The plane of polarization of the solar coronal emission on August 11, 1999

A two-dimensional polarization image of the inner regions of the solar corona (R≤1.5R _?) during the total solar eclipse of August 11, 1999 is presented. This image clearly exhibits both small-and large-scale structure in the distribution of deviations of the plane of polarization from its theoretical direction for coronal emission in the near infrared (570–800 nm). An accuracy for the deviation angles of ≤1° was achieved by reducing the instrumental scattered light in the telescope, installing a continuously rotating polaroid near the image plane of the entrance pupil (i.e., the Lyot stop plane), and developing a special algorithm for constructing the polarization images based on the IDL software, in which the properties of the light are described in terms of the Stokes parameters. This algorithm was used to process 24 digitized polarization images of the corona, corresponding to one complete rotation of the polaroid. Analysis of the polarization image for angles of 0°–5° indicates the existence of significant deviations in the inner corona. The polar and equatorial coronal regions are characterized by diffuse and almost uniform structure of the deviation angles, 0.5° ± 0.5°, corresponding to Thomson scattering of the photospheric radiation by free electrons. Four large-scale structures over the NE, SE, NW, and SW limbs covering about 60° in position angle have deviations of 1°–3°. Numerous small-scale structures with dimensions up to 30″ and deviation angles of 3°–5° tracing strongly curved coronal streamers were detected in active coronal regions, especially over the NE limb. Interpretation of these deviations in terms of flows of moving electrons implies tangential velocities of up to 2.5×10⁴ km/s, i.e., electron energies of up to 2×10³ eV.