Formation of spectral lines in a dynamically active stochastic and multicomponent atmosphere

Abstract

This paper is devoted to a determination of the statistical mean quantities describing spectral line radiation of dynamically active stochastic and multicomponent atmospheres. The lines in LTE are considered so that the effects of multiple scattering can be neglected. Two types of problem are discussed. In the first it is assumed that the realization of one or another type of nonthermal motion depends on the type of structural element and in the other this type of dependence is absent, i.e., it is supposed that the assumed random values of the velocity are distributed according to a law that is common to all the components. Particular attention is paid to a determination of the relative mean square deviation of the intensity of the observed radiation. It appears that the distinctive feature of the relative mean square deviation of the radiation in a line formed in a dynamically active stochastic atmosphere is local “spikes” (maxima) in the wings of the line. The theoretical results in this paper are compared with spectral observations of quiescent solar prominences obtained in framework of the SOHO space mission.