The solar chromosphere at high resolution with IBIS

Abstract

The structure and energy balance of the solar chromosphere remain poorly known. We used the imaging spectrometer IBIS at the Dunn Solar Telescope to obtain fast-cadence, multi-wavelength profile sampling of H<i>α<i/> and Ca ii 854.2 nm over a sizable two-dimensional field of view encompassing quiet-Sun network. We provide a first inventory of how the quiet chromosphere appears in these two lines by comparing basic profile measurements in the form of image displays, temporal-average displays, time slices, and pixel-by-pixel correlations. We find that the two lines can be markedly dissimilar in their rendering of the chromosphere, but that, nevertheless, both show evidence of chromospheric heating, particularly in and around network: H<i>α<i/> in its core width and Ca ii 854.2 nm in its brightness. We discuss venues for improved modeling.