Quiet Sun Regions Research Articles

Inferring Plasma Flows at Granular and Supergranular Scales With a New Architecture for the DeepVel Neural Network

The wealth of observational data available has been instrumental in investigating physical features relevant to solar granulation, supergranulation and Active Regions. Meanwhile, numerical models have attempted to bridge the gap between the physics of the solar interior and such observations. However, there are relevant physical quantities that can be modelled but that cannot be directly measured and must be inferred. For example, direct measurements of plasma motions at the photosphere are limited to the line-of-sight component. Methods have consequently been developed to infer the transverse plasma motions from continuum images in the case of the Quiet Sun and magnetograms in the case of Active Regions. Correlation-based tracking methods calculate the optical flows by correlating series of images locally while other methods like “Coherent Structure Tracking” or "Balltracking” exploit the coherency of photospheric granules to track them and use the group motions of the granules as a proxy of the average plasma flows advecting them. Recently, neural network computing has been used in conjunction with numerical models of the Sun to be able to recover the full velocity vector in photospheric plasma from continuum images. We experiment with a new architecture for the DeepVel neural network which takes inspiration from the U-Net architecture. Simulation data of the Quiet Sun and Active Regions are then used to evaluate the response at granular and supergranular scales of the aforementioned method.

On the Ratios of Si IV Lines (λ1394/λ1403) in an Emerging Flux Region

Abstract The resonance lines of Si iv formed at λ1394 and 1403 Å are the most critical for the diagnostics of the solar transition region in the observations of the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Studying the intensity ratios of these lines (1394 Å/1403 Å), which under optically thin conditions is predicted to be two, helps us to diagnose the optical thickness of the plasma being observed. Here we study the evolution of the distribution of intensity ratios in 31 IRIS rasters recorded for four days during the emergence of an active region. We found that during the early phase of the development, the majority of the pixels show intensity ratios smaller than two. However, as the active region evolves, more and more pixels show the ratios closer to two. Besides, there are a substantial number of pixels with ratio values larger than 2. At the evolved stage of the active region, the pixels with ratios smaller than two were located on the periphery, whereas those with values larger than 2 were in the core. However, for quiet Sun regions, the obtained intensity ratios were close to two irrespective of the location on the disk. Our findings suggest that the Si iv lines observed in active regions are affected by the opacity during the early phase of the flux emergence. The results obtained here could have important implications for the modeling of the solar atmosphere, including the initial stage of the emergence of an active region as well as the quiet Sun.

Ultraviolet solar flare signatures in the framework of complex network.

Studying natural phenomena via the complex network approach makes it possible to quantify the time-evolving structures with too many elements and achieve a deeper understanding of interactions among the components of a system. In this sense, solar flare as a complex system with the chaotic behavior could be better characterized by the network parameters. Here, we employed an unsupervised network-based method to recognize the position and occurrence time of the solar flares by using the ultraviolet emission (1600 Å) recorded by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board Solar Dynamics Observatory. Three different regions, the flaring active regions, the non-flaring active regions, and the quiet-Sun regions, were considered to study the variations of the network parameters in the presence and absence of flaring phases in various datasets over time intervals of several hours. The whole parts of the selected datasets were partitioned into sub-windows to construct networks based on computing the Pearson correlation between time series of the region of interest and intensities. Analyzing the network parameters such as the clustering coefficient, degree centrality, characteristic length, and PageRank verified that flare triggering has an influence on the network parameters around the flare occurrence time and close to the location of flaring. It was found that the values of the clustering coefficient and characteristic length approach those obtained for the corresponding random network in the flaring phase. These findings could be used for detecting the occurrence times and locations of the region at ultraviolet images.

Evolution of photospheric flows under an erupting filament in the quiet-Sun region

Context. We studied the dynamics of the solar atmosphere in the region of a large quiet-Sun filament, which erupted on 21 October 2010. The filament eruption started at its northern end and disappeared from the Hα line-core filtergrams line within a few hours. The very fast motions of the northern leg were recorded in ultraviolet light by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) imager. Aims. We aim to study a wide range of available datasets describing the dynamics of the solar atmosphere for five days around the filament eruption. This interval covers three days of the filament evolution, one day before the filament growth and one day after the eruption. We search for possible triggers that lead to the eruption of the filament. Methods. The surface velocity field in the region of the filament were measured by means of time–distance helioseismology and coherent structure tracking. The apparent velocities in the higher atmosphere were estimated by tracking the features in the 30.4 nm AIA observations. To capture the evolution of the magnetic field, we extrapolated the photospheric line-of-sight magnetograms and also computed the decay index of the magnetic field. Results. We found that photospheric velocity fields showed some peculiarities. Before the filament activation, we observed a temporal increase of the converging flows towards the filament’s spine. In addition, the mean squared velocity increased temporarily before the activation and peaked just before it, followed by a steep decrease. We further see an increase in the average shear of the zonal flow component in the filament’s region, followed by a steep decrease. The photospheric line-of-sight magnetic field shows a persistent increase of induction eastward from the filament spine. The decay index of the magnetic field at heights around 10 Mm shows a value larger than critical one at the connecting point of the northern filament end. The value of the decay index increases monotonically there until the filament activation. Then, it decreased sharply.

Plasma Diagnostics from Active Region and Quiet-Sun Spectra Observed by Hinode/EIS: Quantifying the Departures from a Maxwellian Distribution

Abstract We perform plasma diagnostics, including that of the non-Maxwellian κ-distributions, in several structures observed in the solar corona by the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board the Hinode spacecraft. To prevent uncertainties due to the in-flight calibration of EIS, we selected spectral atlases observed shortly after the launch of the mission. One spectral atlas contains an observation of an active region, while the other is an off-limb quiet-Sun region. To minimize the uncertainties of the diagnostics, we rely only on strong lines and average the signal over a spatial area within selected structures. Multiple plasma parameters are diagnosed, such as the electron density, the differential emission measure, and the non-Maxwellian parameter κ. To do that, we use a simple, well-converging iterative scheme based on refining the initial density estimates via the differential emission measure (DEM) and κ. We find that while the quiet-Sun spectra are consistent with a Maxwellian distribution, the coronal loops and moss observed within the active region are strongly non-Maxwellian with κ ⪅ 3. These results were checked by calculating synthetic ratios using DEMs obtained as a function of κ. Ratios predicted using the DEMs assuming κ-distributions converged to the ratios observed in the quiet Sun and coronal loops. To our knowledge, this work presents a strong evidence of the presence of different electron distributions between two physically distinct parts of the solar corona.

Photospheric magnetic topology of a north polar region

Aims. We aim to characterise the magnetism of a large fraction of the north polar region close to a maximum of activity, when the polar regions are reversing their dominant polarity. Methods. We make use of full spectropolarimetric data from the CRisp Imaging Spectro-Polarimeter installed at the Swedish Solar Telescope. The data consist of a photospheric spectral line, which is used to infer the various physical parameters of different quiet Sun regions by means of the solution of the radiative transfer equation. We focus our analysis on the properties found for the north polar region and their comparison to the same analysis applied to data taken at disc centre and low-latitude quiet Sun regions for reference. We also analyse the spatial distribution of magnetic structures throughout the north polar region. Results. We find that the physical properties of the polar region (line-of-sight velocity, magnetic flux, magnetic inclination and magnetic azimuth) are compatible with those found for the quiet Sun at disc centre and are similar to the ones found at low latitudes close to the limb. Specifically, the polar region magnetism presents no specific features. The structures for which the transformation from a line-of-sight to a local reference frame was possible harbour large magnetic fluxes (>1017 Mx) and are in polarity imbalance with a dominant positive polarity, the largest ones (>1019 Mx) being located below 73° latitude.

The Sun at millimeter wavelengths

Context. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) started regular observations of the Sun in 2016, first offering receiver Band 3 at wavelengths near 3 mm (100 GHz) and Band 6 at wavelengths around 1.25 mm (239 GHz). Aims. Here we present an initial study of one of the first ALMA Band 3 observations of the Sun. Our aim is to characterise the diagnostic potential of brightness temperatures measured with ALMA on the Sun. Methods. The observation covers a duration of 48 min at a cadence of 2 s targeting a quiet Sun region at disc-centre. Corresponding time series of brightness temperature maps are constructed with the first version of the Solar ALMA Pipeline and compared to simultaneous observations with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Results. The angular resolution of the observations is set by the synthesised beam, an elliptical Gaussian that is approximately 1.4″ × 2.1″ in size. The ALMA maps exhibit network patches, internetwork regions, and elongated thin features that are connected to large-scale magnetic loops, as confirmed by a comparison with SDO maps. The ALMA Band 3 maps correlate best with the SDO/AIA 171 Å, 131 Å, and 304 Å channels in that they exhibit network features and, although very weak in the ALMA maps, imprints of large-scale loops. A group of compact magnetic loops is very clearly visible in ALMA Band 3. The brightness temperatures in the loop tops reach values of about 8000−9000 K and in extreme moments up to 10 000 K. Conclusions. ALMA Band 3 interferometric observations from early observing cycles already reveal temperature differences in the solar chromosphere. The weak imprint of magnetic loops and the correlation with the 171, 131, and 304 SDO channels suggests, however, that the radiation mapped in ALMA Band 3 might have contributions from a wider range of atmospheric heights than previously assumed, but the exact formation height of Band 3 needs to be investigated in more detail. The absolute brightness temperature scale as set by total power measurements remains less certain and must be improved in the future. Despite these complications and the limited angular resolution, ALMA Band 3 observations have a large potential for quantitative studies of the small-scale structure and dynamics of the solar chromosphere.

Comparison of the Scaling Properties of EUV Intensity Fluctuations in Coronal Hole and Quiet-Sun Regions

Abstract Using detrended fluctuation analysis and rescaled range analysis, we investigate the scaling properties of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) intensity fluctuations of low-latitude coronal holes (CHs) and neighboring quiet-Sun (QS) regions in signals obtained with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly instrument. Contemporaneous line-of-sight SDO/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager magnetic fields provide a context for the physical environment. We find that the intensity fluctuations in the time series of EUV images present at each spatial point a scaling symmetry over the range ∼20 minute to ∼1 hr. Thus we are able to calculate a generalized Hurst exponent and produce image maps, not of physical quantities like intensity or temperature, but of a single dynamical parameter that sums up the statistical nature of the intensity fluctuations at each pixel. In QS regions and in CHs with magnetic bipoles, the scaling exponent (1.0 < α ≤ 1.5) corresponds to anticorrelated turbulent-like processes. In CHs, and in QS regions primarily associated with (open) magnetic field of dominant polarity, the generalized exponent (0.5 < α < 1) corresponds to positively correlated (persistent) processes. We identify a tendency for α ∼ 1 near CH boundaries and in other regions in which open and closed magnetic fields are in proximity. This is a signature of an underlying 1/f type process that is characteristic for self-organized criticality and shot-noise models.

The Variability of Solar Coronal Abundances in Active Regions and the Quiet Sun

Abstract Measurements of elemental abundances hold important clues to how mass and energy flow through the solar atmosphere. Variations in abundances are organized by an element’s first ionization potential (FIP), and many previous studies have assumed that low FIP (less than 10 eV) elements are enriched by a factor of 3–4 in the corona. In this paper, we use spatially resolved observations from the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope on board the Hinode spacecraft to examine the spatial variability of elemental abundance in and around active regions. We find substantial variations within some active regions. In general, however, we find that the enrichment of low FIP elements is limited to bright, active region structures. In faint active region structures and in the dark, quiet regions around active regions, the measured abundances are close to photospheric. These measurements use the ratio of low FIP Si to high FIP S. Similar conclusions concerning quiet Sun regions have been reached recently by Del Zanna using full-Sun spectra. He has found that the coronal quiet Sun (at temperatures greater than 1 MK) has photospheric abundances. Transition region abundances (at temperatures less than 1 MK in the solar atmosphere) have been found to be photospheric. These results and results from this paper suggest that a coronal composition is not a general property of million-degree plasma, but is limited to bright active region loops, and is variable.

The Plasma β Evolution through the Solar Corona during Solar Cycles 23 and 24

Abstract The plasma β is important in the investigation of interchanging roles of plasma and magnetic pressure in the solar atmosphere. It can help to describe features over the photosphere and their changes at different heights. The goal of this paper is to obtain the plasma β variations through the solar corona during solar cycles 23 and 24. The plasma β is reconstructed in different layers of the solar atmosphere. For this purpose, we use an updated version of the COronal DEnsity and Temperature model. In this version we selected different features in the solar atmosphere such as quiet-Sun (QS), faculae, and active regions. We calculate the β variations at different layers in the solar corona (R = 1.14, 1.19, 1.23, 1.28, 1.34, 1.40, 1.46, 1.53, 1.61, 1.74, 1.79, 1.84, and 1.90 R ⊙). In the photosphere we use temperature values from the FALC model to obtain plasma β in QS and faculae. Additionally, variations of the magnetic and kinetic pressure were modeled during the last solar cycles at coronal heights.

The magnetic properties of photospheric magnetic bright points with high-resolution spectropolarimetry

ABSTRACTMagnetic bright points (MBPs) are small-scale magnetic elements ubiquitous across the solar disc, with the prevailing theory suggesting that they form due to the process of convective collapse. Employing a unique full Stokes spectropolarimetric data set of a quiet Sun region close to disc centre obtained with the Swedish Solar Telescope, we look at general trends in the properties of magnetic bright points. In total we track 300 MBPs in the data set and we employ NICOLE inversions to ascertain various parameters for the bright points such as line-of-sight magnetic field strength and line-of-sight velocity, for comparison. We observe a bimodal distribution in terms of maximum magnetic field strength in the bright points with peaks at ∼480 G and ∼1700 G, although we cannot attribute the kilogauss fields in this distribution solely to the process of convective collapse. Analysis of muram simulations does not return the same bimodal distribution. However, the simulations provide strong evidence that the emergence of new flux and diffusion of this new flux play a significant role in generating the weak bright point distribution seen in our observations.

ALMA Detection of Dark Chromospheric Holes in the Quiet Sun

Abstract We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations of a quiet-Sun region at a wavelength of 3 mm, obtained during the first solar ALMA cycle on 2017 April 27, and compare them with available chromospheric observations in the UV and visible as well as with photospheric magnetograms. ALMA images clearly reveal the presence of distinct particularly dark/cool areas in the millimeter maps with temperatures as low as 60% of the normal quiet Sun at 3 mm, which are not seen in the other data. We speculate that ALMA is sensing cool chromospheric gas, whose presence had earlier been inferred from infrared CO spectra.

A persistent quiet-Sun small-scale tornado

Context. Recently, the appearance, characteristics, and dynamics of a persistent 1.7 h vortex flow, resembling a small-scale tornado, have been investigated with observations both from the ground and from space in a quiet-Sun region in several lines and channels and for the first time in the Hα line centre. The vortex flow showed significant substructure in the form of several intermittent chromospheric swirls. Aims. We investigate the oscillatory behaviour of various physical parameters in the vortex area in an attempt to better understand the physics of the reported vortex flow. This is the first analysis of this extent. Methods. We used the same data set of high spatial and temporal resolution CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter (CRISP) observations in several wavelengths along the Hα and Ca II 8542 Å line profiles, as well as Doppler velocities and full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) derived from the Hα line profiles. The spectral analysis of oscillations is based on a two-dimensional wavelet analysis performed within the vortex flow area and in a quiet-Sun region (used for comparison), as well as along line and circular slices. Results. The vortex flow shows significant oscillatory power in the range of 3–5 min, peaking around 4 min. This power behaves differently than the reference quiet-Sun region. The derived oscillations reflect the cumulative action of different components such as swaying motions, rotation, and waves. The derived periods for swaying motions are in the range of 200–220 s, and the rotation periods are ∼270 s for Hα and ∼215 s for Ca II 8542 Å. Periods increase with atmospheric height and seem to decrease with radial distance from the vortex centre, suggesting a deviation from a rigid rotation. The behaviour of power within the vortex flow as a function of period and height implies the existence of evanescent waves. Moreover, considerable power is obtained even for periods as long as 10 min, not only at photospheric but also at chromospheric heights, while the formation of vortexes is related to turbulent convection or to twisting motions exercised in the magnetic field concentrations. These imply that different types of waves may be excited, such as magnetoacoustic (e.g. kink) or Alfvén waves. Conclusions. The vortex flow seems to be dominated by two motions: a transverse (swaying) motion, and a rotational motion. The obtained oscillations point to the propagation of waves within it. Nearby fibril-like flows could play an important role in the rotational modulation of the vortex flow. There also exists indirect evidence that the structure is magnetically supported, and one of the swirls, close to its centre, seems to be acting as a “central engine” to the vortex flow.

Evidence of Twisting and Mixed-polarity Solar Photospheric Magnetic Field in Large Penumbral Jets: IRIS and Hinode Observations

Abstract A recent study using Hinode (Solar Optical Telescope/Filtergraph [SOT/FG]) data of a sunspot revealed some unusually large penumbral jets that often repeatedly occurred at the same locations in the penumbra, namely, at the tail of a penumbral filament or where the tails of multiple penumbral filaments converged. These locations had obvious photospheric mixed-polarity magnetic flux in Na i 5896 Stokes-V images obtained with SOT/FG. Several other recent investigations have found that extreme-ultraviolet (EUV)/X-ray coronal jets in quiet-Sun regions (QRs), in coronal holes (CHs), and near active regions (ARs) have obvious mixed-polarity fluxes at their base, and that magnetic flux cancellation prepares and triggers a minifilament flux-rope eruption that drives the jet. Typical QR, CH, and AR coronal jets are up to 100 times bigger than large penumbral jets, and in EUV/X-ray images they show a clear twisting motion in their spires. Here, using Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) Mg ii k λ2796 SJ images and spectra in the penumbrae of two sunspots, we characterize large penumbral jets. We find redshift and blueshift next to each other across several large penumbral jets, and we interpret these as untwisting of the magnetic field in the jet spire. Using Hinode/SOT (FG and SP) data, we also find mixed-polarity magnetic flux at the base of these jets. Because large penumbral jets have a mixed-polarity field at their base and have a twisting motion in their spires, they might be driven the same way as QR, CH, and AR coronal jets.

First high-resolution look at the quiet Sun with ALMA at 3mm

We present an overview of high-resolution quiet Sun observations, from disk center to the limb, obtained with the Atacama Large millimeter and sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) at 3 mm. Seven quiet-Sun regions were observed at a resolution of up to 2.5″ by 4.5″. We produced both average and snapshot images by self-calibrating the ALMA visibilities and combining the interferometric images with full-disk solar images. The images show well the chromospheric network, which, based on the unique segregation method we used, is brighter than the average over the fields of view of the observed regions by ∼305 K while the intranetwork is less bright by ∼280 K, with a slight decrease of the network/intranetwork contrast toward the limb. At 3 mm the network is very similar to the 1600 Å images, with somewhat larger size. We detect, for the first time, spicular structures, rising up to 15″ above the limb with a width down to the image resolution and brightness temperature of ∼1800 K above the local background. No trace of spicules, either in emission or absorption, is found on the disk. Our results highlight the potential of ALMA for the study of the quiet chromosphere.

A persistent quiet-Sun small-scale tornado

Context. Vortex flows have been extensively observed over a wide range of spatial and temporal scales in different spectral lines, and thus layers of the solar atmosphere, and have been widely found in numerical simulations. However, signatures of vortex flows have only recently been reported in the wings of the Hα, but never so far in the Hα line centre. Aims. We investigate the appearance, characteristics, substructure, and dynamics of a 1.7 h persistent vortex flow observed from the ground and from space in a quiet-Sun region in several lines/channels covering all atmospheric layers from the photosphere up to the low corona. Methods. We use high spatial and temporal resolution CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter (CRISP) observations in several wavelengths along the Hα and Ca II 8542 Å line profiles, simultaneous Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) observations in several Ultraviolet (UV) and Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) channels and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) magnetograms to study a persistent vortex flow located at the south solar hemisphere. Doppler velocities were derived from the Hα line profiles. Our analysis involves visual inspection and comparison of all available simultaneous/near-simultaneous observations and detailed investigation of the vortex appearance, characteristics and dynamics using time slices along linear and circular slits. Results. The most important characteristic of the analysed clockwise rotating vortex flow is its long duration (at least 1.7 h) and its large radius (~3″). The vortex flow shows different behaviours in the different wavelengths along the Hα and Ca II 8542 Å profiles reflecting the different formation heights and mechanisms of the two lines. Ground-based observations combined with AIA observations reveal the existence of a funnel-like structure expanding with height, possibly rotating rigidly or quasi-rigidly. However, there is no clear evidence that the flow is magnetically driven as no associated magnetic bright points have been observed in the photosphere. Hα and Ca II 8542 Å observations also reveal significant substructure within the flow, manifested as several individual intermittent chromospheric swirls with typical sizes and durations. They also exhibit a wide range of morphological patterns, appearing as dark absorbing features, associated mostly with mean upwards velocities around 3 km s−1 and up to 8 km s−1, and occupying on average ~25% of the total vortex area. The radial expansion of the spiral flow occurs with a mean velocity of ~3 km s−1, while its dynamics can be related to the dynamics of a clockwise rigidly rotating logarithmic spiral with a swinging motion that is, however, highly perturbed by nearby flows associated with fibril-like structures. A first rough estimate of the rotational period of the vortex falls in the range of 200–300 s. Conclusions. The vortex flow resembles a small-scale tornado in contrast to previously reported short-lived swirls and in analogy to persistent giant tornadoes. It is unclear whether the observed substructure is indeed due to the physical presence of individual intermittent, recurring swirls or a manifestation of wave-related instabilities within a large vortex flow. Moreover, we cannot conclusively demonstrate that the long duration of the observed vortex is the result of a central swirl acting as an “engine” for the vortex flow, although there is significant supporting evidence inferred from its dynamics. It also cannot be excluded that this persistent vortex results from the combined action of several individual smaller swirls further assisted by nearby flows or that this is a new case in the literature of a hydrodynamically driven vortex flow.

Magnetic topology of the north solar pole

The magnetism at the poles is similar to that of the quiet Sun in the sense that no active regions are present there. However, the polar quiet Sun is somewhat different from that at the activity belt as it has a global polarity that is clearly modulated by the solar cycle. We study the polar magnetism near an activity maximum when these regions change their polarity, from which it is expected that its magnetism should be less affected by the global field. To fully characterise the magnetic field vector, we use deep full Stokes polarimetric observations of the 15 648.5 and 15 652.8 Å FeI lines. We observe the north pole as well as a quiet region at disc centre to compare their field distributions. In order to calibrate the projection effects, we observe an additional quiet region at the east limb. We find that the two limb datasets share similar magnetic field vector distributions. This means that close to a maximum, the poles look like typical limb, quiet-Sun regions. However, the magnetic field distributions at the limbs are different from the distribution inferred at disc centre. At the limbs, we infer a new population of magnetic fields with relatively strong intensities (~600−800 G), inclined by ~30° with respect to the line of sight, and with an azimuth aligned with the solar disc radial direction. This line-of-sight orientation interpreted as a single magnetic field gives rise to non-vertical fields in the local reference frame and aligned towards disc centre. This peculiar topology is very unlikely for such strong fields according to theoretical considerations. We propose that this new population at the limbs is due to the observation of unresolved magnetic loops as seen close to the limb. These loops have typical granular sizes as measured in the disc centre. At the limbs, where the spatial resolution decreases, we observe them spatially unresolved, which explains the new population of magnetic fields that is inferred. This is the first (indirect) evidence of small-scale magnetic loops outside the disc centre and would imply that these small-scale structures are ubiquitous on the entire solar surface. This result has profound implications for the energetics not only of the photosphere, but also of the outer layers since these loops have been reported to reach the chromosphere and the low corona.

Temperature gradient in the solar photosphere. Test of a new spectroscopic method and study of its feasibility for ground-based telescopes

Context. The contribution of quiet-Sun regions to the solar irradiance variability is currently unclear. Some solar-cycle variations of the quiet-Sun physical structure, such as the temperature gradient, might affect the irradiance. The synoptic measurement of this quantity along the activity cycle would improve our understanding of long-term irradiance variations. Aims. We intend to test a method previously introduced for measuring the photospheric temperature gradient from high-resolution spectroscopic observation and to study its feasibility with ground-based instruments with and without adaptative optics. Methods. We used synthetic profiles of the FeI 630.15 nm obtained from realistic three-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations of the photospheric granulation and line radiative transfer computations under local thermodynamical equilibrium conditions. Synthetic granulation images at different levels in the line are obtained by convolution with the instrumental point spread function (PSF) under various conditions of atmospheric turbulence, with and without correction by an adaptative optics (AO) system. The PSF are obtained with the PAOLA software, and the AO performances are inspired by the system that will be operating on the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope. Results. We consider two different conditions of atmospheric turbulence, with Fried parameters of 7 cm and 5 cm, respectively. We show that the degraded images lead to both a bias and a loss of precision in the temperature-gradient measurement, and that the correction with the AO system allows us to drastically improve the measurement quality. Conclusions. Long-term synoptic observations of the temperature gradient in the solar photosphere can be undertaken by implementing this method on ground-based solar telescopes that are equipped with an AO correction system.

Solar chromospheric emission and magnetic structures from plages to intranetwork: Contribution of the very quiet Sun

Context. We need to establish a correspondence between the magnetic structures generated by models and usual stellar activity indexes to simulate radial velocity time series for stars less active than the Sun. This is necessary to compare the outputs of such models with observed radial velocity jitters and is critical to better understand the impact of stellar activity on exoplanet detectability. Aims. We propose a coherent picture to describe the relationship between magnetic activity, including the so-called quiet Sun regions, and the chromospheric emission using the Sun as a test-bench and a reference. Methods. We analyzed a long time series of Michelson Doppler imaging (MDI) magnetograms jointly with chromospheric emission time series obtained at Sacramento Peak and Kitt Peak observatories. This has allowed us to study the variability in the quiet Sun over the solar cycle, and then, based on available relations between magnetic fields in active structures and chromospheric emission, to propose an empirical reconstruction of the solar chromospheric emission based on all contributions. Results. We show that the magnetic flux covering the solar surface, including in the quieted regions, varies in phase with the solar cycle, suggesting a long-term relationship between the global dynamo and the contribution of all components of solar activity. We have been able to propose a reconstruction of the solar S-index, including a relationship between the weak field component and its chomospheric emission, which is in good agreement with the literature. This allows us to explain that stars with a low average chromospheric emission level exhibit a low variability. Conclusions. We conclude that weak flux regions significantly contribute to the chromospheric emission; these regions should be critical in explaining the lower variability associated with the lower average activity level in other stars as compared to the Sun and estimated from their chromospheric emission.

Understanding the HMI Pseudocontinuum in White-light Solar Flares

Abstract We analyze observations of the X9.3 solar flare (SOL2017-09-06T11:53) observed by SDO/HMI and Hinode/Solar Optical Telescope. Our aim is to learn about the nature of the HMI pseudocontinuum I c used as a proxy for the white-light continuum. From model atmospheres retrieved by an inversion code applied to the Stokes profiles observed by the Hinode satellite, we synthesize profiles of the Fe i 617.3 nm line and compare them to HMI observations. Based on a pixel-by-pixel comparison, we show that the value of I c represents the continuum level well in quiet-Sun regions only. In magnetized regions, it suffers from a simplistic algorithm that is applied to a complex line shape. During this flare, both instruments also registered emission profiles in the flare ribbons. Such emission profiles are poorly represented by the six spectral points of HMI and the MDI-like algorithm does not account for emission profiles in general; thus, the derived pseudocontinuum intensity does not approximate the continuum value properly.