Chromospheric Carbon Monoxide Formation around a Solar Pore

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We present observations of NOAA AR 11159, obtained on 2011 February 14 in the 4.7 μm band of carbon monoxide (CO) and coordinated with spectroscopic imaging of three atomic lines (Na i 5896 Å, Fe i 7090 Å, and Ca ii 8542 Å) which sample heights from the mid-photosphere to the chromosphere. Phase-difference spectra between the observed spectral lines instead indicate that the CO lines form at z ≈ 530−650 km in the quiet Sun. During the two hours of observations, seven long-lived cooling events (“cold bubbles”) were observed in CO in the region surrounding a large pore, but were not visible in the three atomic lines. These events show self-similar temporal evolution with time scales consistent with the chemical formation rate of CO at z ≈ 1000 km. Due to the lack of such features in the surrounding quiet Sun, we hypothesize that the magnetic canopy field surrounding the pore, which suppresses the upward propagation of acoustic waves into the chromosphere and the subsequent formation of shocks, depresses the rate of acoustic heating and allows CO to condense and cool the atmosphere at those heights. These “cold bubbles” may be a source of the chromospheric CO that produces the unexpectedly high (z ≈ 1000 km) limb extensions seen in the stronger CO lines, and may provide a unique opportunity to study this enigmatic component of the solar atmosphere in spatially resolved observations.