Hα Line Research Articles

Mass Accretion, Spectral, and Photometric Properties of T Tauri Stars in Taurus Based on TESS and LAMOST

We present the analysis of 16 classical T Tauri stars (CTTSs) using LAMOST and TESS data, investigating spectral properties, photometric variations, and mass accretion rates. All 16 stars exhibit emissions in Hα lines, from which the average mass accretion rate of 1.76 × 10−9 M ⊙ yr−1 is derived. Two of the stars, DL Tau and Haro 6-13, show mass accretion bursts simultaneously in TESS, ASAS-SN, and/or the ZTF survey. Based on these observations, we find that the mass accretion rates of DL Tau and Haro 6-13 reach their maxima of 2.5 × 10−8 M ⊙ yr−1 and 2 × 10−10 M ⊙ yr−1, respectively, during the TESS observation. We detect 13 flares among these stars. The flare frequency distribution shows that the CTTSs’ flare activity is not only dominated by strong flares with high energy but also much more active than those of solar-type and young low-mass stars. By comparing the variability classes reported in the literature, we find that the transition timescale between different classes of variability in CTTSs, such as from stochastic (S) to bursting (B) or from quasi-periodic symmetric to quasi-periodic dipping, may range from 1.6 to 4 yr. We observe no significant correlation between inclination and mass accretion rates derived from the emission indicators. This suggests that inner disk properties may be more important than those of outer disks. Finally, we find a relatively significant positive correlation between the asymmetric metric M and the cold disk inclination compared to the literature. A weak negative correlation between the periodicity metric Q value and inclination has also been found.

Study of a sample of faint Be stars in the exofield of CoRoT

Context. The search and interpretation of non-radial pulsations from Be star light curves observed with the CoRoT satellite requires high-quality stellar astrophysical parameters. Aims. The present work is devoted to the spectroscopic study of a sample of faint Be stars observed by CoRoT in the fourth long run (LRA02). Methods. The astrophysical parameters were determined from the spectra in the λλ4000–4500 Å wavelength domain observed with the VLT/FLAMES instruments at ESO. Spectra were fitted with models of stellar atmospheres using our GIRFIT package. Spectra obtained in the λλ6400–7200 Å wavelength domain enabled the confirmation or, otherwise, a first identification of Be star candidates. Results. The apparent parameters (Teff, log g, Vsin i) for a set of 19 B and Be stars were corrected for the effects induced by the rapid rotation. These allowed us to determine: (1) stellar masses that are in agreement with those measured for detached binary systems; (2) spectroscopic distances that agree with the Gaia parallaxes; and (3) centrifugal/gravity equatorial force ratios of ~0.6–0.7, which indicate that our Be stars are subcritical rotators. A study of the Balmer Hα, Hγ and Hδ emission lines produced: (1) extents of the circumstellar disk (CD) emitting regions that agree with the interferometric inferences in other Be stars; (2) R– dependent exponents n(R) = ln[ρ(R)/ρo]/ln(Ro/R) of the CD radial density distributions; and (3) CD base densities ρo similar to those inferred in other recent works. Conclusions. The Hγ and Hδ emission lines are formed in CD layers close to the central star. These lines produced a different value of the exponent n(R) than assumed for Hα. Further detailed studies of Hγ and Hδ emission lines could reveal the physical properties of regions where the viscous transport of angular momentum to the remaining CD regions is likely to originate from. The subcritical rotation of Be stars suggests that their huge discrete mass-ejections and concomitant non-radial pulsations might have a common origin in stellar envelope regions that become unstable to convection due to rotation. If it is proven that the studied Be stars are products of binary mass transfer phases, the errors induced on the estimated Teff by the presence of stripped sub-dwarf O/B companions are not likely to exceed their present uncertainties.

The GAPS programme at TNG

Aims. We aim to extract the transmission spectrum of the HI Balmer lines of the ultra-hot Jupiter (UHJ) KELT-20b/MASCARA-2b from observations and to further compare the results with what was obtained through forward modelling, accounting for non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (NLTE) effects. Methods. We extracted the line profiles from six transits obtained with the HARPS-N high-resolution spectrograph attached to the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo telescope. We computed the temperature-pressure (TP) profile employing the HELIOS code in the lower atmosphere and the CLOUDY NLTE code in the middle and upper atmosphere. We further used CLOUDY to compute the theoretical planetary transmission spectrum in LTE and NLTE for comparison with observations. Results. We detected the Hα (0.79±0.03%; 1.25 Rp), Ηβ (0.52±0.03%; 1.17 Rp), and Ηγ (0.39±0.06%; 1.13 Rp) lines, and we detected the Ηδ line at almost 4σ (0.27±0.07%; 1.09 Rp). The models predict an isothermal temperature of ≈2200 K at pressures >10−2 bar and of ≈7700 K at pressures <10−8 bar, with a roughly linear temperature rise in between. In the middle and upper atmosphere, the NLTE TP profile is up to ~3000 K hotter than in LTE. The synthetic transmission spectrum derived from the NLTE TP profile is in good agreement with the observed HI Balmer line profiles, validating our obtained atmospheric structure. Instead, the synthetic transmission spectrum derived from the LTE TP profile leads to significantly weaker absorption compared to the observations. Conclusions. Metals appear to be the primary agents leading to the temperature inversion in UHJs, and the impact of NLTE effects on them increases the magnitude of the inversion. We find that the impact of NLTE effects on the TP profile of KELT-20b/MASCARA-2b is larger than for the hotter UHJ KELT-9b, and thus NLTE effects might also be relevant for planets cooler than KELT-20b/MASCARA-2b.

Density streams in the disc winds of Classical T Tauri stars

ABSTRACT Spectral and photometric variability of the Classical T Tauri stars RY Tau and SU Aur from 2013 to 2022 is analysed. We find that in SU Aur the H α line’s flux at radial velocity RV = −50 ± 7 km s−1 varies with a period P = 255 ± 5 d. A similar effect previously discovered in RY Tau is confirmed with these new data: P = 21.6 d at RV = −95 ± 5 km s. In both stars, the radial velocity of these variations, the period, and the mass of the star turn out to be related by Kepler’s law, suggesting structural features on the disc plane orbiting at radii of 0.2 au in RY Tau and 0.9 au in SU Aur, respectively. Both stars have a large inclination of the accretion disc to the line of sight – so that the line of sight passes through the region of the disc wind. We propose there is an azimuthal asymmetry in the disc wind, presumably in the form of ‘density streams,’ caused by substructures of the accretion disc surface. These streams cannot dissipate until they go beyond the Alfven surface in the disc’s magnetic field. These findings open up the possibility to learn about the structure of the inner accretion disc of CTTS on scales less than 1 au and to reveal the orbital distances related to the planet’s formation.

MIDIS: Strong (Hβ+[O iii]) and Hα Emitters at Redshift z ≃ 7–8 Unveiled with JWST NIRCam and MIRI Imaging in the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field

We make use of JWST medium-band and broadband NIRCam imaging, along with ultradeep MIRI 5.6 μm imaging, in the Hubble eXtreme Deep Field to identify prominent line emitters at z ≃ 7–8. Out of a total of 58 galaxies at z ≃ 7–8, we find 18 robust candidates (≃31%) for (Hβ + [O iii]) emitters, based on their enhanced fluxes in the F430M and F444W filters, with EW0(Hβ +[O iii]) ≃87–2100 Å. Among these emitters, 16 lie in the MIRI coverage area and 12 exhibit a clear flux excess at 5.6 μm, indicating the simultaneous presence of a prominent Hα emission line with EW0(Hα) ≃200–3000 Å. This is the first time that Hα emission can be detected in individual galaxies at z > 7. The Hα line, when present, allows us to separate the contributions of Hβ and [O iii] to the (Hβ +[O iii]) complex and derive Hα-based star formation rates (SFRs). We find that in most cases [O iii]/Hβ > 1. Instead, two galaxies have [O iii]/Hβ < 1, indicating that the NIRCam flux excess is mainly driven by Hβ. Most prominent line emitters are very young starbursts or galaxies on their way to/from the starburst cloud. They make for a cosmic SFR density , which is about a quarter of the total value () at z ≃ 7–8. Therefore, the strong Hα emitters likely had a significant role in reionization.

Investigating the characteristics of 11 kHz excitation of EFCAP and its selective effect on breast cancer cell death

AbstractRecently developed excitation frequency‐controlled cold atmospheric pressure plasma has shown its efficacy in producing tunable effects with different excitation frequencies in terms of reactive species generation and cancer cell death. This study investigates the electron number density of plasma produced at 11 kHz excitation from stark broadened Hα line, discharge characteristics through simultaneous recording of voltage‐current signals, and high‐speed images of the discharge zone. Malignant breast cancer cells (MCF‐7) and nonmalignant breast cells (MCF‐10A) were used in selectivity experiments. Proliferation and clonogenic assays revealed selective death of cancer cells. DNA damage and DNA repair kinetics were studied using time‐dependent γ‐H2AX foci formation assessment and the selective killing of cancerous cells was established for the 60 s of plasma treatment.

Searching for Phase-Locked Variations of the Emission-Line Profiles in Binary Be Stars

There is growing evidence that many Be stars are parts of binary systems. As the B-type primaries are very fast rotators and their spectral lines may be distorted by the circumstellar material, it is not easy to measure their radial velocity directly from the spectral lines. It has been shown that some Be binaries exhibit peak intensity variations consisting of double-peaked Hα lines that are phase-locked with orbital periods. We searched for such variations in the spectra of 12 Be stars, including several known and suspected binaries. Our results include confirmation of the orbital periods in ν Geminorum, ϵ Capricorni, κ Draconis, 60 Cygni, and V2119 Cygni, its refinement in o Puppis, as well as suggesting hints for binarity in o Aquarii, BK Camelopardalis, and 10 Cassiopeae. Monitoring of the Hα line profile variations in β Canis Minoris for over the last 10 years gives further support to the existence of a 182.5-day period found earlier in a smaller set of data. A similar but still preliminary period (179.6 days) was found in the Hα line profile variations in ψ Persei. It is shown for the first time that ν Geminorum exhibits phase-locked variations in the Hα emission peak intensity ratio and, therefore, is a part of the inner binary in this triple system. Our results show that the mentioned phase-locked peak intensity variations are observed in more Be binary systems than previously known and can be used to search for binarity of Be stars when application of other methods is inconclusive.

Fantastic Fits with fantasy of Active Galactic Nuclei Spectra: Exploring the Fe ii Emission near the Hα Line

In this study, a refined approach for multicomponent fitting of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) spectra is presented utilizing the newly developed Python code Fully Automated pythoN Tool for AGN Spectra analYsis (fantasy). AGN spectra are modeled by simultaneously considering the underlying broken power-law continuum, predefined emission line lists, and an Fe ii model, which is here extended to cover the wavelength range 3700–11000 Å. The Fe ii model, founded solely on atomic data, effectively describes the extensive emission of the complex iron ion in the vicinity of the Hγ and Hβ lines, as well as near the Hα line, which was previously rarely studied. The proposed spectral fitting approach is tested on a sample of high-quality AGN spectra from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey Data Release 17. The results indicate that when Fe ii emission is present near Hβ, it is also detected redward from Hα, potentially contaminating the broad Hα line wings and thus affecting the measurements of its flux and width. The production of Fe ii emission is found to be strongly correlated with Eddington luminosity and appears to be controlled by a similar mechanism as the hydrogen Balmer lines. The study highlights the benefits of fitting type 1 AGN spectra with the fantasy code, pointing that it may be used as a robust tool for analyzing a large number of AGN spectra in the coming spectral surveys.

Spectral Observations and Modeling of a Solar White-light Flare Observed by CHASE

The heating mechanisms of solar white-light flares remain unclear. We present an X1.0 white-light flare on 2022 October 2 (SOL2022-10-02T20:25) observed by the Chinese Hα Solar Explorer that provides two-dimensional spectra in the visible light for the full solar disk with a seeing-free condition. The flare shows a prominent enhancement of ∼40% in the photospheric Fe i line at 6569.2 Å, and the nearby continuum also exhibits a maximum enhancement of ∼40%. For the continuum near the Fe i line at 6173 Å from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory, it is enhanced up to ∼20%. At the white-light kernels, the Fe i line at 6569.2 Å has a symmetric Gaussian profile that is still in absorption and the Hα line at 6562.8 Å displays a very broad emission profile with a central reversal plus a red or blue asymmetry. The white-light kernels are cospatial with the microwave footpoint sources observed by the Expanded Owens Valley Solar Array and the time profile of the white-light emission matches that of the hard X-ray emission above 30 keV from the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on Fermi. These facts indicate that the white-light emission is qualitatively related to a nonthermal electron beam. We also perform a radiative hydrodynamic simulation with the electron-beam parameters constrained by the hard X-ray observations from Fermi/GBM. The result reveals that the white-light enhancement cannot be well explained by a pure electron-beam heating together with its induced radiative backwarming but may need additional heating sources such as Alfvén waves.

Understanding Sun-as-a-Star Variability of Solar Balmer Lines

Precise, high-cadence, long-term records of stellar spectral variability at different temporal scales lead to better understanding of a wide variety of phenomena including stellar atmospheres and dynamos, convective motions, and rotational periods. Here, we investigate the variability of solar Balmer lines (Hα, β, γ, δ) observed by space-borne radiometers (OSIRIS, SCIAMACHY, OMI, and GOME-2), combining these precise, long-term observations with high-resolution data from the ground-based NSO/ISS spectrograph. We relate the detected variability to the appearance of magnetic features on the solar disk. We find that on solar-rotational timescales (about 1 month), the Balmer line activity indices (defined as line-core to line-wing ratios) closely follow variations in the total solar irradiance (which is predominantly photospheric), thus frequently (specifically, during passages of sunspot groups) deviating from behavior of activity indices that track chromospheric activity levels. On longer timescales, the correlation with chromospheric indices increases, with periods of low correlation or even anticorrelation found at intermediate timescales. Comparison of these observations with estimates from semiempirical irradiance reconstructions helps quantify the contributions of different magnetic and quiet features. We conclude that both the lower sensitivity to network and in part the higher sensitivity to filaments and prominences, may result in complex, time-dependent relationships between Balmer and other chromospheric indices observed for the Sun and solar-like stars. The fact that core and wings contribute in a similar manner to the variability, and current knowledge of Balmer-lines formation in stellar atmospheres, supports the notion that Balmer line core-to-wing ratio indices behave more like photospheric rather than chromospheric indices.

Winking filaments due to cyclic evaporation-condensation

Context. Observations have shown that some filaments appear and disappear in the Hα line wing images periodically. There have been no attempts to model these “winking filaments” thus far. Aims. The evaporation-condensation mechanism is widely used to explain the formation of solar filaments. Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, how multi-dimensional evaporation-condensation in an arcade setup invariably causes a stretching of the magnetic topology. We aim to check whether this magnetic stretching during cyclic evaporation-condensation could reproduce a winking filament. Methods. We used our open-source code MPI-AMRVAC to carry out 2D magnetohydrodynamic simulations based on a quadrupolar configuration. A periodic localized heating, which modulates the evaporation-condensation process, was imposed before, during, and after the formation of the filament. Synthetic Hα and 304 Å images were produced to compare the results with observations. Results. For the first time, we noticed the winking filament phenomenon in a simulation of the formation of on-disk solar filaments, which was in good agreement with observations. Typically, the period of the winking is different from the period of the impulsive heating. A forced oscillator model explains this difference and fits the results well. A parameter survey is also done to look into details of the magnetic stretching phenomenon. We found that the stronger the heating or the higher the layer where the heating occurs, the more significant the winking effect appears.

Lightning radiometry in visible and infrared bands

Calibrated measurements of lightning optical emissions are critical for both quantifying the impacts of lightning in our atmosphere and devising detection instruments with sufficient dynamic range capable of yielding close to 100% detection efficiency. However, to date, there is only a limited number of investigations that have attempted to take such calibrated measurements. In this work, we report the power radiated by lightning in both visible and infrared bands, assuming isotropic emission, and accounting for atmospheric absorption. More precisely, we report peak radiated power and total radiated energy in the combined visible plus near-infrared range (VNIR, 0.34–1.1 μm), around the Hα line (652–667 nm), and for the 2–2.5 μm infrared band. The estimated peak power and total energy radiated by negative cloud-to-ground return strokes in the VNIR range is 130 MW and 20 kJ, respectively. Additionally, we detected peak radiated powers of 12 and 0.19 MW in the Hα and infrared bands, respectively. We cross-reference the optical data set with peak current reported by a lightning detection network. The resulting trend is that optical power emitted around the Hα line scales with peak return stroke current according to a power law with exponent equal to 1.25. This trend, which should be approximately true across the entire visible spectrum, can be attributed to the plasma negative differential resistance of the lightning return stroke channel. We conclude by discussing the challenges in performing calibrated measurements of lightning optical power in different bands and comparing the results with previously-collected data with different experimental setups, observation conditions, and calibration methods.

X-Ray Observations of Type Ia Supernova 2018cqj

I report on Chandra X-ray observations of SN 2018cqj, a low luminosity Type Ia supernova that showed an Hα line in its optical spectrum. No X-ray emission was detected at the location of the SN, with an upper limit to the X-ray luminosity of 2 × 1039 erg s−1.

Prominence detection and chromosphere feature on the prototype RS CVn of active binary systems

ABSTRACT We present a study of high-resolution spectra of RS Canum Venaticorum (RS CVn), a prototype of active binary systems. Our data were obtained from 1998 to 2017 using different telescopes. We analyse the chromospheric activity indicators $\rm{Ca~{\small II}}$ IRT, Hα, $\rm{Na~{\small I}}$ D1, D2 doublet, $\rm{He~{\small I}}$ D3, and Hβ using a spectral subtraction technique. The chromospheric emission stems mainly from the K2 IV primary star, while the F5 V secondary star only shows weak emission features in a few of our spectra. We find excess absorption features in the subtracted Hα lines and other activity indicators from spectra taken near primary eclipse, which we ascribe to prominence-like material associated with the primary star. We estimate size limits of these tentative prominences based on the geometry of the binary system, and investigate the physical properties of the strongest prominence. An optical flare, characterized by $\rm{He~{\small I}}$ D3 line emission, together with stronger emission in other activity lines, was detected. The flare energy is roughly comparable to strong flares observed on other RS CVn-type stars. The chromospherically active longitudes of RS CVn most frequently appear near the two quadratures of the system and display changes between observing runs, which indicates an ongoing evolution of its active regions.

Search strategies for supermassive stars in young clusters and application to nearby galaxies

Context. Supermassive stars (SMSs) with masses M ≳ 103 − 104 M⊙ formed by runaway collisions in young, massive, and dense star clusters have been invoked as a possible solution to the problem of the presence of multiple stellar populations and peculiar abundance patterns observed in globular clusters (GCs). However, no such objects have been observed so far. Aims. We aim to develop observational strategies to search for SMSs hosted within young massive clusters (thought to be the precursors of GCs) using both photometric and spectroscopic observations. Such strategies could be applicable in a relatively general fashion. Methods. We used theoretical predictions of the spectra of SMSs and SMS-hosting clusters, together with predictions from standard simple stellar populations to examine their impact on color–color diagrams and on individual optical spectral lines (primarily hydrogen emission and absorption lines). As a first step, we applied our search strategies to a sample of about 3000 young star clusters (YSCs) from two nearby galaxies with multiband observations from the HST and optical integral-field spectroscopy obtained with MUSE on the Very Large Telescope. Results. We focus on models for SMSs with large radii (corresponding to Teff ≲ 7000 K), which predict strong Balmer breaks, and construct proper color–color diagrams to select the corresponding SMS-hosting cluster candidates. We show that the spectrophotometric properties of these latter are similar to those of normal clusters with ages of a few hundred million years. However, the cluster SEDs show signs of composite stellar populations due to the presence of nebular lines (Hα and others). Examining the photometry, overall SEDs, and the spectra of approximately 100 clusters with strong Balmer breaks, we find several objects with peculiar SEDs, the presence of emission lines, or other peculiar signatures. After careful inspection of the available data, we do not find good candidates of SMS-hosting clusters. In most cases, the composite spectra can be explained by multiple clusters or H II regions inside the aperture covered by the spectra, by contamination from a planetary nebula or diffuse gas, or by improper background subtraction. Furthermore, most of our candidate clusters are too faint to host SMSs. Conclusions. We demonstrate a strategy to search for SMSs by applying it to a sample of YSCs in two nearby galaxies. Our method can be applied to larger samples and also extended to higher redshifts with existing and upcoming telescopes, and therefore should provide an important test for GC-formation scenarios invoking such extreme stars.

In-situ measurement of hydrogen on airless planetary bodies using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

Remote-sensing observations on the surface of airless bodies, such as the Moon and asteroids, have confirmed the presence of hydrogen-bearing materials. However, their spatial distributions at small scales (mm–m) and depth profiles have great uncertainties. In-situ analyses of hydrogen-bearing materials with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) have been proposed to resolve these problems, as the footprint of LIBS ablation is small (≲1 mm) and can penetrate into the subsurface by excavating the surface layer. Nevertheless, the measurement accuracy of hydrogen with LIBS on airless and hydrous planetary bodies has not been evaluated because it requires extensive calibration using hydrogen-rich geologic materials under a high-vacuum condition. In addition, whether hydrogen occurs as hydroxyl or ice has been difficult to ascertain via LIBS analysis because molecular information is typically lost in the ablation plasma. To resolve these problems, we conducted two experiments. First, compressed powders of rocks were measured by LIBS under vacuum (<3 × 10−2 Pa) to evaluate the calibration accuracies and detection limits in rocks and compacted soils on airless bodies. Several geostandards including basalts and feldspars were doped with various concentrations of hydroxyls (Mg(OH)2 and Ca(OH)2) to prepare hydrogen-rich samples up to 15 wt% in H2O-equivalent concentration (wt%H2O). Our results show that the hydrogen concentration can be accurately calibrated from the LIBS spectra by using multivariate models or matrix-matched calibration curves (i.e., calibration using samples with comparable bulk elemental abundances), facilitating the correction of significant matrix effects observed in the intensities of the 656 nm Hα line. We obtained a measurement accuracy of ±0.9 wt%H2O in the 0–12 wt%H2O range via matrix-matched calibration. This level of accuracy is sufficient for many planetary and resource exploration applications, such as designing hardware and operation for mining water on the Moon. We estimate the 2σ limit of detection (LOD) to be 0.4 wt%H2O based on the average of all samples, although better LODs were obtained for some individual matrix (e.g., 0.2 wt%H2O for basalt/feldspar–Ca(OH)2 mixtures). Such LOD shows that exploitable ice on the Moon can be detected with 2σ confidence by LIBS. Second, we demonstrate that the molecular structure of hydrogen can be distinguished by operating LIBS in tandem with heating lasers. In this method, the samples are heated prior to LIBS analysis using a continuous-wave laser with adjusted fluence and duration. Our results indicate that ice and hydroxyl can be distinguished because the Hα lines of ice-bearing samples decrease after the laser heating due to sublimation, but those of hydroxyl-bearing samples are retained. In addition, we report an enhancement of hydrogen emission from loose powders, suggesting that hydrogen in lunar soils may be measured with higher sensitivity. The results of this study show that LIBS is a versatile and powerful tool for accurate stand-off measurement of hydrogen-bearing materials on airless planetary bodies.

Comparison of chromospheric diagnostics in a 3D model atmosphere

Context. The Hα line, one of the most studied chromospheric diagnostics, is a tracer of magnetic field structures, while the intensity of its line core provides an estimate of the mass density. The interpretation of Hα observations is complicated by deviations from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) or instantaneous statistical equilibrium conditions. Meanwhile, millimetre (mm) continuum radiation is formed in LTE, and therefore the brightness temperatures from Atacama Large Millimetre-submillimetre Array (ALMA) observations provide a complementary view of the activity and the thermal structure of stellar atmospheres. These two diagnostics together can provide insights into the physical properties of stellar atmospheres, such as their temperature stratification, magnetic structures, and mass density distribution. Aims. In this paper, we present a comparative study between synthetic continuum brightness temperature maps at mm wavelengths (0.3 mm to 8.5 mm) and the width of the Hα 6565 Å line. Methods. We used the 3D radiative-transfer codes Multi3D and Advanced Radiative Transfer (ART) to calculate synthetic spectra for the Hα line and the mm continua, respectively, from an enhanced network atmosphere model with non-equilibrium hydrogen ionisation generated with the state-of-the-art 3D radiation magnetohydrodynamics (rMHD) code Bifrost. We use a Gaussian point spread function (PSF) to simulate the effect of ALMA’s limited spatial resolution and calculate the Hα versus mm continuum correlations and slopes of scatter plots for the original and degraded resolution of the whole box, quiet sun, and enhanced network patches separately. Results. The Hα linewidth and mm brightness temperatures are highly correlated and the correlation is highest at a wavelength of 0.8 mm, that is, in ALMA Band 7. The correlation systematically increases with decreasing resolution. On the other hand, the slopes decrease with increasing wavelength. The degradation of resolution does not have a significant impact on the calculated slopes. Conclusions. With decreasing spatial resolution, the standard deviations of the observables, Hα linewidth, and brightness temperatures decrease and the correlations between them increase, but the slopes do not change significantly. These relations may therefore prove useful in calibrating the mm continuum maps observed with ALMA.

Comparing Be Star Inclination Angles Determined from Hα Fitting and Gravitational Darkening

Using a sample of 92 Galactic Be stars, we compare inclination angles (the angle between a star’s rotation axis and the line of sight) determined from Hα emission-line profile fitting to those determined by the spectroscopic signature of gravitational darkening. We find good agreement: 70% of the sample (64 out of 92 stars) is consistent with zero difference between the two methods using 1σ errors, and there is a strong linear correlation coefficient between the two methods of r = +0.63 ± 0.05. There is some evidence that the Hα profile fitting method overestimates the inclination angle for i ≲ 25°, perhaps due to the neglect of incoherent electron scattering on the Hα line widths, while the gravitational darkening method underestimates the inclination angle for i ≳ 70°, perhaps due to the neglect of disk radiative transfer effects on the optical spectrum. Overall, it is demonstrated that a single Hα spectrum of modest resolution and SNR can be used to extract a useful estimate for the inclination angle of an individual Be star. This allows equatorial rotation velocities for individual Be stars to be derived from measurements and will allow Be stars to be used to search for correlated spin axes in young, open clusters if unbiased (with respect to inclination) samples of Be stars are used.

Thermodynamic properties of small flares in the quiet Sun observed by Hα and EUV: plasma motion of the chromosphere and time evolution of temperature/emission measure

ABSTRACT Small flares frequently occur in the quiet Sun. Previous studies have noted that they share many common characteristics with typical solar flares in active regions. However, their similarities and differences are not fully understood, especially their thermal properties. In this study, we performed imaging spectroscopic observations in the Hα line taken with the Solar Dynamics Doppler Imager on the Solar Magnetic Activity Research Telescope (SMART/SDDI) at the Hida Observatory and imaging observations with the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly onboard Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO/AIA). We analysed 25 cases of small flares in the quiet Sun over the thermal energy range of $10^{24}{\!-\!}10^{27}\, \mathrm{erg}$ , paying particular attention to their thermal properties. Our main results are as follows: (1) We observe a redshift together with line centre brightening in the Hα line associated with more than half of the small flares. (2) We employ differential emission measure analysis using AIA multitemperature (channel) observations to obtain the emission measure and temperature of the small flares. The results are consistent with the Shibata &amp; Yokoyama (1999, 2002) scaling law. From the scaling law, we estimated the coronal magnetic field strength of small flares to be 5–15 G. (3) The temporal evolution of the temperature and the density shows that the temperature peaks precede the density peaks in more than half of the events. These results suggest that chromospheric evaporations/condensations play an essential role in the thermal properties of some of the small flares in the quiet Sun, as does for large flares.

Ultra-high-resolution observations of plasmoid-mediated magnetic reconnection in the deep solar atmosphere

Context. Magnetic reconnection in the deep solar atmosphere can give rise to enhanced emission in the Balmer hydrogen lines, a phenomenon referred to as Ellerman bombs. Aims. To effectively trace magnetic reconnection below the canopy of chromospheric fibrils, we analyzed unique spectroscopic observations of Ellerman bombs in the Hα line. Methods. We analyzed a 10 min data set of a young emerging active region observed with the prototype of the Microlensed Hyperspectral Imager (MiHI) at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST). The MiHI instrument is an integral field spectrograph that is capable of achieving simultaneous ultra-high resolution in the spatial, temporal, and spectral domains. With the combination of the SST adaptive optics system and image restoration techniques, MiHI can deliver diffraction-limited observations if the atmospheric seeing conditions allow. The data set samples the Hα line over 4.5 Å with 10 mÅ pix−1, with 0.​​″065 pix−1 over a field of view of 8.​​″6 × 7.​​″7, and at a temporal cadence of 1.33 s. This constitutes a hyperspectral data cube that measures 132 × 118 spatial pixels, 456 spectral pixels, and 455 time steps. Results. There were multiple sites with Ellerman bomb activity associated with strong magnetic flux emergence. The Ellerman bomb activity is very dynamic, showing rapid variability and a small-scale substructure. We found a number of plasmoid-like blobs with full-width-half-maximum sizes between 0.​​″1 and 0.​​″4 and moving with apparent velocities between 14 and 77 km s−1. Some of these blobs have Ellerman bomb spectral profiles with a single peak at a Doppler offset between 47 and 57 km s−1. Conclusions. Our observations support the idea that fast magnetic reconnection in Ellerman bombs is mediated by the formation of plasmoids. These MiHI observations demonstrate that a microlens-based integral field spectrograph is capable of probing fundamental physical processes in the solar atmosphere.