Emission measures, electron densities, and nonthermal velocities from optically thin UV lines near a quiet solar limb

Abstract

Calibrated intensities and line widths are presented for 45 optically thin chromospheric and transition-zone UV lines observed in a quiet area near the solar limb. The observations were made over the wavelength range from 1175 to 1915 A with the slit spectrograph on the Skylab Apollo Telescope Mount. Three nonthermal-velocity components are derived from the transition-zone line widths: a main component of 23 km/s and two high-velocity components of 45 and 75 km/s, respectively, which contribute 5% to 10% of the averaged intensity. Absolute intensities are determined as a function of height, emission measures are obtained as functions of height as well as temperature, and electron densities are estimated from density-sensitive line ratios. The densities estimated from different sets of lines are found not to agree with each other, but the values obtained from the Si III multiplet between 1297 and 1301 A are considered to be the most reliable. An atmospheric model with inhomogeneous structures extending high above the solar surface is suggested.