Magnetic Fields In Quiescent Prominences Research Articles

Solar-activity cycle from observations of magnetic characteristics of prominences

According to measurements of the magnetic fields in quiescent prominences carried out by different teams in 1964–1989, the maximum values of the field correspond to the minimum values of the Wolf numbers averaged through the corresponding periods of observations. It has been shown that the synoptic noneclipse 2D linear polarimetry of quiescent Hα-prominences can be actually implemented; this method is based on the use of a coronagraph with a primary-optics diameter equal to or larger than 100 mm, a narrow-band filter with FWHM ≤ 0.4 nm, a standard linear polariod, and a high-precision linear polarimetric technique.

Magnetic structure of an activated filament in a flaring active region

Aims. While the magnetic field in quiescent prominences has been widely investigated, less is known about the field in activated prominences. We report observational results on the magnetic field structure of an activated filament in a flaring active region. In particular, we studied its magnetic structure and line-of-sight flows during its early activated phase, shortly before it displayed signs of rotation.

On the Orientation of Magnetic Fields in Quiescent Prominences

The longitudinal component of the magnetic field in quiescent prominences has been measured directly with magnetographs using the Zeeman effect on selected spectral lines (Rust, 1966; Ioshpa, 1968; Harvey, 1969). We know that as a general rule the magnetic field enters the, largely-vertical, sheet-like quiescent prominence on one side and exits on the other. The field traverses the prominence plasma with components both along and at right angles to the long axis of the prominence. It is the purpose of this paper to describe observations that may indicate the relative importance of the two components of the magnetic field, and to derive a distribution function for the magnetic field vectors.

Observations of Magnetic Fields in Quiescent Prominences

The longitudinal component of the magnetic field, B∥, has been recorded in about 135 quiescent prominences observed at Climax during the period 1968–1969. The measurements were obtained with the magnetograph which records the Zeeman effect on hydrogen, helium and metal lines. The following lines were used, Hα; He I, D3, He I, 4471 Å; Na I, D1 and D2, and the observed magnetic field component in these prominences was independent of the line. The overall mean value of the field B∥ for all the prominences was 7.3G. As a rule, the magnetic field enters the prominence on one side and exits on the other, but in traversing the prominence material, the field tends to run along the long axis of the prominence.

The orientation of magnetic fields in quiescent prominences

We have measured the longitudinal component, B∥, of the magnetic field in quiescent prominences and obtained a relationship between B∥ and θ, where θ is the angle between the long axis of the prominence and the north-south direction on the sun. From this relationship we deduce a distribution function for the magnetic field vector in quiescent prominences in terms of the angle α between the field and the long axis of the prominence. The mean angle, α, for our data is small, ∼ - 15°, indicating that the magnetic field traverses quiescent prominences under a small, but finite angle.

Motions and magnetic fields in quiescent prominences

An observed relation between line-of-sight velocities and the longitudinal component of the magnetic field in quiescent prominences is discussed. Weak fields in quiescent prominences are associated with large velocities determined from Doppler shifts of resolved emission knots and Doppler line widths measured in Ca ii K line. It is suggested that the observed irregular motions in prominences are driven by photospheric horizontal convection coupled by the prominence magnetic field. An energy flux of 3 × 105 ergs cm−2 sec−1 present in the form of Alfven waves in quiescent prominences is consistent with the observations.