The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Vector Magnetic Field Pipeline: Overview and Performance

The Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) began near-continuous full-disk solar measurements on 1 May 2010 from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). An automated processing pipeline keeps pace with observations to produce observable quantities, including the photospheric vector magnetic field, from sequences of filtergrams. The basic vector-field frame list cadence is 135 seconds, but to reduce noise the filtergrams are combined to derive data products every 720 seconds. The primary 720 s observables were released in mid-2010, including Stokes polarization parameters measured at six wavelengths, as well as intensity, Doppler velocity, and the line-of-sight magnetic field. More advanced products, including the full vector magnetic field, are now available. Automatically identified HMI Active Region Patches (HARPs) track the location and shape of magnetic regions throughout their lifetime. The vector field is computed using the Very Fast Inversion of the Stokes Vector (VFISV) code optimized for the HMI pipeline; the remaining 180^° azimuth ambiguity is resolved with the Minimum Energy (ME0) code. The Milne–Eddington inversion is performed on all full-disk HMI observations. The disambiguation, until recently run only on HARP regions, is now implemented for the full disk. Vector and scalar quantities in the patches are used to derive active region indices potentially useful for forecasting; the data maps and indices are collected in the SHARP data series, hmi.sharp_720s. Definitive SHARP processing is completed only after the region rotates off the visible disk; quick-look products are produced in near real time. Patches are provided in both CCD and heliographic coordinates. HMI provides continuous coverage of the vector field, but has modest spatial, spectral, and temporal resolution. Coupled with limitations of the analysis and interpretation techniques, effects of the orbital velocity, and instrument performance, the resulting measurements have a certain dynamic range and sensitivity and are subject to systematic errors and uncertainties that are characterized in this report.     

Observations of the Ca xix resonance line during the impulsive phase of solar flares

Numerical simulations of flaring coronal loops, based on the assumption of an electron beam energy input, show that material is ablated from the chromosphere at approximately the local sound speed, thus giving rise to an overall blueshift in the spectrum of the soft X-ray Ca xix resonance line of up to 5 mÅ. In this paper we critically examine the observational evidence for the existence of this blueshift. From an exhaustive analysis of seven limb flares and nine disk flares, we find no indication of Ca xix blueshifts in excess of about 1 mÅ. This conclusion may present serious problems for the electron beam hypothesis: possible reasons for the apparent discrepancy between theory and observations are discussed.     

On the effects of accretion and fragmentation in interplanetary matter streams

The time evolution of interplanetary matter streams is studied using simple mathematical models, taking into account the effects of accretion and fragmentation. While the characteristic behaviour is determined essentiall by ₀, the initial ratio of the accretion time scale to the internal collision time scale, a focussing following an initial expansion is generally observed. The relevance of the results to cosmogenic Jet-Streams as well as present day meteor streams is discussed.     

Reply to Aikin and Underwood

A list of continuum windows in umbral spectra is given and briefly discussed.     

On the periodical structures in populations of galaxies and of clusters of galaxies

Analysing the distribution of the redshift of clusters of galaxies, obtained from the catalogue of SCHMIDT (1986), two already known periodical structures were confirmed and both periods were extended by a number of periods — approximately by two times (We elucidated 5 new periods in the first structure and 4 in the second.). The statistical significance of these structures was estimated to 0.01 in the first case and to 0.02 in the second one. Particularly, the second structure may be the largest known object in the Universe (about 900 Mpc at H = 75 km s^-1 Mpc^-1). These results agree with the predictions of the axion-dominated early Universe. In addition, we discovered periodical structures of an another type — in luminosity functions of galaxies, which are members of rich clusters. Bei der Analyse des Katalogs von SCHMIDT (1986) wurden zwei periodische Strukturen in den Verteilungen der Rotverschiebungen von Galaxienhaufen festgestellt. In den beiden Strukturen wurden 5 bzw. 4 neue Perioden beobachtet, weshalb sich die Periodenzahl in jeder der beiden Strukturen etwa verdoppelt hat. Die statistische Signifikanzen dieser Strukturen wurden zu 0.01 und 0.02 abgeschätzt. Möglicherweise entspricht die zweite Struktur dem größten bekannten Objekt des Weltalls (etwa 900 Mpc bei H = 75 km s^-1 Mpc^-1). Diese Resultate stützen die Theorie eines axiondominierten frühen Universums. Außerdem wurden weitere periodische Strukturen in der Leuchtkraftfunktion von Galaxien aus reichen Galaxien-haufen entdeckt.     

Studies of the solar chromosphere from millimetre and sub-millimetre observations

Spectroheliograms were obtained in bands centred at 1.2 mm, 0.8 mm and 0.4 mm wavelength during 1969 and 1971. In order to obtain photometrically valid data, a specialized set of reduction techniques was employed, obviating the effects of severe differential attenuation across the disc by atmospheric water vapour and of emission noise from the atmosphere, before taking out the instrumental spread functions of the telescope and detector.Comparison of our maps with those of other observers at 3 mm and 8.6 mm wavelength suggests that the chromospheric brightness temperature increments above active regions show a monotonic increase with increasing height above the photosphere over the normal increase in brightness temperature in the quiet chromosphere. Within the limit of angular resolution of 3 available, no evidence was recorded of normal limb brightening in our three passbands but the presence of isophotes at 50% of the central disc temperature consistently circumscribing the optical limb implies a narrow spike of sub-millimetre brightening close to the limb.     

A coronal loop model for the production of X-ray and radio flares in the RS CVn binary HR 1099

The RS CVn binary stellar system HR 1099 is a source of both X-ray and radio flares. We present here a model of the system in which the two types of flare are produced by the same population of mildly-relativistic ( 10) electrons, injected into a coronal loop. After reviewing possible radiation mechanisms we conclude that, given the probable conditions in the flaring region, the radio emission is gyrosynchrotron radiation and the X-ray emission is thermal bremsstrahlung. The thermal X-ray source must lie in the stellar chromosphere, but the apparent absence of plasma absorption at radio frequencies indicates that the radio source is located high in the coronal loop. Using the relationships given by Dulk and Marsh (1982) for the radio emission from a power-law electron energy spectrum,N() ( - 1)^–, we conclude that 3 7, with 30% of the electron population trapped in the radio source. Some implications of these results for one particular version of the model are discussed.