Measurement of coronal magnetic twists during loop emergence of NOAA 8069

Emerging coronal loops were studied with extreme ultraviolet observations performed by SOHO/EIT on 5 and 6 August 1997 for NOAA 8069. Physical parameters (size and twist) were determined by a new stereoscopic method. The flux tubes were measured twisted when first observed by EIT. After emerging, they de-twisted as they expanded, which corresponds to a minimization of the energy. Different scenarios which take into account the conservation of the magnetic helicity are discussed in relation with structure and temperature variations. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1013329626327     

Observations of Coronal Structures Above an Active Region by Eit and Implications for Coronal Energy Deposition

Solar EUV images recorded by the EUV Imaging Telescope (EIT) on SOHO have been used to evaluate temperature and density as a function of position in two largescale features in the corona observed in the temperature range of 1.0–2.0 MK. Such observations permit estimates of longitudinal temperature gradients (if present) in the corona and, consequently, estimates of thermal conduction and radiative losses as a function of position in the features. We examine two relatively cool features as recorded in EIT's Feix/x (171 Å) and Fexii (195 Å) bands in a decaying active region. The first is a long-lived loop-like feature with one leg, ending in the active region, much more prominent than one or more distant footpoints assumed to be rooted in regions of weakly enhanced field. The other is a near-radial feature, observed at the West limb, which may be either the base of a very high loop or the base of a helmet streamer. We evaluate energy requirements to support a steady-state energy balance in these features and find in both instances that downward thermal conductive losses (at heights above the transition region) are inadequate to support local radiative losses, which are the predominant loss mechanism. The requirement that a coronal energy deposition rate proportional to the square of the ambient electron density (or pressure) is present in these cool coronal features provides an additional constraint on coronal heating mechanisms.     

A Multiscale Vision Model applied to analyze EIT images of the solar corona

The large dynamic range provided by the SOHO/EIT CCD (1 : 5000) is needed to observe the large EUV zoom of coronal structures from coronal homes up to flares. Histograms show that often a wide dynamic range is present in each image. Extracting hidden structures in the background level requires specific techniques such as the use of the Multiscale Vision Model (MVM, Bijaoui et al., 1998). This method, based on wavelet transformations optimizes detection of various size objects, however complex they may be. Bijaoui et al. built the Multiscale Vision Model to extract small dynamical structures from noise, mainly for studying galaxies. In this paper, we describe requirements for the use of this method with SOHO/EIT images (calibration, size of the image, dynamics of the subimage, etc.). Two different areas were studied revealing hidden structures: (1) classical coronal mass ejection (CME) formation and (2) a complex group of active regions with its evolution. The aim of this paper is to define carefully the constraints for this new method of imaging the solar corona with SOHO/EIT. Physical analysis derived from multi-wavelength observations will later complete these first results. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1017579625208 with J.P. Delaboudinière P.I.     

Eit Observations of the Extreme Ultraviolet Sun

The Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on board the SOHO spacecraft has been operational since 2 January 1996. EIT observes the Sun over a 45 x 45 arc min field of view in four emission line groups: Feix, x, Fexii, Fexv, and Heii. A post-launch determination of the instrument flatfield, the instrument scattering function, and the instrument aging were necessary for the reduction and analysis of the data. The observed structures and their evolution in each of the four EUV bandpasses are characteristic of the peak emission temperature of the line(s) chosen for that bandpass. Reports on the initial results of a variety of analysis projects demonstrate the range of investigations now underway: EIT provides new observations of the corona in the temperature range of 1 to 2 MK. Temperature studies of the large-scale coronal features extend previous coronagraph work with low-noise temperature maps. Temperatures of radial, extended, plume-like structures in both the polar coronal hole and in a low latitude decaying active region were found to be cooler than the surrounding material. Active region loops were investigated in detail and found to be isothermal for the low loops but hottest at the loop tops for the large loops. Variability of solar EUV structures, as observed in the EIT time sequences, is pervasive and leads to a re-evaluation of the meaning of the term ‘quiet Sun’. Intensity fluctuations in a high cadence sequence of coronal and chromospheric images correspond to a Kolmogorov turbulence spectrum. This can be interpreted in terms of a mixed stochastic or periodic driving of the transition region and the base of the corona. No signature of the photospheric and chromospheric waves is found in spatially averaged power spectra, indicating that these waves do not propagate to the upper atmosphere or are channeled through narrow local magnetic structures covering a small fraction of the solar surface. Polar coronal hole observing campaigns have identified an outflow process with the discovery of transient Fexii jets. Coronal mass ejection observing campaigns have identified the beginning of a CME in an Fexii sequence with a near simultaneous filament eruption (seen in absorption), formation of a coronal void and the initiation of a bright outward-moving shell as well as the coronal manifestation of a ‘Moreton wave’. Supplementary material to this paper is available in electronic form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/A:1004902913117