The solar brightness temperature at millimeter wavelengths

The authors have previously discussed an improved method for obtaining the absolute solar brightness temperature using the new Moon as a calibration source. New measurements of the Sun-to-new Moon ratio at three frequencies near 36 GHz ( = 8 mm) and also at two frequencies near 93 GHz ( = 3 mm) are reported. The slopes of the solar brightness temperature spectrum based on these ratios are then discussed. The absolute solar brightness spectrum derived from all current available measurements is also presented and discussed.     

Ultraviolet ion chamber measurements of the solar minimum brightness temperature

The solar ultraviolet flux in the wavelength bands 1580–1640 Å and 1430–1470 Å (FWHM) has been measured using photon ion chambers carried on the satellite WRESAT I (1967-118A). These observations of the integrated ultraviolet flux from the entire disk indicate a value of (4570 ± 50) K for the solar temperature minimum. The results are compared with other estimates of the minimum value of the solar brightness temperature.Died August, 1971.     

Multifrequency spectra of solar brightness temperature derived from eclipse observations

Changes in solar radio-brightness temperature were derived at 2.8,19.3 and 22.2 GHz from the observations of radio flux during the total eclipse of 1980 February 16. High-resolution MEM spectra of the brightness temperature fluctuations at the three frequencies showed periodicities ranging from 3.5 min to 128 min. Between 3.5 min and 14.6 min there are several periodicities of comparable significance common to the three operating frequencies. If the corresponding variations in brightness temperature are assumed to result from spatial variations in the solar radio emission, the observed periodicities imply scale sizes in the range 76000 km to 320000 km.     

On altitude structure of centimeter-wave radio emission of solar active regions

A method is presented for the direct measurement of the heights of the radio emission of solar active regions when they are located at the limb in order to reconstruct the vertical structure of the magnetic field in solar active regions. The method involves an analysis of radio source positions in the scans based on high frequency resolution one-dimensional centimeter-wave measurements performed on the RATAN-600 radio telescope. Radio sources are difficult to identify at many frequencies when observed at the limb at zero position angle because of abrupt signal variations at the solar limb. To eliminate edge effects on the scan, special observing periods are used (near vernal and autumnal equinoxes), when the source at the limb is located far from the scan edge because of the large position angle of the Sun. As a result of these observations, the spectra of relative heights are constructed for a number of sources for the period from 2007 through 2012. Source heights are shown to generally increase with wavelength. The height difference between the 5 and 2 cm emission is equal to 5.2 ± 2.0 Mm, and the corresponding height difference between the 8 and 2 cm emission is equal to 9.6 ± 3.0 Mm. It is shown that such characteristics can be obtained for a field generated by a dipole submerged under the photosphere at a depth of 17 Mm irrespective of the possible reduction of relative altitudes to absolute altitudes.     

The coronal and transition region temperature structure of a solar active region

Using measurements of EUV and X-ray spectral lines we derive the differential emission measure vs electron temperature T from the transition region to the corona of an active region (10⁵ T <5 × 10⁶ K). The total emission measure and radiative losses are of order 3 × 10⁴⁸ cm^–3 and 4 × 10²⁶ ergss^–1 respectively. The emission measure at T > 10⁶ K (i.e. that mainly responsible for the X-ray emission) is about 75% of the total. We also examine the use of Mg x 625 Å as an indicator of coronal electron density. A set of theoretical energy balance models of coronal loops in which the loop divergence is a variable parameter is presented and compared with the observations. Particular attention is given to the limitations inherent in any such comparison.     

Large-scale brightness inhomogeneities in the solar atmosphere

The intensity residuals are analyzed from a series of solar limb-darkening measurements in the wavelength range 5656 to 2997 Å. The lengths of residual strings of the same sign exceed expectation by several orders of magnitude. The power spectrum of the residuals shows a weak excess around 6000 km. For further study the 34 000 limb-darkening residuals are subdivided into 5100 bright and faint cells. The frequency distribution of cell sizes peaks around 4500 km and increases from center to limb, the faint cells showing the greater center-limb effect. The cells are also studied as to contrast. A synoptic view indicates that only 12% of the cells are identifiable after a half hour. Phenomena that may combine to produce the observed wide spectrum of brightness inhomogeneities are briefly discussed.     

The brightness of the solar disk in the continuum in the region 1.0–2.4 µm

From the results of a critical analysis of some absolute solar radiance measurements, we determine two of the most reliable series for the range 1.0–2.4µm. The absolute scale for both series are corrected using modern experimental data. The resulting data show the presence of an unknown source of absorption in the region 2.0–2.4µm in the photosphere.     

The brightness temperatures of solar type III bursts

There is a characteristic maximum brightness temperature T _B 10¹⁵K for type III solar radio bursts in the solar wind. The suggestion is explored that the maximum observed values of T _Bmay be attributed to saturation of the processes involved in the plasma emission. The processes leading to fundamental and second harmonic emission saturate when T _Bis approximately equal to the effective temperature T _Lof the Langmuir waves. The expected maximum value of T _Bis estimated for this saturation model in two ways: from the growth rate for the beam instability, and from the maximum amplitude of the observed Langmuir turbulence. The agreement with the observed values is satisfactory in view of the uncertainties in the estimates (a) of the intrinsic brightness temperature from the observed brightness temperature, (b) of the actual growth rate of the beam instability, which must be driven by local, transient features (that are unobservable using available instruments) in the electron distribution, and (c) in the k-space volume filled by the Langmuir waves, and this is consistent with the observational data on two well-studied events at the orbit of the Earth and with statistical data for events over a range of radial distances from the Sun.     

Si III electron temperature diagnostics for the solar transition region

R-matrix calculations of electron impact excitation rates for transitions in Si iii are used to derive the electron-density-sensitive emission line ratios R ₁ = I(1113.2 Å)/I(1206.3 Å), R ₂ = I(1298.9 Å)/I(1206.3 Å), and R ₃ = I(1296.7 Å)/I(1206.3 Å). A comparison of these with observational data for several solar features obtained with the Harvard S-055 spectrometer on board Skylab reveals that theory and experiment are compatible if the electron temperature of the Si iii emitting region of the solar atmosphere is log T _e = 4.5, but not if log T _e = 4.7. The implication of the choice of a lower temperature on the electron energy distribution function is also briefly discussed.     

Photospheric brightness differences associated with the solar supergranulation

The large scale (> 5000 km) intensity structure of the photosphere has been examined. The power per frequency unit indicates a continuous increase towards smaller spatial frequency. No excess power exists at wavelengths near the size of the supergranulation (30000 km) or at any other wavelength between 5000 and 100000 km. However, direct measurement of the intensity distribution in 1652 supergranulation cells shows a very small increase of the intensity towards the cell boundary. The amount of this increase is larger near the solar limb. It is probably due to a weak continuum emission associated with the chromospheric network. Any temperature difference arising from the supergranulation convection is obscured by this emission and is probably less than 1 K.     

Spatial and temporal variations in the solar brightness

We have investigated long-term variations of solar brightness as a function of both time and solar latitude using eight years of ground-based photometric data in conjunction with space-based irradiance data. In particular, we have examined whether the combination of sunspot brightness deficits and facular brightness excesses is sufficient to explain the solar cycle irradiance variations. After correcting for the contribution from sunspots, we find that the irradiance data can be adequately explained by a model in which the remaining brightness variations are due entirely to facular contributions confined to the magnetically active latitudes. Thus we find no support for the hypothesis that there are convectively driven hot bands in the active latitudes, and our data show brightness variations that are well described by a facular contrast function.     

The 1-mm brightness temperature of titan

Titan has been observed with the 5-m Hale telescope at an effective wavelength of 1 mm. Adopting a value of 2700 km for the radius of Titan, we find a brightness temperature of 86±12°K at 1 mm. Comparing our results with previous measurements at longer wavelengths, we conclude that the satellite surface is the source of the 1-mm radiation. Since our measured brightness temperature is close to the equilibrium temperature of a blackbody at the distance of Saturn, we believe there is no significant greenhouse effect on Titan.     

The intensity variations of solar and galactic cosmic rays with azimuthal angle in the polar region

A balloon-born multidirectional detector is used to measure the intensity variation of galactic and solar cosmic rays with the azimuthal angle, the zenith angle being maintained at 60°. In polar regions, the intensity towards the north is found to be 20% larger than that towards the south. It is shown that this anisotropy does not originate in interplanetary space and is not produced by a magnetospheric source. It is suggested that the effect is due to propagation effects within the magnetosphere.     

A secondary polar zone of solar prominences

The polar prominences are concentrated in a zone, which in the period between sunspot minimum and maximum is shifted from about 45° heliographic latitude towards the pole. Cycle No. 20 has shown an anomaly never observed before, as on the northern hemisphere two zones of polar prominences were formed, the second zone following the first one at an interval of 2.5 yrs. The activity in the polar zone is closely connected with that in the main zone. This connection is much tighter than for instance the one between the northern and the southern hemisphere. We therefore investigated whether the anomalous appearance of a second polar zone might be related to a corresponding anomaly in the main zone. Such an irregularity exists in the latitude variation in the main zone. Such a irregularity exists in the latitude variation of the sunspots. After a regular decrease in heliographic latitude up to mid-1969, the northern sunspot zone suddenly shifted by 2.5° towards higher latitudes in the second half of 1969. This jump of the spot zone coincides with the appearance of the secondary polar zone of prominences.Astronomische Mitteilungen der Eidgenössischen Sternwarte Zürich, Nr. 315.     

Photospheric electric current and transition region brightness within an active region

Distributions of vertical electric current density (J _z) calculated from vector measurements of the photospheric magnetic field are compared with ultraviolet spectroheliograms to investigate whether resistive heating is an important source of enhanced emission in the transition region. The photospheric magnetic fields in Active Region 2372 were measured on 6 and 7 April, 1980 with the MSFC vector magnetograph; ultraviolet wavelength spectroheliograms (L and Nv 1239 Å) were obtained with the UVSP experiment aboard the Solar Maximum Mission satellite. Spatial registration of the J _z (5 arc sec resolution) and UV (3 arc sec resolution) maps indicates that the maximum current density is cospatial with a minor but persistent UV enhancement, but there is little detected current associated with other nearby bright areas. We conclude that although resistive heating may be important in the transition region, the currents responsible for the heating are largely unresolved in our measurements and have no simple correlation with the residual current measured on 5 arc sec scales.National Research Council Resident Research Associate.National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Space Environment Laboratory; currently at MSFC/SSL.     

The variation of solar brightness at the extreme solar limb at centimetre radio waves

In this note some properties of the nonconvolved brightness profile close to the extreme solar limb are described. In particular, at 6 cm and 11 cm wavelength relatively strong, narrow spikes should occur, noticeably affected by inhomogeneities (for example spicules) in the solar atmosphere.     

Far-infrared solar brightness measured with a balloon-borne lamellar-grating interferometer

The solar brightness temperature was measured at wavelengths between 208μ and 660μ with a lamellar-grating interferometer. In order to avoid terrestrial absorption due to water vapor the measurement of the absolute spectral brightness was performed at altitudes of 30 km and 35 km with a balloon borne gondola. A cylindrical black body radiation source served as absolute calibration standard. Its wall temperature lay between 1100 K and 1300 K. Since the box of the interferometer and the black body could not be evacuated for the calibration, the air in the system was replaced by dry nitrogen. Nevertheless, residual water vapor absorption lines hampered the precision of the absolute calibration. The corresponding error could not be reduced to less than ±100 K. The present experimental temperature profile is compared to results obtained from other measurements. The results agree with the empirical HSRA model and with those of other research groups in the spectral range between 208μ and 660μ.     

Sky twilight brightness and colour during high solar activity

With a sensitive photoelectric photometer, observations of the sky twilight brightness have been carried out at different positions in the sky during high solar activity period. The measurements have been obtained using blue and red wide band glass filters centered at 4410 and 7900 Å, respectively. The variation of the (B-R) colour index of the sky twilight with Sun's depression have been investigated at different altitudes in the sky above the horizon and various bearing angles from the solar vertical.     

Distribution of temperature and emission measure in a steadily heated solar atmosphere

The distribution of temperature and emission measure in the stationary heated solar atmosphere was found for the limiting cases of slow and fast heating, when either the gas pressure or the concentration are constant through the layer depth. Results are relevant to the conditions when the energy injected by waves or by non-thermal particles or in some different way quickly transforms into a thermal flux. Under these conditions the temperature distribution with depth is determined by radiation loss and thermal conductivity, and at any values of energy flux and plasma concentration it is characterized by two universal functions. One of them gives the relation between the energy flux and temperature at the region boundary: the other - the temperature run with the depth. This run is such that a considerable part of the energy is radiated by a thin transition region with a very large temperature gradient.The results may be applied for calculation of the temperature and the emission measure both for the high temperature region of a flare, and for the quiet corona. The dimensionless structure of the transition region is the same for any value of the energy flux. These results concerning solar flares can help to explain the identity of optical spectra for flares of different types, the emission in a wide temperature interval from nearly the same region of space and the very small thickness of the region emitting optical lines. The latter is due to the shell structure of the flare as opposed to the usually assumed filamentary one.     

On the temporal variation of the solar continuous brightness fluctuations

From a sequence of white-light photographs of solar granulation at the centre of the disk, obtained by Spectro-Stratoscope on May 17, 1975, two-dimensional spatial power spectra of photospheric intensity fluctuations were deduced. These show periodicities of 1000 s, 250–450 s (5-min oscillation), and shorter ones in the range 30–120 s. The reality of the shorter periods, however, seems to be questionable.The weighted mean wavenumber of the spatial power spectra and rms of the intensity fluctuation (I _rms) are also computed, showing the same periodicities as the power.Mitteilungen aus dem Kiepenheuer-Institut Nr. 188.On leave of absence from the Institute of Geophysics, University of Tehran.