Polarimetry in the Mg ii h and k lines

The Ultraviolet Spectrometer and Polarimeter (UVSP) on the SMM satellite has been used to record the linear polarization profile across the Mgii h and k lines, including its center-to-limb variation. Linear polarization with an orientation of the electric vector parallel to the solar limb is detected in the line wings on the short wavelength side of the k line and on the long wavelength side of the h line, in agreement with theoretical predictions of Auer et al. (1980). The predicted negative polarization (electric vector perpendicular to the limb) between the h and k lines is however not confirmed by the observations. Instead values close to zero are indicated there, although the statistical significance of the results is marginal.We have examined possible explanations of such a discrepancy between theory and observations. After having rejected other alternatives (e.g., opacity effects, different continuum polarization, or deviations from a plane-parallel stratification), it is suggested that the solution may be found in a treatment of partial redistribution of the polarized radiation with the quantum-mechanical interference between the two scattering transitions being included as an integral part of the redistribution problem.     

Dynamics of a Quiescent Solar Prominence Observed with the SUMER/SOHO Instrument

We present the results obtained from analyzing SUMER/SOHO observational data of a quiescent solar prominence. The studied prominence is made of complex structures. From the 1-hr data set, we derive characteristic frequencies in terms of intensity and velocity oscillations, as measured in 4 transition-region lines. The presence of different types of frequencies is detected: chromospheric oscillations and intermediate periods (6 min to 12 min). This result suggests that these oscillations are transmitted by the magnetic fields from the chromosphere to the transition region.     

Development and Parameters of a Non-Self-Similar CME Caused by the Eruption of a Quiescent Prominence

The eruption of a large quiescent prominence on 17 August 2013 and an associated coronal mass ejection (CME) were observed from different vantage points by the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), the Solar-Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO), and the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Screening of the quiet Sun by the prominence produced an isolated negative microwave burst. We estimated the parameters of the erupting prominence from a radio absorption model and measured them from 304 Å images. The variations of the parameters as obtained by these two methods are similar and agree within a factor of two. The CME development was studied from the kinematics of the front and different components of the core and their structural changes. The results were verified using movies in which the CME expansion was compensated for according to the measured kinematics. We found that the CME mass (\(3.6 \times 10^{15}\mbox{ g}\)) was mainly supplied by the prominence (\(\approx 6 \times 10^{15}\mbox{ g}\)), while a considerable part drained back. The mass of the coronal-temperature component did not exceed \(10^{15}\mbox{ g}\). The CME was initiated by the erupting prominence, which constituted its core and remained active. The structural and kinematical changes started in the core and propagated outward. The CME structures continued to form during expansion, which did not become self-similar up to \(25~\mathrm{R}_{\odot }\). The aerodynamic drag was insignificant. The core formed during the CME rise to \(4~\mathrm{R}_{\odot }\) and possibly beyond. Some of its components were observed to straighten and stretch outward, indicating the transformation of tangled structures of the core into a simpler flux rope, which grew and filled the cavity as the CME expanded.     

Spectral Diagnostics of the Magnetic Field Orientation in a Prominence Observed with SOHO/SUMER

During several campaigns focused on prominences we have obtained coordinated spectral observations from the ground and from space. The SOHO/SUMER spectrometer allows us to observe, among others, the whole Lyman series of hydrogen, while the Hα line was observed by the MSDP spectrograph at the VTT. For the Lyman lines, non-LTE radiative-transfer computations have shown the importance of the optical thickness of the prominence – corona transition region (PCTR) and its relation to the magnetic field orientation for the explanation of the observed line profiles. Moreover, Heinzel, Anzer, and Gunár (2005, Astron. Astrophys. 442, 331) developed a 2D magnetostatic model of prominence fine structures that demonstrates how the shapes of Lyman lines vary, depending on the orientation of the magnetic field with respect to the line of sight. To support this result observationally, we focus here on a round-shaped filament observed during three days as it was crossing the limb. The Lyman profiles observed on the limb are different from day to day. We interpret these differences as being due to the change of orientation of the prominence axis (and therefore the magnetic field direction) with respect to the line of sight. The Lyman lines are more reversed if the line of sight is across the prominence axis as compared to the case when it is aligned along its axis.     

Observations of the Mg i and ii resonance lines in an active region

Spectra from 2678-2931 Å were obtained of an active region during the 19 June 1974, flight of the University of Hawaii rocket-borne echelle spectrograph. We report behavior of the Mg i and ii resonance line cores in quiet Sun, plage, sunspot, and filament structures. Among the interesting variations in these lines we discern a strong suppression of the red Mg ii emission peaks and possible rapid changes in the Mg i core in the spatially partially resolved sunspot.     

Profiles of Hi (La), Mgii (h and k), Caii (H and K) Lines of an active filament at the limb,with the LPSP instrument aboard the OSO-8 Satellite

We scanned the H i L, Mg ii h and k, Ca ii K and H lines simultaneously with the LPSP instrument on OSO-8, to investigate the low and moderate temperature regions of an active region filament. The L line is not reversed except for the innermost position in the prominence. Intensity (k/h), (K/H) ratios are respectively 2 and 1.1, indicating that the Mg ii lines are optically thin, and that Ca ii K is saturated, although not clearly reversed. The results obtained during the second sequence of observations (K saturated before L for example) indicate that within the size of the slit (1 × 10) we are not observing the same emitting features in the different lines.We also observe an important line-of-sight velocity at the outer edge of the feature, increasing outwards from a few km s^–1 to 20 km s^–1 within 2. Less than half an hour later, this velocity is reduced to 15 km s^–1 while the intensities increase. Full width at half maximum intensities for this component indicate turbulence variations from 22 to 30 km s^–1. The observed high velocities at the top of the prominence can be compared with radial velocities that Mein (1977) observed in H at the edges of an active filament and interpreted as velocity loops slightly inclined on the axis of the filament.     

Intensity of lines from low-lying levels in C ii,N iii,O iv,Ne vi,Mg viii,Si x,and Si ii

The intensities of the lines for the transition ² P ₃ ^2/0 -² P ₁ ^2/0 in C ii, N iii, O iv, Ne vi, Mg viii, Si x, and Si ii in the chromosphere-corona transition region are investigated. The populations of the excited state ² P _f3/2 ^p0 relative to the ground state ² P _f1/2 ⁰ are obtained by considering all the radiative and collisional transition processes including the collisional transitions to the higher states which cascade to the upper level. It is found that in the transition region the intensity (which may be expressed as a function of temperature only) increases with the charge on the ion for a sequence.On leave from D.N. College, Gulaothi 245 408, India.     

On the center to limb variation of the separation of the Mg ii,H2 and K2 emission peaks

From observations of the center to limb variation of the emission peaks of the Mgii, H and K lines the optical thickness of the emitting layer for a simplified geometrical model has been calculated to be 300. The source function was approximated by a second order polynomial. The turbulent velocities of the emitting layer are found to be 6.8 km/sec, in agreement with other observations.     

Behavior of the Line Profiles of the Sodium Doublet and the Calcium Triplet in the Spectrum of R CrB in the Shallow Minima of 1998-1999

The behavior of profiles of the Na I D line and of the infrared Ca II triplet for the star R Coronae Borealis (R CrB) during shallow light minima of 1998-1999 is traced using high-resolution spectra. During a light maximum, the sodium lines had an absorption profile with a shift of —(2-4) km/sec. During a light minimum, a narrow emission feature, which has an almost constant absolute intensity and a shift of —(8-10) km/sec, and an intense circumstellar absorption feature, which has a variable profile and a variable relative shift corresponding to an increase to 220 km/sec in the velocity of mass ejection, appeared in the cores of absorption lines. For several days before the onset of a light minimum, all three calcium lines exhibited a narrow emission feature in the line core with a shift of —(1-5) km/sec. All the subsequent changes in a line involved mainly the shape of the absorption line profile. The narrow emission feature's absolute intensity and relative position were maintained during all our observations. The behavior of the Na I D line profiles can be described qualitatively within the framework of the model of a spherical dust shell.     

Broadening of lines of Be ii, Sr ii and Ba ii by collisions with hydrogen atoms and the solar abundance of strontium

In a previous paper by the present authors the theory of Anstee and O'Mara for the broadening of spectral lines of neutral atoms by collisions with hydrogen atoms was extended to singly ionized atoms. In this paper we apply the method to the resonance and triplet lines of ionized strontium, the infrared triplet of ionized barium, and the resonance lines of ionized beryllium. Analysis of five lines of ionized strontium, previously regarded as too strong for an abundance analysis, and two lines of neutral strontium results in a solar abundance of strontium of log( N _Sr N _H)+12=2.92±0.05, which is entirely consistent with the meteoritic value.     

[Ti ii] and [Ni ii] emission from the strontium filament of η Carinae

We study the nature of the [Ti  ii ] and [Ni  ii ] emission from the so-called strontium filament found in the ejecta of η Carinae. To this purpose, we employ multilevel models of the Ti  ii and Ni  ii systems, which are used to investigate the physical condition of the filament and the excitation mechanisms of the observed lines. For the Ti  ii ion, for which no atomic data were previously available, we carry out ab initio calculations of radiative transition rates and electron impact excitation rate coefficients. It is found that the observed spectrum is consistent with the lines being excited in a mostly neutral region with an electron density of the order of 10⁷ cm⁻³ and a temperature around 6000 K. In analysing three observations with different slit orientations recorded between 2000 March and 2001 November, we find line ratios that change among various observations, in a way consistent with changes of up to an order of magnitude in the strength of the continuum radiation field. These changes result from different samplings of the extended filament due to the different slit orientations used for each observation, and yield clues on the spatial extent and optical depth of the filament. The observed emission indicates a large Ti/Ni abundance ratio relative to solar abundances. It is suggested that the observed high Ti/Ni ratio in gas is caused by dust–gas fractionation processes and does not reflect the absolute Ti/Ni ratio in the ejecta of η Carinae. We study the condensation chemistry of Ti, Ni and Fe within the filament and suggest that the observed gas phase overabundance of Ti is likely the result of selective photoevaporation of Ti-bearing grains. Some mechanisms for such a scenario are proposed.     

Near-infrared [Fe ii] emission from supernova remnants and the supernova rate of starburst galaxies

In an effort better to calibrate the supernova rate of starburst galaxies as determined from near-infrared [Fe  ii ] features, we report on a [Fe  ii ] λ 1.644 μm line-imaging survey of a sample of 42 optically selected supernova remnants (SNRs) in M33. A wide range of [Fe  ii ] luminosities are observed within our sample (from less than 6 to 695 L_⊙). Our data suggest that the bright [Fe  ii ] SNRs are entering the radiative phase and that the density of the local interstellar medium (ISM) largely controls the amount of [Fe  ii ] emission. We derive the following relation between the [Fe  ii ] λ 1.644 μm line luminosity of radiative SNRs and the electronic density of the post-shock gas, n _e: L _{[Fe  ii ]}     (cm⁻³). We also find a correlation in our data between L _{[Fe  ii ]} and the metallicity of the shock-heated gas, but the physical interpretation of this result remains inconclusive, as our data also show a correlation between the metallicity and n _e. The dramatically higher level of [Fe  ii ] emission from SNRs in the central regions of starburst galaxies is most likely due to their dense environments, although metallicity effects might also be important. The typical [Fe  ii ]-emitting lifetime of a SNR in the central regions of starburst galaxies is found to be of the order of 10⁴ yr. On the basis of these results, we provide a new empirical relation allowing the determination of the current supernova rate of starburst galaxies from their integrated near-infrared [Fe  ii ] luminosity.     

Gas properties of H ii and starburst galaxies: relation with the stellar population

We study the gas emission of galaxies with active star formation, consisting mostly of H  ii and starburst galaxies, as well as some Seyfert 2 galaxies, and determine chemical and physical parameters. The data consist of 19 high signal-to-noise ratio optical templates, a result of grouping 185 emission-line galaxy spectra. Underlying stellar population models (from Raimann et al.) were subtracted from the templates in order to isolate the pure emission component.
We analyse the distribution of these improved signal-to-noise ratio emission spectra in diagnostic diagrams and find that the H  ii templates show a smaller spread in log([O  iii ]/H β ) values than the individual galaxies, apparently as a result of the population subtraction and a better signal-to-noise ratio. We thus suggest the template sequence as a fiducial observational locus for H  ii galaxies which can be used as reference for models. The sequence of line ratios presented by the H  ii galaxies in the diagram log([O  iii ] λ 5007/H β ) versus log([N  ii ] λ 6584/H α ) is primarily owing to the gas metallicity, of which the log([N  ii ]/H α ) ratio is a direct estimator. We also study the properties of the starburst galaxies and those intermediate between H  ii and starburst galaxies, which are more metal rich and sit on more massive galaxies.
We discuss the present results in the frame of a recently proposed equivalent-width diagnostic diagram for emission-line galaxies (by Rola et al.) and conclude that the observed ranges in W ([O  ii ])/ W (H β ) and W (H β ) are mostly owing to the non-ionizing stellar population contribution. We propose that W (H β ) be used as an estimator of this contribution to the continuum, and briefly discuss implications to the cosmological use of H  ii galaxies.     

On Both the Time Histories of the 0.511 MeV Line and 2.223 MeV Line from the X4.8 Flare of 23 July 2002 Observed with Rhessi

High-spectral-resolution measurements of the 2.223 MeV neutron capture line and the 0.511 MeV positron-electron annihilation line have been made with the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager during the X4.8 flare of 23 July 2002. We have tried to explain both the time histories of the 2.223 MeV line and the 0.511 MeV line, adopting a power-law spectrum of accelerated ions. The results show that with a power-law spectral index of 3.52, the calculational time histories can roughly reproduce the observations. An improved fit between the calculated 2.223 MeV line and the observed 2.223 MeV line can be achieved if we allow the spectrum of accelerated ions to vary with time.     

Comparison of mid-Pliocene climate predictions produced by the HadAM3 and GCMAM3 General Circulation Models

The mid-Pliocene warm period (ca. 3 to 3.3 million years ago) has become an important interval of time for palaeoclimate modelling exercises, with a large number of studies published during the last decade. However, there has been no attempt to assess the degree of model dependency of the results obtained. Here we present an initial comparison of mid-Pliocene climatologies produced by the Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research atmosphere-only General Circulation Models (GCMAM3 and HadAM3). Whilst both models are consistent in the simulation of broad-scale differences in mid-Pliocene surface air temperature and total precipitation rates, significant variation is noted on regional and local scales. There are also significant differences in the model predictions of total cloud cover. A terrestrial data/model comparison, facilitated by the BIOME 4 model and a new data set of Piacenzian Stage land cover [Salzmann, U., Haywood, A.M., Lunt, D.J., Valdes, P.J., Hill, D.J., (2008). A new global biome reconstruction and data model comparison for the Middle Pliocene. Global Ecology and Biogeography 17, 432-447, doi:10.1111/j.1466-8238.2007.00381.x] and combined with the use of Kappa statistics, indicates that HadAM3-based biome predictions provide a closer fit to proxy data in the mid to high-latitudes. However, GCMAM3-based biomes in the tropics provide the closest fit to proxy data.     

北斗系统测站钟差短期预报模型比较及其在单星定轨中的应用

北斗卫星导航系统(BDS)地面跟踪站都配置有高精度的氢原子钟,并基于精密定轨数据处理与主站的时间基准进行同步.在卫星轨道机动以及机动恢复期间,通常采用几何法定轨以及单星定轨确定卫星的轨道.而在这两种定轨模式中,需要提供精确的测站钟差作为输入.为提高定轨的实时性,需要对测站钟差进行预报处理.分析了2次多项式模型、附加周期项模型、灰色模型3种模型对北斗地面跟踪站钟差短期拟合和预报的性能,并将钟差预报结果应用于单星定轨,同时还分析了不同预报钟差用于定轨的精度.试验发现,以上3种模型对6个测站钟差的平均拟合精度分别为0.14 ns、0.05 ns、0.27 ns,预报1 h的平均精度分别为1.17 ns、0.88 ns、1.28 ns,预报2 h的平均精度分别为2.72 ns、2.09 ns、2.53 ns.采用3种模型对测站钟差进行预报并用于单星定轨,采用附加周期项的钟差预报模型轨道3维误差最小,不同模型轨道径向精度差异在3 cm以内.以上结果表明,附加周期项的站钟拟合及预报模型在北斗系统机动期间的轨道恢复数据处理具有最好的效果.     

Comparison of Quasi-specular radar scatter from the moon with surface parameters obtained from images

Quasi-specular radar data used to determine apparent surface roughness σ_χ of geologic surfaces displays a variable wavelength λ dependence ranging between $\text{σ}{}_{\mathrm{\chi }}\text{～ λ}{}^0\text{and}\text{σ}{}_{\mathrm{\chi }}\text{～ λ}{}^{\mathrm{<mtext>?</mtext><mtext>1</mtext><mtext>3</mtext>}}$ for $\text{0.01 ? λ ? 1}\text{m}$. The strongest changes in σ_χ with wavelength are observed in lunar mare, while scatter from lunar highlands is nearly wavelength independent. Commonly used, gently undulating surface models for electromagnetic scatter predict no wavelength dependence. Wavelength dependence occurs whenever a significant fraction of the surface has local radii of curvature comparable to the observing wavelength. This condition can be determined by comparison of the value of the integrated surface curvature spectrum with the radar wavenumber, multiplied by a constant that depends on the geometry. Variations in curvature statistics calculated from photogrammetric reduction of lunar images are consistent with the observed variations in quasi-specular scatter between λ = 13 and 116 cm at the same locations. Variations in the strength of the wavelength dependence are correlated with the sizes of lunar craters that lie near the upper size limit for the local steady-state distribution. This correlation is also consistent with variations in the curvature spectrum calculated from crater size-frequency distributions.