Determination and analysis of coronal hole radio spectra

Abstract

Solar radio maps obtained by our group and others over a wide wavelength range (millimeter to meter) and over a considerable time span (1973–1978) have allowed us to compute the radio spectrum of an average coronal hole, i.e., the brightness temperature inside a coronal hole normalized by the brightness temperature of the quiet Sun outside the coronal hole measured at several different radio wavelengths. This radio spectrum can be used to obtain the changes of the quiet Sun atmosphere inside coronal holes and also as an additional check for coronal hole profiles obtained by other methods. Using a standard solar atmosphere and a computer program which included ray tracing, we have tried to reproduce the observed radio spectrum by computing brightness temperatures at many different wavelengths for a long series of modifications in the electron density, neutral particle density and temperature profiles of the standard solar atmosphere. This analysis indicates that inside an average coronal hole the following changes occur: the upper chromosphere expands by about 20% and its electron density and temperature decrease by about 10%. The transition zone experiences the largest change, expanding by a factor of about 6, its electron density decreases by a similar factor, and its temperature decreases by about 50%. Finally in the corona the electron density decreases by about 20% and the temperature by about 15%.