet Sun at cm and dm wavelengths is analyzed to determine where the transition region is located in the network boundaries. Expressions are derived for the theoretical center-to-limb variation of the hypothetical brightness temperature only from the transition region, taking into account the orientation of the spicules. Comparison with the observations shows that the spicule-sheath model (Brueckner and Nicolas, 1973) and the hot plagette model (Foukal, 1974) are not compatible with the observations, because the limb brightening predicted by these models is too great. A new picture is therefore proposed that thin platelet transition regions are placed on top of the chromosphere and scattered between the network boundaries (the platelet transition-region model). This model is in accord with the observed center-to-limb variation of the radio emission.     

Variation in the Width of Transition Region Network Boundaries

The transition region network seen in solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lines is the extension of the chromospheric network. The network appears as an irregular web-like pattern over the solar surface outside active regions. The average width of transition region network boundaries is obtained from the two-dimensional autocorrelation function of SOlar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)/Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) synoptic images of the Sun in two emission lines, He i 586 Å and O v 630 Å during 1996?–?2012. The width of the network boundaries is found to be roughly correlated with the solar cycle variation with a lag of about ten months. A comparison of the widths in the two emission lines shows that they are larger for the He i line. The SOHO/CDS data also show large asymmetry in boundary widths in the horizontal (x) and vertical (y) image directions, which is shown to be caused by image distortions that are due to instrumental effects. Since the network boundary widths are related to the magnetic flux concentration along the boundaries, the results are expected to have implications on the flux transport on the solar surface, solar cycle, and the mass and energy budget of network loops and jets.     

Lifetimes of enhanced chromospheric network features near active regions

Centerline H filtergrams providing nearly full day coverage of the Sun are used to study the lifetimes of enhanced network features near active regions. In the two cases studied the fraction remaining of those features present at an original epoch remains near unity for 50 h, then drops exponentially with a 1/e decay time of 30 h. Histories of representative enhanced network features are discussed.     

Origin of the weakening of EUV emission lines formed in the chromosphere-corona transition zone

EUV spectroheliograms of the quiet Sun obtained with the Harvard experiment on Skylab are analyzed to identify the structure causing the weakening of the EUV line emission due to Lyman continuum absorption. The weakening at the network boundaries can be explained by overlapping of several spicules each of which being wrapped in an EUV emitting sheath. Part of the cell interiors show moderate weakening, this has the shape of a belt surrounding the network boundaries. There are a number of patches showing intense weakening near network boundaries and in cell interiors; the weakening at the points cannot be explained by overlapping of chromospheric structures with an EUV emitting sheath. A possible explanation is that the intense weakening is caused by cool chromospheric clouds or moving blobs over the EUV emitting sources in the cell interiors. Some of the points showing intense weakening are associated with an enhancement of the EUV emission. These points have lifetime shorter than the time interval of 5.5 min between successive observations, which stresses again that the chromosphere-corona transition zone is in a dynamic state.     

Solar protons in the Earth’s magnetosphere from riometric and satellite data during magnetic storms in October 2003

The fluxes and penetration boundaries of solar energetic particles on the CORONAS-F satellite during October 2003 superstorms are compared with the riometric absorption measurements on a worldwide network of riometers. The dynamics of the polar cap boundaries is investigated at various phases of magnetic storms. The dependence of absorption on time of the day and on solar proton spectrum is calculated at various phases of a solar energetic particle event.     

The effect of newly erupting flux on the polar coronal holes

He i 10830 Å images show that early in sunspot cycles 21 and 22, large bipolar magnetic regions strongly affected the boundaries of the nearby polar coronal holes. East of each eruption, the hole boundary immediately contracted poleward, leaving a band of enhanced helium network. West of the eruption, the boundary remained diffuse and gradually expanded equatorward into the leading, like-polarity part of the bipolar magnetic region. Comparisons between these observations and simulations based on a current-free coronal model suggest that:

1. The Sun's polar magnetic fields are confined to relatively small caps of high average field strength, apparently by a poleward meridional flow.
2. The enhanced helium network at high latitude marks the location of relatively strong polar fields that have become linked to the newly erupted bipolar region in that hemisphere.
3. The distortion of the polar-hole boundary is accompanied by a corresponding distortion of the equatorial neutral sheet in the outer corona, in which the amount of warping depends on the magnitude of the erupted flux relative to the strength of the Sun's polar magnetic fields.

     

Magnetic flux transport of decaying active regions and enhanced magnetic network

Several series of coordinated observations on decaying active regions and enhanced magnetic network regions have been carried out jointly at Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO) and Huairou Solar Observing Station of the Bejing Astronomical Observatory in China. The evolution of magnetic fields in several regions was followed closely for 3 to 7 days. The transport of magnetic flux from the remnants of decayed active regions was studied. Three related topics are included in this paper. (1) We studied the evolution and lifetime of the magnetic network which defines the boundaries of supergranules. The results are consistent with our earlier studies: network cells have an average lifetime of about 70 hours; 68% of new cells appeared by growing from a single network magnetic element; 50% of decaying cells disappeared by contracting to a network element. (2) We studied the magnetic flux transport in an enhanced network region in detail, and found the diffusion rate to be negative, i.e., there was more flux moving towards the decayed active region than away from it. We found several other cases where the magnetic diffusion rate does not agree with Leighton's model. The slow diffusion rate is likely due to the fact that the average velocity of larger magnetic elements, which carry most of the magnetic flux, is less than 0.1 km s^–1; their average lifetime is longer than 100 hours. (3) We briefly described some properties of Moving Magnetic Features (MMFs) around a sunspot (detailed discussion on MMFs will be presented in a separate paper). In this particular case, the MMFs did not carry net flux away from the central spot. Instead, the polarities of MMFs were essentially mixed so that outflowing positive and negative fluxes were roughly balanced. During the 3-day period, there was almost no net flux accumulation to form a moat. The cancellation of MMFs of opposite polarities at the boundary of the super-penumbra caused quite a few surges and H brightenings.     

Alfvén waves and the sunspot phenomenon

Parker's explanation of the sunspot phenomenon in terms of the enhanced emission of Alfvén waves (solar vulcanology) is shown to be compatible with observation only if 90% of the waves propagate downwards. Further difficulties arise if the region of cooling by Alfvén wave generation is restricted to a depth of 2 Mm. However, it is shown that, if Alfvén wave generation is included in a recent model proposed by Meyer, Schmidt, Weiss and Wilson, these difficulties may be resolved. The problem of the sharp umbra and penumbra boundaries is discussed and it is shown that features of this combined model are relevant to the flare phenomenon.     

BRIGHTNESS VARIATIONS OF Mg Ib BRIGHT FEATURES

We study the temporal intensity variations of Mgib bright features and investigate the corresponding Hα velocity pattern. The network bright features are well visible in the continuum, in images averaged over the duration of the observations (130 min). We detected `flashing' bright features, which appear and disappear within two to five minutes, while the rest of the bright features undergo small variations of either their shape and/or their intensity. A power spectrum analysis reveals a 10-min oscillation for approximately half of the stable bright features. The 5-min oscillations are detected mainly at the network boundaries, where stable bright features are located, while 3-min oscillations coincide with few bright features, but are also quite intense inside the network cells. The majority of bright features are associated with Hα downflows. The downflow is very intense at the location of `flashing' bright features.     

Plage and Enhanced Network Indices Derived from Ca II K Spectroheliograms

NSO Sacramento Peak Caii K images are analyzed for the years 1992 through September 1996 with about a 50% coverage. The plage, decayed plage, enhanced network, and quiet-Sun features are identified on each image with an algorithm that uses the criteria of intensity, size, and filling factor. These algorithms can be adapted for analyzing spectroheliograms from ground-based or space-based observatories. Plage and enhanced network indices, for these time periods, are shown. We present intensity contrasts for the plage, decayed plage, and enhanced network. We also find that these contrasts, which are an average of the structures intensity relative to the quiet Sun over the whole disk, remain essentially constant over the solar cycle.     

Supergranular line profile variation of Mg i λ2852

The chromospheric network is barely visible in the Mg i 2852 line. Unlike in plages, where it shows well-defined self-reversed emission structure in the core, the line is an unreversed absorption feature in the network boundaries, exhibiting only a small blue asymmetry. In the network cell interiors, the line is unreversed and symmetrical.     

The large amplitude event observed over the period 22 may to 4 June, 1973

The enhanced diurnal variation of cosmic-ray intensity observed over the period 22 May to 4 June, 1973 was analysed. The main characteristic of this large amplitude wave train is that the enhanced diurnal variation shows a maximum around 1600 h. For this analysis data from high-latitude neutron monitors and from the satellite HEOS-2 were used. This diurnal variation is caused by the superposition of convection and field-aligned diffusion due to an enhanced density gradient of 8% AU^–1. It is shown that the diffusive vector is field-aligned on the days which are separated from magnetic sector boundaries.     

Magnetic-field structure of the photospheric network

A method is developed to determine the physical parameters of the spatially unresolved photospheric network. The apparent magnetic fluxes are recorded simultaneously in the two FeI lines 5250 and 5247 Å, which belong to the same multiplet and have practically the same oscillator strength and excitation potential of the lower level, but differ in the effective Lande factor. By analysing magnetograph recordings in this pair of lines together with simultaneous recordings in the two FeI lines 5250 and 5233 Å, it is possible to separate the effects on the line profiles due to Zeeman splitting and temperature enhancement in the network.From an analysis of the observations the following properties of the photospheric network are obtained: Field strengths of about 2000 G are present in the network in quiet regions. The characteristic size of the magnetic-field structures in the network appears to be in the range 100–300 km. The 5250 Å line is weakened by roughly 50% in the network. If the line had been non-magnetic, the weakening would have been about 20%. The rest of the weakening is caused by the strong Zeeman splitting. The downward velocity at the supergranular cell boundaries is estimated to be of the order of 0.5 km s^-1.     

Intensity oscillations at the feet of coronal holes

We investigate the regime of chromospheric oscillations at the bases of coronal holes and compare them with the oscillations in the quiet chromosphere outside coronal holes using time series of spectrograms taken at different times in eight quiet regions on the Sun. As the oscillation parameter being studied, we have chosen the central intensity of the chromospheric Ca II K and H and 849.8-nm lines. The intensity measurements at all spatial points (along the spectrograph slit) have been subjected to a standard Fourier analysis. For the identified areas of the networks, cells, and network boundaries, we have calculated the integrated oscillation powers in several frequency bands. For all frequency bands, the powers of the intensity oscillations at the formation level of the Ca II resonance doublet line cores have been found to be enhanced at the bases of coronal holes approximately by a factor of 1.5. For the “three-minute” band, this enhancement is more pronounced in the network than in the cell, while the opposite is true for the “five-minute” band. The power in the five-minute band is higher than that in the three-minute one both at the bases of coronal holes and outside them, but this ratio in the network for a coronal hole is higher (1.40 ± 0.25 and 1.30 ± 0.10). We interpret this fact and the fact that the power of the three-minute oscillations for nonmagnetic regions changes with height differently at the base of a coronal hole and outside it as an increase in the importance of magnetoacoustic portals at the chromospheric base of the coronal hole.