EUV Imaging Research Articles

The Lyα Emission in a C1.4 Solar Flare Observed by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager aboard Solar Orbiter

The hydrogen Lyα (H i Lyα) emission during solar flares has rarely been studied in spatially resolved images, and its physical origin has not been fully understood. In this paper, we present novel Lyα images for a C1.4 solar flare (SOL2021-08-20T22:00) from the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager aboard Solar Orbiter, together with multi-wave-band and multiperspective observations from the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory Ahead and the Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft. It is found that the Lyα emission has a good temporal correlation with the thermal emissions at 1–8 Å and 5–7 keV, indicating that the flaring Lyα is mainly produced by a thermal process in this small event. However, nonthermal electrons play a minor role in generating Lyα at flare ribbons during the rise phase of the flare, as revealed by the hard X-ray imaging and spectral fitting. Besides originating from flare ribbons, the Lyα emission can come from flare loops, likely caused by plasma heating and also cooling that happen in different flare phases. It is also found that the Lyα emission shows fairly similar features to the He ii λ304 emission in light curve and spatiotemporal variation, along with small differences. These observational results improve our understanding of the Lyα emission in solar flares and also provide some insights for investigating the Lyα emission in stellar flares.

White-light QFP wave train and the associated failed breakout eruption

Quasi-periodic fast-propagating (QFP) magnetosonic wave trains are commonly observed in the low corona at extreme ultraviolet wavelength bands. Here, we report the first white-light imaging observation of a QFP wave train propagating outwardly in the outer corona ranging from 2 to 4 R⊙. The wave train was recorded by the Large Angle Spectroscopic Coronagraph on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), and was associated with a GOES M1.5 flare in NOAA active region AR12172 at the southwest limb of the solar disk. Measurements show that the speed and period of the wave train were about 218 km s−1 and 26 min, respectively. The extreme ultraviolet imaging observations taken by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory reveal that in the low corona the QFP wave train was associated with the failed eruption of a breakout magnetic system consisting of three low-lying closed loop systems enclosed by a high-lying large-scale one. Data analysis results show that the failed eruption of the breakout magnetic system was mainly because of the magnetic reconnection that occurred between the two lateral low-lying closed-loop systems. This reconnection enhances the confinement capacity of the magnetic breakout system because the upward-moving reconnected loops continuously feed new magnetic fluxes to the high-lying large-scale loop system. For the generation of the QFP wave train, we propose that it could be excited by the intermittent energy pulses released by the quasi-periodic generation, rapid stretching, and expansion of the upward-moving, strongly bent reconnected loops.

COCONUT, a Novel Fast-converging MHD Model for Solar Corona Simulations: I. Benchmarking and Optimization of Polytropic Solutions

We present a novel global 3D coronal MHD model called COCONUT, polytropic in its first stage and based on a time-implicit backward Euler scheme. Our model boosts run-time performance in comparison with contemporary MHD-solvers based on explicit schemes, which is particularly important when later employed in an operational setting for space-weather forecasting. It is data-driven in the sense that we use synoptic maps as inner boundary inputs for our potential-field initialization as well as an inner boundary condition in the further MHD time evolution. The coronal model is developed as part of the EUropean Heliospheric FORecasting Information Asset (EUHFORIA) and will replace the currently employed, more simplistic, empirical Wang–Sheeley–Arge (WSA) model. At 21.5 R ⊙ where the solar wind is already supersonic, it is coupled to EUHFORIA’s heliospheric model. We validate and benchmark our coronal simulation results with the explicit-scheme Wind-Predict model and find good agreement for idealized limit cases as well as real magnetograms, while obtaining a computational time reduction of up to a factor 3 for simple idealized cases, and up to 35 for realistic configurations, and we demonstrate that the time gained increases with the spatial resolution of the input synoptic map. We also use observations to constrain the model and show that it recovers relevant features such as the position and shape of the streamers (by comparison with eclipse white-light images), the coronal holes (by comparison with EUV images), and the current sheet (by comparison with WSA model at 0.1 au).

An Improved Method for Estimating the Velocity Field of Coronal Propagating Disturbances

The solar corona is host to a continuous flow of propagating disturbances (PD). These are continuous and ubiquitous across broad regions of the corona, including the quiet Sun. The aim of this article is to present an improved, efficient method to create velocity vector field maps based on the direction and magnitude of the PD as observed in time series of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) images. The method presented here is for use with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA)/Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) EUV channels and takes as input approx 2 hours of images at the highest 12 s cadence. Data from a region near disc centre is extracted, and a process called time normalisation is applied to the co-aligned data. Following noise reduction using à trous decomposition, the PD are effectively revealed. A modified Lucas–Kanade algorithm is then used to map the velocity field. The method described here runs comfortably on a desktop computer in a few minutes and offers an order of magnitude improvement in efficiency compared to a previous implementation. As applied to a region of the quiet Sun, we find that the velocity field describes a mosaic of cells of coherent outwardly-diverging PD flows of typical size 50 to 100'' (36 to 72 Mm). The flows originate from points and narrow corridors in the cell centres and end in the narrow boundaries between cells. Visual comparison with ultraviolet AIA images shows that the flow sources are correlated with the bright photospheric supergranular network boundaries. Assuming that the PD follow the local magnetic field, the velocity flow field is a proxy for the plane-of-sky distribution of the coronal magnetic field, and therefore the maps offer a unique insight into the topology of the corona. These are particularly valuable for quiet Sun regions where the appearance of structures in EUV images is hard to interpret.

A highly dynamic small-scale jet in a polar coronal hole

We present an observational study of the plasma dynamics at the base of a solar coronal jet, using high resolution extreme ultraviolet imaging data taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board Solar Orbiter, and by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board Solar Dynamics Observatory. We observed multiple plasma ejection events over a period of ∼1 h from a dome-like base that is ca. 4 Mm wide and is embedded in a polar coronal hole. Within the dome below the jet spire, multiple plasma blobs with sizes around 1−2 Mm propagate upwards to the dome apex with speeds of the order of the sound speed (ca. 120 km s−1). Upon reaching the apex, some of these blobs initiate flows with similar speeds towards the other footpoint of the dome. At the same time, high speed super-sonic outflows (∼230 km s−1) are detected along the jet spire. These outflows as well as the intensity near the dome apex appear to be repetitive. Furthermore, during its evolution, the jet undergoes many complex morphological changes, including transitions between the standard and blowout type eruption. These new observational results highlight the underlying complexity of the reconnection process that powers these jets and they also provide insights into the plasma response when subjected to rapid energy injection.

Probabilistic Prediction of Dst Storms One‐Day‐Ahead Using Full‐Disk SoHO Images

AbstractWe present a new model for the probability that the disturbance storm time (Dst) index exceeds −100 nT, with a lead time between 1 and 3 days. Dst provides essential information about the strength of the ring current around the Earth caused by the protons and electrons from the solar wind, and it is routinely used as a proxy for geomagnetic storms. The model is developed using an ensemble of Convolutional Neural Networks that are trained using Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) images (Michelson Doppler Imager, Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Telescope, and Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph). The relationship between the SoHO images and the solar wind has been investigated by many researchers, but these studies have not explicitly considered using SoHO images to predict the Dst index. This work presents a novel methodology to train the individual models and to learn the optimal ensemble weights iteratively, by using a customized class‐balanced mean square error (CB‐MSE) loss function tied to a least‐squares based ensemble. The proposed model can predict the probability that Dst < −100 nT 24 hr ahead with a True Skill Statistic (TSS) of 0.62 and Matthews Correlation Coefficient (MCC) of 0.37. The weighted TSS and MCC is 0.68 and 0.47, respectively. An additional validation during non‐Earth‐directed CME periods is also conducted which yields a good TSS and MCC score.

What Determines Active Region Coronal Plasma Composition?

The chemical composition of the solar corona is different from that of the solar photosphere, with the strongest variation being observed in active regions (ARs). Using data from the Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on Hinode, we present a survey of coronal elemental composition as expressed in the first ionization potential (FIP) bias in 28 ARs of different ages and magnetic flux content, which are at different stages in their evolution. We find no correlation between the FIP bias of an AR and its total unsigned magnetic flux or age. However, there is a weak dependence of FIP bias on the evolutionary stage, decreasing from 1.9 to 2.2 in ARs with spots to 1.5–1.6 in ARs that are at more advanced stages of the decay phase. FIP bias shows an increasing trend with average magnetic flux density up to 200 G, but this trend does not continue at higher values. The FIP bias distribution within ARs has a spread between 0.4 and 1. The largest spread is observed in very dispersed ARs. We attribute this to a range of physical processes taking place in these ARs, including processes associated with filament channel formation. These findings indicate that, while some general trends can be observed, the processes influencing the composition of an AR are complex and specific to its evolution, magnetic configuration, or environment. The spread of FIP bias values in ARs shows a broad match with that previously observed in situ in the slow solar wind.

Automatic detection of small-scale EUV brightenings observed by the Solar Orbiter/EUI

Context. Accurate detections of frequent small-scale extreme ultraviolet (EUV) brightenings are essential to the investigation of the physical processes heating the corona. Aims. We detected small-scale brightenings, termed campfires, using their morphological and intensity structures as observed in coronal EUV imaging observations for statistical analysis. Methods. We applied a method based on Zernike moments and a support vector machine (SVM) classifier to automatically identify and track campfires observed by Solar Orbiter/Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) and Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA). Results. This method detected 8678 campfires (with length scales between 400 km and 4000 km) from a sequence of 50 High Resolution EUV telescope (HRIEUV) 174 Å images. From 21 near co-temporal AIA images covering the same field of view as EUI, we found 1131 campfires, 58% of which were also detected in HRIEUV images. In contrast, about 16% of campfires recognized in HRIEUV were detected by AIA. We obtain a campfire birthrate of 2 × 10−16 m−2 s−1. About 40% of campfires show a duration longer than 5 s, having been observed in at least two HRIEUV images. We find that 27% of campfires were found in coronal bright points and the remaining 73% have occurred out of coronal bright points. We detected 23 EUI campfires with a duration greater than 245 s. We found that about 80% of campfires are formed at supergranular boundaries, and the features with the highest total intensities are generated at network junctions and intense H I Lyman-α emission regions observed by EUI/HRILya. The probability distribution functions for the total intensity, peak intensity, and projected area of campfires follow a power law behavior with absolute indices between 2 and 3. This self-similar behavior is a possible signature of self-organization, or even self-organized criticality, in the campfire formation process.

Properties of EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) Slot Observations

The Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board the Hinode spacecraft has been operating since 2006, returning high-resolution data in the 170 – 212 and 246 – 292 Å wavelength regions. EIS has four slit options, with the narrow 1′′ and 2′′ slits used for spectroscopy and the wide 40′′ and 266′′ slits used for monochromatic imaging. In this article several properties of the 40′′ slit (or slot) are measured using the Fe xii 195.12 Å line, which is formed at 1.5 MK. The projected width of the slot on the detector shows a small variation along the slit with an average value of 40.949′′. The slot image is tilted on the detector and a quadratic formula is provided to describe the tilt. The tilt corresponds to four pixels on the detector and the slot centroid is offset mostly to the right (longer wavelengths) of the 1′′ slit by up to four pixels. Measurement of the intensity decrease at the edge of the slot leads to an estimate of the spatial resolution of the images in the x-direction. The resolution varies quadratically along the slot, with a minimum value of 2.9′′ close to the detector center. Intensities measured from the slot images are found to be on average 14% higher than those measured from the 1′′ slit at the same spatial location. Background subtraction is necessary to derive accurate intensities in quiet-Sun and coronal-hole regions. Prescriptions for deriving accurate slot intensities for different types of slot datasets are presented.

Solar Wind Speed Prediction via Graph Attention Network

AbstractThe solar wind is a plasma flow formed by the expansion of the high‐temperature corona and propagates in the interplanetary space with speeds between 200 km/s and 900 km/s. Accurate solar wind speed prediction and longer lead time will help mitigate the impact of solar storms on aerospace equipment and the Earth's magnetic field. Recently, most approaches do not explicitly capture the relationships between different solar wind features, and the prediction accuracy of 96‐hr is still not good enough. This paper elaborately designs an end‐to‐end model: Graph‐Temporal‐AR model (GTA) for solar wind speed prediction. First, our framework considers each feature as the node to construct the graph structure and adopts the graph attention module to learn the complex dependencies among features. Second, our approach employs the dilated causal convolution to extend the receptive field and prolong the prediction time. Furthermore, we leverage the autoregressive model to solve the scale insensitive problem of the neural network, making our model more robust. Specifically, we combine the OMNI data measured at Lagrangian Point 1 (L1) with the extreme ultraviolet images observed by the Solar Dynamics Observatory satellite to predict the solar wind speed at L1. Compared with the baseline models, GTA obtains significant performance improvements. Through visualization, we find GTA excavates the relationships between multiply variables without domain prior knowledge, which may help us find other unknown associations in heliophysics data sets. The data and code are available from https://github.com/syrGitHub/GTA.

Bipolar Ephemeral Active Regions, Magnetic Flux Cancellation, and Solar Magnetic Explosions

We examine the cradle-to-grave magnetic evolution of 10 bipolar ephemeral active regions (BEARs) in solar coronal holes, especially aspects of the magnetic evolution leading to each of 43 obvious microflare events. The data are from the Solar Dynamics Observatory: 211 Å coronal EUV images and line-of-sight photospheric magnetograms. We find evidence that (1) each microflare event is a magnetic explosion that results in a miniature flare arcade astride the polarity inversion line (PIL) of the explosive lobe of the BEAR’s anemone magnetic field; (2) relative to the BEAR’s emerged flux-rope Ω loop, the anemone’s explosive lobe can be an inside lobe, an outside lobe, or an inside-and-outside lobe; (3) 5 events are confined explosions, 20 events are mostly confined explosions, and 18 events are blowout explosions, which are miniatures of the magnetic explosions that make coronal mass ejections (CMEs); (4) contrary to the expectation of Moore et al., none of the 18 blowout events explode from inside the BEAR’s Ω loop during the Ω loop’s emergence; and (5) before and during each of the 43 microflare events, there is magnetic flux cancellation at the PIL of the anemone’s explosive lobe. From finding evident flux cancellation at the underlying PIL before and during all 43 microflare events—together with BEARs evidently being miniatures of all larger solar bipolar active regions—we expect that in essentially the same way, flux cancellation in sunspot active regions prepares and triggers the magnetic explosions for many major flares and CMEs.

A spectroscopic measurement of high velocity spray plasma from an M-class flare and coronal mass ejection

The M1.5-class flare and associated coronal mass ejection (CME) of 16 February 2011 was observed with the Extreme ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer on board the Hinode spacecraft. Spray plasma associated with the CME is found to exhibit a Doppler blue-shift of 850 kms−1 – one of the largest values reported from spectroscopy of the solar disk and inner corona. The observation is unusual in that the emission line (Fexii 193.51 Å) is not observed directly, but the Doppler shift is so large that the blue-shifted component appears in a wavelength window at 192.82 Å, intended to observe lines of Ov, Fexi and Caxvii. The Fexii 195.12 Å emission line is used as a proxy for the rest component of 193.51 Å. The observation highlights the risks of using narrow wavelength windows for spectrometer observations when observing highly-dynamic solar phenomena. The consequences of large Doppler shifts for ultraviolet solar spectrometers, including the upcoming Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE) mission, are discussed.

Can We Detect Coronal Mass Ejections through Asymmetries of Sun-as-a-star Extreme-ultraviolet Spectral Line Profiles?

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are the largest-scale eruptive phenomena in the solar system. Associated with enormous plasma ejections and energy releases, CMEs have an important impact on the solar–terrestrial environment. Accurate predictions of the arrival times of CMEs at the Earth depend on precise measurements of their 3D velocities, which can be achieved by using simultaneous line-of-sight (LOS) and plane-of-sky (POS) observations. Besides the POS information from routine coronagraph and extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) imaging observations, spectroscopic observations could unveil the physical properties of CMEs, including their LOS velocities. We propose that spectral line asymmetries measured by Sun-as-a-star spectrographs can be used for routine detections of CMEs and estimations of their LOS velocities during their early propagation phases. Such observations can also provide important clues for the detection of CMEs on other solar-like stars. However, few studies have concentrated on whether we can detect CME signals and accurately diagnose CME properties through Sun-as-a-star spectral observations. In this work, we construct a geometric CME model and derive the analytical expressions for full disk-integrated EUV line profiles during CMEs. For different CME properties and instrumental configurations, the full disk-integrated line profiles are synthesized. We further evaluate the detectability and diagnostic potential of CMEs from the synthetic line profiles. Our investigations provide important constraints on the future design of Sun-as-a-star spectrographs for CME detections through EUV line asymmetries.

Categorization model of moving small-scale intensity enhancements in solar active regions

Context. The small-scale moving intensity enhancements remotely observed in the extreme ultraviolet images of the solar active regions, which we refer to as active region moving campfires (ARMCs), are related to local plasma temperature and/or density enhancements. Their dynamics is driven by the physical processes in the entire coronal plasma. Our previous study of ARMCs indicates that they have characteristic velocities at around the background sound speed. In the present paper, we further investigate the dynamical and statistical properties of ARMCs. Aims. The main goal of our work is to carry out a simultaneous analysis of EUV images from two observational missions, SDO/AIA and Hi-C 2.1. The aims of the performed cross-validating analysis of both SDO/AIA and Hi-C 2.1 data were to reveal how the observed moving features are distributed over the studied active region, AR12712, and to perform a statistical hypothesis test of the existence of different groups of ARMCs with distinct physical characteristics. Methods. We use the statistical model of intensity centroid convergence and tracking that was developed in our previous paper. Furthermore, a Gaussian mixture model fit of the observed complex of moving ARMCs is elaborated to reveal the existence of distinct ARMC groups and to study the physical characteristics of these different groups. Results. In data from the 171 Å, 193 Å and 211 Å channels of SDO/AIA, we identified several groups of ARMCs with respect to both blob intensity and velocity profiles. The existence of such groups is confirmed by the cross-validation of the 172 Å data sets from Hi-C 2.1. Conclusions. The ARMCs studied in this paper have characteristic velocities in the range of the typical sound speeds in coronal loops. Hence, these moving objects differ from the well-known rapid Alfvénic velocity jets from magnetic reconnection sites. This is also proven by the fact that ARMCs propagate along the active region magnetic structure (strands). The nature of the discovered statistical grouping of the ARMC events is not known. Further theoretical studies and modeling is required to reveal this nature.

Determining the Spectral Content of MOSES Images

The Multi-Order Solar Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrograph (MOSES) sounding rocket was launched from White Sands Missile Range on 2006 February 8th, to capture images of the Sun in the He ii 303.8 Å emission line. MOSES is a slitless spectrograph that forms images in multiple spectral orders simultaneously using a concave diffraction grating in an effort to measure line profiles over a wide field of view from a single exposure. Early work on MOSES data showed evidence of solar features composed of neither He ii 303.8 Å nor the nearby Si xi 303.3 Å spectral lines. We have built a forward model that uses cotemporal EIT images and the Chianti atomic database to fit synthetic images with known spectra to the MOSES data in order to quantify this additional spectral content. Our fit reveals a host of dim lines that alone are insignificant but combined contribute a comparable intensity to MOSES images as Si xi 303.3 Å. In total, lines other than He ii 303.8 Å and Si xi 303.3 Å contribute approximately 10% of the total intensity in the MOSES zero order image. This additional content, if not properly accounted for, could significantly impact the analysis of MOSES and similar slitless spectrograph data, especially those using a zero-order (undispersed) image. More broadly, this serves as a reminder that multilayer EUV imagers are sensitive to a host of weak contaminant lines.

Extreme-Ultraviolet Shaping and Imaging by High-Harmonic Generation from Nanostructured Silica.

Coherent extreme-ultraviolet pulses from high-harmonic generation have ample applications in attosecond science, lensless imaging, and industrial metrology. However, tailoring complex spatial amplitude, phase, and polarization properties of extreme-ultraviolet pulses is made nontrivial by the lack of efficient optical elements. Here, we have overcome this limitation through nanoengineered solid samples, which enable direct control over amplitude and phase patterns of nonlinearly generated extreme-ultraviolet pulses. We demonstrate experimental configurations and emitting structures that yield spatially patterned beam profiles, increased conversion efficiencies, and tailored polarization states. Furthermore, we use the emitted patterns to reconstruct height profiles, probe the near-field confinement in nanostructures below the diffraction limit of the fundamental radiation, and to image complex structures through coherent diffractive emission from these structures. Our results pave the way for introducing sub-fundamental-wavelength resolution imaging, direct manipulation of beams through nanoengineered samples, and metrology of nanostructures into the extreme-ultraviolet spectral range.

Moving structures in ultraviolet bright points: Observations from Solar Orbiter/EUI

Context. Moving structures have been detected in coronal bright points and in a solar flare in active regions that are bidirectional, symmetrical, simultaneous, and quasi-periodic. These could be regarded as observational evidence of plasma outflows via magnetic reconnection. Aims. We explored pairs of moving structures in fifteen ultraviolet bright points (UBPs), which were observed in the quiet Sun or inside a small active region on 19 November 2020. Methods. The UBPs were measured by the High Resolution (HRI) Telescopes of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) on board the Solar Orbiter (SolO) in two passbands, HRIEUV 174 Å and HRILyα 1216 Å. The pairs of moving structures are identified in time-distance slices along curved slits of UBPs and their quasi-periods are determined from the fast Fourier transform and wavelet analysis methods. Results. Moving structures observed in ten UBPs, starting from their bright cores and propagating toward two ends, are interpreted as diverging motions of bidirectional moving structures. These moving structures are also characterized by simultaneity and symmetry and in the case of seven UBPs, they exhibit quasi-periodicity. Moving structures seen in another five UBPs, originating from double ends, moving closer, and merging together are manifested as converging motions. A sympathetic UBP induced by the primary UBP is observed at the edge of a small active region and their moving structures also show the converging motion. Conclusions. The diverging motions of bidirectional moving structures could be generated by outflows after magnetic reconnections. The converging motions of two moving structures might be caused by inflows through the magnetic reconnection or could also be interpreted as upflows driven by the chromospheric evaporation.

Sun-as-a-star Spectroscopic Observations of the Line-of-sight Velocity of a Solar Eruption on 2021 October 28

The propagation direction and true velocity of a solar coronal mass ejection, which are among the most decisive factors for its geo-effectiveness, are difficult to determine through single-perspective imaging observations. Here we show that Sun-as-a-star spectroscopic observations, together with imaging observations, could allow us to solve this problem. Using observations of the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we found clear blueshifted secondary emission components in extreme-ultraviolet spectral lines during a solar eruption on 2021 October 28. From simultaneous imaging observations, we found that the secondary components are caused by a mass ejection from the flare site. We estimated the line-of-sight (LOS) velocity of the ejecta from both the double Gaussian fitting method and the red-blue asymmetry analysis. The results of both methods agree well with each other, giving an average LOS velocity of the plasma of ∼423 km s−1. From the 304 Å image series taken by the Extreme ultraviolet Imager onboard the Solar Terrestrial Relation Observatory-A (STEREO-A) spacecraft, we estimated the plane-of-sky velocity from the STEREO-A viewpoint to be around 587 km s−1. The full velocity of the bulk motion of the ejecta was then computed by combining the imaging and spectroscopic observations, which turns out to be around 596 km s−1 with an angle of 42.°4 to the west of the Sun–Earth line and 16.°0 south to the ecliptic plane.

Attenuated phase shift masks: a wild card resolution enhancement for extreme ultraviolet lithography?

Background: The successful introduction of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography to high volume manufacturing has increased the interest to push this technology to its ultimate limits. This will require photoresist materials, which enable a better tradeoff between resolution, linewidth roughness and sensitivity, and the adaptation of optical resolution enhancements that were originally developed for deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography. Aim: We review published research on attenuated phase shift masks (attPSM) for EUV with special emphasis on modeling and fundamental understanding of the imaging characteristics of alternative absorber materials. The overview on previous work is intended to summarize typical observations and learning on obtained results and to serve as a reference for further research on this important topic. Review approach: The review starts with a summary of related work on attPSM for DUV lithography. It is shown that the understanding and mitigation of mask topography (or mask 3D) effects is key for the analysis and optimization of attPSM for EUV lithography. Observations from several research groups and application of dedicated modeling approaches help to understand the physical mechanisms behind observed lateral image shifts and pitch-dependent shifts of the best focus position. Results: The imaging physics of attPSM for EUV lithography differs significantly from attPSM imaging in DUV lithography. The “double diffraction” of EUV light from the absorber, the reflection characteristics of the multilayer blank, and the guidance of light through the openings in a low-refractive-index (low-n) absorber introduce important effects that need to be considered in the design and use of attPSM in EUV lithography. It is important to use the optical properties (n and k) and the thickness of the absorber as predictive design parameters of attPSM for EUV lithography (instead of phase and reflectivity). The refractive index of the absorber material is important for binary masks as well. The discussion of low-n absorbers includes both “traditional” attPSM for EUV and low reflectivity absorbers, which exploit the guidance of light inside patterned layers. Conclusions: In-depth modeling investigations of attPSM and first experiments suggest that absorbers with a refractive index around 0.9 (low-n materials) can help to push high NA EUV lithography into the low k1 regime. Comprehensive optimization of source and mask is required to exploit the advantages of low-n absorbers. Further enhancements can help to push EUV imaging to its ultimate limit.

Spatially Resolved Moving Radio Burst Associated with an EUV Wave

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are large clouds of magnetized plasma ejected from the Sun and are often associated with the acceleration of electrons that can result in radio emission via various mechanisms. However, the underlying mechanism relating the CMEs and particle acceleration still remains a subject of heated debate. Here, we report multi-instrument radio and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) imaging of a solar eruption event on 2011 September 24. We determine the emission mechanism of a moving radio burst, identify its three-dimensional location with respect to a rapidly expanding EUV wave, and find evidence for CME shocks that produce quasiperiodic acceleration of electron beams.