On the structure of filaments from centimeter and millimeter observations

From filament observations at centimeter and millimeter wavelengths it is shown that the transition layer between the dense, cool filamentary material and the ambient hot, rarified corona is rather thin, of the order of some hundred kilometers. Hence, the difference in the sizes of filaments in the radio and optical domains is of the order of 1000 km or 2, thus not detectable by the instruments so far used for observations of filaments.NASINRC Resident Research Associate at NASA-GSFC.     

On the nature of some active regions in the microwave range

The radio emission of a selected number of solar active regions has been investigated with high angular resolution at two frequencies: 10 and 17 GHz. By comparing the results of the two observations the following conclusions can be drawn:

1. The brightness temperature distribution of an active region is often composed of very bright cores of small dimension (angular extent θ?20″) imbedded in extended halos of lower brightness.
2. The radio emission of such structures as well as the degree of polarization can be explained with a thermal process. The halos can originate by pure thermal bremsstrahlung while in the case of the very bright cores found at 10 GHz (brightness temperature T _b?1–9 × 10⁶K) the emission at the harmonics of the gyrofrequency is needed.

     

A few remarks on the kinetics of static grain growth in rocks

Static grain growth is a relatively simple transformation in which grain size increases under driving forces caused by grain and interphase boundary curvature. Given the relative simplicity of the protocol for grain growth experiments, measurements of grain boundary mobility show surprising variations. Boundary mobilities during grain growth are affected by solute and impurity chemistry, chemical fugacity of trace and major elements, pore size and number, pore fluid chemistry, the presence of melts, and the presence of solid second phases, as well as temperature and pressure. All of these factors may exert influence on grain growth of rocks in natural situations and many are also present during the laboratory experiments. Provided that the necessary kinetics parameters are known, bounds may be placed on the interface mobility when pores, partial melts, or solutes are present. To predict the rate of grain growth in natural situations will require improved laboratory data and careful consideration of the thermodynamic conditions likely to be encountered in nature.     

The radius of the Sun at centimeter waves and the brightness distribution across the disk

We report observations of the solar radio radius at wavelengths between 1.2 and 11 cm performed with the Bonn 100 m-telescope. In combination with former measurements of the centre-to-limb variation of the solar brightness these observations are discussed in terms of atmospheric models. We consider the solar disk to be covered by arches at low latitudes, while at the poles coronal holes are located. The temperature dependence on height is taken from EUV-line intensities, hydrostatic equilibrium is adopted, spicules are assumed to be responsible for the relatively low brightening. The interpretation of our measurements demands certain values of the brightness temperature of spicules as a function of wavelength within a modest interval.     

The brightness distribution over the moon's disk at 6 cm wavelength

On November 27, 1974, a map of the Moon was obtained at 6 cm wavelength with the 100-m-telescope in Effelsberg. The high angular and favourable temperature resolution allowed an interpretation of the observed brightness distribution. The dominant feature of the brightness distribution is the centre-to-limb variation, particularly noticeable in the direction of the poles. The exponent of the commonly adopted cos ()-law, describing the temperature variation across the lunar disk, is determined as 0.4. The North-South variation of the lunar surface temperature is estimated to be 30%; the depth of penetration (L _e) of electromagnetic waves of 6 cm wavelength is found to beL _e 17 m.     

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.     

The solar outburst on August 7, 1972 at 17 GHz and 35 GHz

The radio-burst on August 7, 1972, is discussed. On 17 GHz the peak flux was about 25000 SFU. Considering the decreasing phase of the burst, it was found that an exponential decrease as well as a power-law decrease can be used. The magnetic field in the origin of the burst should be of the order of 1000 G, while the exponent g due to a power-law of the energy distribution is estimated to be about g 3. The degree of circular polarisation shows an increase to about 25% during the ascending phase of the burst, while in the phase of maximal radiation and during the decrease the polarisation degree was small.     

The galactic diffuse component of soft X-rays and its source function

A new model for the source distribution of galactic soft X-ray (B and C band) emission is presented. From the mean dependence of count rates on galactic latitudeb (i.e., the brightness distribution), we derive the soft X-ray source functionQ as function of the optical depth by solving the equation of radiative transfer with the aid of a Laplace transform. Contrary to older Heaviside step models,Q is found to increase strongly, but not abruptly, in the range 1.5<<2.5, indicating a noticeable emission of X-rays from beyond theHi scale height. Using standard X-ray absorption cross-sections for the interstellar medium, we find that the B band X-ray emission coefficient is non-zero within theHi disk and has a maximum at az-value slightly above the Hi scale height. In the C band, the emission coefficient slightly decreases with increasingz, at least up to theHi scale height. A non-zero source function near the galactic plane implies that the interstellar medium (ISM) within theHi scale height is not only an absorbing layer but is mixed with X-ray emitting regions. The so-called local hot bubble is adopted as one of these regions. The maximum of the B band emission coefficient, together with the sharp increase ofQ, is strong evidence for the existence of a galactic soft X-ray halo, and, moreover, give rise to the assumption of a general intergalactic X-ray background. The effective absorption cross-sections given in the literature, based on an (pure) exponential dependence in the negative correlation between count rates andHi column densities, were biased to be too small, in particular in the B band. In replacing the Heaviside step (in the ISM) by a smoothed transition region, these inconsistencies become spurious.     

A coronal hole observed at 10.7 GHz with a large single dish

On July 24, 1973, a coronal hole was observed at 10.69 GHz (2.8 cm) with the Bonn 100-m telescope. The difference of the brightness temperature between outside and inside the hole was about 400 to 500 K. It is shown that this lack of emission can be explained by usually adopted values of the electron density at the bottom of the corona.