Abstract
AbstractMeasurements of plasma electric fields offer, in principle, a direct test for the presence of neutral sheets in prominences. Macroscopic electric field intensities of order 1–10 V cm−1 are an essential element of MHD models of prominences containing neutral sheets. These fields should be detectable with our electrograph techniques using the high Paschen-series lines in the NIR, and the 15–9 and 16–9 transitions of H I around 10.5 μ. We discuss the upper limits of 1 V cm−1 we have achieved so far, and their implication for our ability to distinguish prominence models of the ideal-MHD type (e.g., Kippenhahn-Schluter 1957), from those fundamentally different models (e.g., Kuperus and Tandberg-Hanssen 1967, Martens and Kuin 1989) in which neutral sheets play a central role.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
