Tower Telescope Research Articles

Cloud model inversions of strong chromospheric absorption lines using principal component analysis

AbstractHigh‐resolution spectroscopy of strong chromospheric absorption lines delivers nowadays several millions of spectra per observing day, when using fast scanning devices to cover large regions on the solar surface. Therefore, fast and robust inversion schemes are needed to explore the large data volume. Cloud model (CM) inversions of the chromospheric Hα line are commonly employed to investigate various solar features including filaments, prominences, surges, jets, mottles, and (macro‐) spicules. The choice of the CM was governed by its intuitive description of complex chromospheric structures as clouds suspended above the solar surface by magnetic fields. This study is based on observations of active region NOAA 11126 in Hα, which were obtained November 18–23, 2010 with the echelle spectrograph of the vacuum tower telescope at the Observatorio del Teide, Spain. Principal component analysis reduces the dimensionality of spectra and conditions noise‐stripped spectra for CM inversions. Modeled Hα intensity and contrast profiles as well as CM parameters are collected in a database, which facilitates efficient processing of the observed spectra. Physical maps are computed representing the line‐core and continuum intensity, absolute contrast, equivalent width, and Doppler velocities, among others. Noise‐free spectra expedite the analysis of bisectors. The data processing is evaluated in the context of “big data,” in particular with respect to automatic classification of spectra.

Frequency Distribution of Acoustic Oscillation in the Solar Atmosphere During Flare Event

Abstract We present a study of multi-wavelength observations, of a C 2.3 solar flare in Active Region NOAA 12353, observed on 2015 May 23, which reveal new properties of acoustic waves in the flaring region. The space-, and ground-based data measured by the HELioseismological Large Regions Interferometric Device, operating at the Vacuum Tower Telescope, the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the Solar Dynamic Observatory, were used in this paper. First, using power spectra of solar oscillations, we identified the dominant frequencies and their location at seven different atmospheric levels before and after the flare event. Second, based on AIA observations taken in six Extreme Ultraviolet filters, we derived Differential Emission Measure (DEM) profiles and DEM maps of the flare. Finally, we confirm the sigma shape of the magnetic field in the active area, directly related to the flare. Our results are as follows: the high-frequency waves (ν > 5 mHz) in the photosphere, in both cases, before and after the flare, are generated at the footpoints of the chromospheric loop, while in the chromosphere (Hα line), before the event the power enhancement exhibits the maximum of flare emission, and after the eruption the enhancement by all frequencies is observed only in the post-flare loop area. Moreover, the power of oscillation in the pores surrounding the area before the flare has a random character, while after the flare oscillation power is concentrated in the pore, and weakened outside of. We conclude that accurate detection of high-frequency acoustic waves in active regions can lead to faster and easier prediction of high-energy events.

Investigation of a Confined C‐Class Flare in an Arch Filament System Close to a Regular Sunspot

AbstractA moderate C1.1 class confined flare is investigated here, which occurred on 24 September 2013 at 22:56 UT, in an arch filament system close to a regular, unipolar sunspot. Spectropolarimetric observations from the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter at the 70‐cm German Vacuum Tower Telescope were combined with data from the Helioseismic Magnetic Imager and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly to identify the processes that triggered the flare. The legs of this arch filament were anchored in the leading sunspot and the network flux region of opposite polarity. The flare was driven by small‐scale, flux cancellation at the weak neutral line underlying the arch filament, which resulted in two small flaring events within an hour of the C1.1 flare. Flux cancellation was facilitated by the moat flow from the leading sunspot wherein small‐scale magnetic fragments stream toward patches of preexisting flux. The cancellation of flux led to the destabilization of the arch filament, which was seen as an increase in the twist along the arch filament. The horizontal fields across the weak neutral line decay rapidly, which cannot prevent the filament from rising that results in a two‐ribbon flare at the neutral line. The arch filament unwinds as it rises but is confined by the higher, overlying fields between the two polarities of the active region that decay much more slowly.

A Multichannel CCD Spectroheliograph for Studying Nonstationary Phenomena in the Chromosphere of the Sun

A multichannel spectroheliograph (SHG) based on an Alta U16M (4096 × 4096) high-performance cooled CCD camera has been created for studying the active regions and flares on the Sun in the wavelength range of 0.32–1.10 μm with a very low noise level. The SHG is intended for use in the ATB-1 solar tower telescope at the Solar Physics Department of the SAI. This will make it possible to obtain tomographic sections and record the field of plasma-flows rates at different levels in the chromosphere of the Sun.

Convective blueshifts in the solar atmosphere

Context. Convective motions in the solar atmosphere cause spectral lines to become asymmetric and shifted in wavelength. For photospheric lines, this differential Doppler shift varies from the solar disk center to the limb. Aims. Precise and comprehensive observations of the convective blueshift and its center-to-limb variation improve our understanding of the atmospheric hydrodynamics and ensuing line formation, and provide the basis to refine 3D models of the solar atmosphere. Methods. We performed systematical spectroscopic measurements of the convective blueshift of the quiet Sun with the Laser Absolute Reference Spectrograph (LARS) at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. The spatial scanning of the solar disk covered 11 heliocentric positions each along four radial (meridional and equatorial) axes. The high-resolution spectra of 26 photospheric to chromospheric lines in the visible range were calibrated with a laser frequency comb to absolute wavelengths at the 1 m s−1 accuracy. Applying ephemeris and reference corrections, the bisector analysis provided line asymmetries and Doppler shifts with an uncertainty of only few m s−1. To allow for a comparison with other observations, we convolved the results to lower spectral resolutions. Results. All spectral line bisectors exhibit a systematic center-to-limb variation. Typically, a blueshifted “C”-shaped curve at disk center transforms into a less blueshifted “\”-shape toward the solar limb. The comparison of all lines reveals the systematic dependence of the convective blueshift on the line depth. The blueshift of the line minima describe a linear decrease with increasing line depths. The slope of the center-to-limb variation develops a reversal point at heliocentric positions between μ = 0.7 and 0.85, seen as the effect of horizontal granular flows in the mid photosphere. Line minima formed in the upper photosphere to chromosphere exhibit hardly any blueshift or even a slight redshift. Synthetic models yield considerable deviations from the observed center-to-limb variation. Conclusions. The obtained Doppler shifts of the quiet Sun can serve as an absolute reference for other observations, the relative calibration of Dopplergrams, and the necessary refinement of atmospheric models. Based on this, the development of high-precision models of stellar surface convection will advance the detection of (potentially habitable) exoplanets by radial velocity measurements.

Convective blueshifts in the solar atmosphere

Context. Granular convective motions reach into the lower solar atmosphere, typically causing photospheric spectral lines to exhibit a differential line shift. This Doppler shift to shorter wavelengths is commonly known as convective blueshift. Aims. Spectroscopic high-accuracy measurements provide us with a refined determination of the absolute convective blueshift and its atmospheric distribution from disk center to the solar limb. Methods. We performed systematic observations of the quiet Sun with the Laser Absolute Reference Spectrograph (LARS) at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. The solar disk was scanned along the meridian and the equator, from the disk center toward the limb. The solar spectrum around 6173 Å was calibrated with a laser frequency comb on an absolute wavelength scale with an accuracy of a few meters per second. We applied a bisector analysis on the spectral lines to reveal the changes of convective blueshift and line asymmetry at different heliocentric positions. Results. Being a signature for convective motions, the bisector curve of Fe I 6173.3 Å describes a “C”-shape at disk center. When approaching the solar limb, the bisector transforms into a “\”-shape. The analysis of the time- and bisector-averaged line shifts yields three distinct results. Firstly, the center-to-limb variation of Doppler velocities measured with LARS reveals a significant discrepancy (up to 200 m s−1) to the full-disk Dopplergrams of the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). Secondly, we obtained a significant decrease of convective blueshift toward the solar limb. Thirdly, the line-of-sight effect of solar activity, including p-mode oscillations and supergranular flows, leads to a scatter of up to ±100 m s−1 at intermediate heliocentric positions. Conclusions. The accurate observation of the absolute convective blueshift with LARS allows the identification of systematic discrepancy with Doppler velocities measured by HMI. The center-to-limb variation of HMI suffers from an additional blueshift for μ < 0.9 that is incompatible with our results. LARS measurements can be taken as a reference for the correction of systematic errors in the synoptic HMI Dopplergrams.

Detection of spatially structured scattering polarization of Sr I 4607.3 Å with the Fast Solar Polarimeter

Context. Scattering polarization in the Sr I 4607.3 Å line observed with high resolution is an important diagnostic of the Sun’s atmosphere and magnetism at small spatial scales. Investigating the scattering polarization altered by the Hanle effect is key to constraining the role of small-scale magnetic activity in solar atmospheric activity and energy balance. At present, spatially resolved observations of this diagnostic are rare and have not been reported as close to the disk center as for μ = 0.6. Aims. Our aim is to measure the scattering polarization in the Sr I line at μ = 0.6 and to identify the spatial fluctuations with a statistical approach. Methods. Using the Fast Solar Polarimeter (FSP) mounted on the TESOS filtergraph at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) in Tenerife, Spain, we measured both the spatially resolved full Stokes parameters of the Sr I line at μ = 0.6 and the center-to-limb variation of the spatially averaged Stokes parameters. Results. We find that the center-to-limb variation of the scattering polarization in the Sr I line measured with FSP is consistent with previous measurements. A statistical analysis of Stokes Q/I (i.e., the linear polarization component parallel to the solar limb), sampled with 0.16″ pixel−1 in the line core of Sr I reveals that the signal strength is inversely correlated with the intensity in the continuum. We find stronger linear polarimetric signals corresponding to dark areas in the Stokes I continuum image (intergranular lanes). In contrast, independent measurements at μ = 0.3 show a positive correlation of Q/I with respect to the continuum intensity. We estimate that the subregion diameter responsible for the excess Q/I signal is on the order of 0.5″–1″. Conclusions. The presented observations and the statistical analysis of Q/I signals at μ = 0.6 complement reported scattering polarization observations as well as simulations. The FSP has proven to be a suitable instrument to measure spatially resolved scattering polarization signals. In the future, a systematic center-to-limb series of observations with subgranular spatial resolution and increased polarimetric sensitivity (<10−3) compared to that in the present study is needed in order to investigate the change in trend with μ that the comparison of our results with the literature suggests.

Absolute velocity measurements in sunspot umbrae

Context. In sunspot umbrae, convection is largely suppressed by the strong magnetic field. Previous measurements reported on negligible convective flows in umbral cores. Based on this, numerous studies have taken the umbra as zero reference to calculate Doppler velocities of the ambient active region.Aims. We aim to clarify the amount of convective motion in the darkest part of umbrae, by directly measuring Doppler velocities with an unprecedented accuracy and precision.Methods. We performed spectroscopic observations of sunspot umbrae with the Laser Absolute Reference Spectrograph (LARS) at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope. A laser frequency comb enabled the calibration of the high-resolution spectrograph and absolute wavelength positions for 13 observation sequences. A thorough spectral calibration, including the measurement of the reference wavelength, yielded Doppler shifts of the spectral line Ti I5713.9 Å with an uncertainty of around 5 m s−1. A bisector analysis gave the depth-dependent line asymmetry.Results. The measured Doppler shifts are a composition of umbral convection and magneto-acoustic waves. For the analysis of convective shifts, we temporally averaged each sequence to reduce the superimposed wave signal. Compared to convective blueshifts of up to −350 m s−1in the quiet Sun, sunspot umbrae yield strongly reduced convective blueshifts around −30 m s−1. We find that the velocity in a sunspot umbra correlates significantly with the magnetic field strength, but also with the umbral temperature defining the depth of the Ti I5713.9 Å line. The vertical upward motion decreases with increasing field strength. Extrapolating the linear approximation to zero magnetic field reproduces the measured quiet Sun blueshift. In the same manner, we find that the convective blueshift decreases as a function of increasing line depth.Conclusions. Simply taking the sunspot umbra as a zero velocity reference for the calculation of photospheric Dopplergrams can imply a systematic velocity error reaching 100 m s−1, or more. Setting up a relationship between vertical velocities and magnetic field strength provides a remedy for solar spectropolarimetry. We propose a novel approach of substantially increasing the accuracy of the Doppler velocities of a sunspot region by including the magnetic field information to define the umbral reference velocity.

Effect of Wave Motions in the Active Region of the Solar Surface on Convection

The results of the observations of the active region (facula) near the center of the solar disk obtained with the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT; Tenerife, Spain), are discussed. We have determined that the decrease in the contrast (brightness) of the facula with the magnetic field increasing from 130 to 160 mT is due to the fact that the V_V phase shift of waves in this range of magnetic field densities is close to zero (Φ VV ≈ 0), i.e., the wave becomes stationary and does not transfer energy from the photosphere to the chromosphere. The sound waves that propagate from the chromosphere towards the photosphere significantly affect the temperature characteristics of turbulent vortices at the level of formation of the continuous spectrum. In particular, the contrast of granules under the influence of these waves can increase by 25%.

Convective blueshifts in the solar atmosphere

Context. The solar convection manifests as granulation and intergranulation at the solar surface. In the photosphere, convective motions induce differential Doppler shifts to spectral lines. The observed convective blueshift varies across the solar disk. Aim. We focus on the impact of solar convection on the atmosphere and aim to resolve its velocity stratification in the photosphere. Methods. We performed high-resolution spectroscopic observations of the solar spectrum in the 6302 Å range with the Laser Absolute Reference Spectrograph at the Vacuum Tower Telescope. A laser frequency comb enabled the calibration of the spectra to an absolute wavelength scale with an accuracy of 1 m s−1. We systematically scanned the quiet Sun from the disk center to the limb at ten selected heliocentric positions. The analysis included 99 time sequences of up to 20 min in length. By means of ephemeris and reference corrections, we translated wavelength shifts into absolute line-of-sight velocities. A bisector analysis on the line profiles yielded the shapes and convective shifts of seven photospheric lines. Results. At the disk center, the bisector profiles of the iron lines feature a pronounced C-shape with maximum convective blueshifts of up to −450 m s−1 in the spectral line wings. Toward the solar limb, the bisectors change into a “\”-shape with a saturation in the line core at a redshift of +100 m s−1. The center-to-limb variation of the line core velocities shows a slight increase in blueshift when departing the disk center for larger heliocentric angles. This increase in blueshift is more pronounced for the magnetically less active meridian than for the equator. Toward the solar limb, the blueshift decreases and can turn into a redshift. In general, weaker lines exhibit stronger blueshifts. Conclusions. Best spectroscopic measurements enabled the accurate determination of absolute convective shifts in the solar photosphere. We convolved the results to lower spectral resolution to permit a comparison with observations from other instruments.

Variations in Ca-K line profiles and Ca-K line features as a function of latitude and solar cycle during the 20th century

AbstractThe analysis of the Ca-K line spectra as a function of latitude and integrated over the visible disk obtained during the period of 1989–2011 at the Kodaikanal Solar Tower Telescope shows that the FWHM of the K1 distribution at different latitudes varies by negligible amount at about 60° latitude whereas it varies significantly at other latitudes. Findings, especially the fewer variations in mid-latitude belts as compared to polar regions and complex variation in the shift in the activity around 60° latitude belt, will have important implications on the modeling of solar dynamos. Further, we have generated a uniform set of digitized Ca-K line images by selecting images considering the intensity distribution of the images corrected for the instrumental vignetting for the data obtained at Kodaikanal during the 20th century. Then, we have determined the percentage of plage and network areas by using the intensity and area threshold values.

Structure of the Long-Living Elements of Solar Granulation

Spatial and temporal variations in thermodynamic and kinematic parameters of structural elements of solar granulation are investigated by solving the inverse nonequilibrium radiative transfer problem using the observational data from the Vacuum Tower Telescope (duration of observations 2.6 h). In the lower photosphere, we have detected long-living (with lifetime up to 1.5 h) structures—trees of fragmenting granules. They occur as a result of the division of an ascending granular flow into several fragments, which can be repeated multiple times. We have found that approximately 67% of the regions with the highest positive variations of pressure correspond to the time and place of fragmentation of granular flows; approximately 12% of the regions correspond to the approach of adjacent structures.

LARS: An Absolute Reference Spectrograph for solar observations

LARS is an Absolute Reference Spectrograph designed for ultra-precise solar observations. The high-resolution echelle spectrograph of the Vacuum Tower Telescope is supported by a state-of-the-art laser frequency comb to calibrate the solar spectrum on an absolute wavelength scale. In this article, we describe the scientific instrument and focus on the upgrades in the last two years to turn the prototype into a turn-key system. The pursued goal was to improve the short-term and long-term stability of the systems, and enable a user-friendly and more versatile operation of the instrument. The first upgrade involved the modernization of the frequency comb. The Fabry-Perot cavities were adjusted to filter to a repetition frequency of 8GHz. A technologically matured photonic crystal fiber was implemented for spectral broadening. The second, quite recent upgrade was performed on the optics feeding the sunlight into a single-mode fiber connected to the spectrograph. A motorized translation stage was deployed to allow the automated selection of three different fields-of-view with diameters of 1", 3", and 10" for the analysis of the solar spectrum. The successful upgrades allow for long-term observations of up to several hours per day with a stable spectral accuracy of 1 m/s limited by the spectrograph. Stable, user-friendly operation of the instrument is supported. The selection of the pre-aligned fiber to change the field of view can now be done within seconds. LARS offers the possibility to observe absolute wavelength positions of spectral lines and Doppler velocities in the solar atmosphere. First results demonstrate the capabilities of the instrument for solar science. The accurate measurement of the solar convection, p-modes, and atmospheric waves will enhance our knowledge of the solar atmosphere and its physical conditions to improve current atmospheric models.

Three-dimensional magnetic structure of a sunspot: Comparison of the photosphere and upper chromosphere

We investigate the magnetic field of a sunspot in the upper chromosphere and compare it to the field's photospheric properties. We observed the main leading sunspot of the active region NOAA 11124 on two days with the Tenrife Infrared Polarimeter-2 (TIP-2) mounted at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT). Through inversion of Stokes spectra of the He I triplet at 1083.0 nm, we obtained the magnetic field vector of the upper chromosphere. For comparison with the photosphere we applied height-depended inversions of the Si I 1082.71 nm and Ca I 1083.34 nm lines. We found that the umbral magnetic field strength in the upper chromosphere is lower by a factor of 1.30-1.65 compared to the photosphere. The magnetic field strength of the umbra decreases from the photosphere towards the upper chromosphere by an average rate of 0.5-0.9 G km$^{-1}$. The difference in the magnetic field strength between both atmospheric layers steadily decreases from the sunspot center to the outer boundary of the sunspot, with the field (in particular its horizontal component) being stronger in the chromopshere outside the spot, suggestive of a magnetic canopy. The sunspot displays a twist that on average is similar in the two layers. However, the differential twist between photosphere and chromosphere increases rapidly towards the outer penumbral boundary. The magnetic field vector is more horizontal with respect to the solar surface by roughly 5-20$^\circ$ in the photosphere compared to the upper chromosphere. Above a lightbridge, the chromospheric magnetic field is equally strong as that in the umbra, whereas the lightbridge's field is weaker than its surroundings in the photosphere by roughly 1 kG. This suggests a cusp-like magnetic field structure above the lightbridge.

Design of an adaptable Stokes polarimeter for exploring chromospheric magnetism

The chromosphere is a highly complex and dynamic layer of the Sun, that serves as a conduit for mass and energy supply between two, very distinct regions of the solar atmosphere, namely, the photosphere and corona. Inferring magnetic fields in the chromosphere, has thus become an important topic, that can be addressed with large-aperture solar telescopes to carry out highly sensitive polarimetric measurements. In this article, we present a design of a polarimeter for investigating the chromospheric magnetic field. The instrument consists of a number of lenses, two ferro-electric liquid crystals, a Wollaston prism, and a CCD camera. The optical design is similar to that of a commercial zoom lens which allows a variable f# while maintaining focus and aberrations well within the Airy disc. The optical design of the Adaptable ChRomOspheric POLarimeter (ACROPOL) makes use of off-the-shelf components and is described for the 70cm Vacuum Tower Telescope and the 1.5m GREGOR telescope at Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife, Spain. Our design shows that the optical train can be separated into two units where the first unit, consisting of a single lens, has to be changed while going from the VTT to the GREGOR configuration. We also discuss the tolerances within which, diffraction limited performance can be achieved with our design.

Flare-induced changes of the photospheric magnetic field in aδ-spot deduced from ground-based observations

Aims: Changes of the magnetic field and the line-of-sight velocities in the photosphere are being reported for an M-class flare that originated at a $\delta$-spot belonging to active region NOAA 11865. Methods: High-resolution ground-based near-infrared spectropolarimetric observations were acquired simultaneously in two photospheric spectral lines, Fe I 10783 \AA\ and Si I 10786 \AA, with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter at the Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) in Tenerife on 2013 October 15. The observations covered several stages of the M-class flare. Inversions of the full-Stokes vector of both lines were carried out and the results were put into context using (extreme)-ultraviolet filtergrams from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Results: The active region showed high flaring activity during the whole observing period. After the M-class flare, the longitudinal magnetic field did not show significant changes along the polarity inversion line (PIL). However, an enhancement of the transverse magnetic field of approximately 550 G was found that bridges the PIL and connects umbrae of opposite polarities in the $\delta$-spot. At the same time, a newly formed system of loops appeared co-spatially in the corona as seen in 171 \AA\ filtergrams of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board SDO. However, we cannot exclude that the magnetic connection between the umbrae already existed in the upper atmosphere before the M-class flare and became visible only later when it was filled with hot plasma. The photospheric Doppler velocities show a persistent upflow pattern along the PIL without significant changes due to the flare. Conclusions: The increase of the transverse component of the magnetic field after the flare together with the newly formed loop system in the corona support recent predictions of flare models and flare observations.

High-resolution imaging spectroscopy of two micro-pores and an arch filament system in a small emerging-flux region

Aims. The purpose of this investigation is to characterize the temporal evolution of an emerging flux region, the associated photospheric and chromospheric flow fields, and the properties of the accompanying arch filament system. Methods. This study is based on imaging spectroscopy with the G\"ottingen Fabry-P\'erot Interferometer at the Vacuum Tower Telescope, on 2008 August 7. Cloud model (CM) inversions of line scans in the strong chromospheric absorption H$\alpha$ line yielded CM parameters, which describe the cool plasma contained in the arch filament system. Results. The observations cover the decay and convergence of two micro-pores with diameters of less than one arcsecond and provide decay rates for intensity and area. The photospheric horizontal flow speed is suppressed near the two micro-pores indicating that the magnetic field is sufficiently strong to affect the convective energy transport. The micro-pores are accompanied by an arch filament system, where small-scale loops connect two regions with H$\alpha$ line-core brightenings containing an emerging flux region with opposite polarities. The chromospheric velocity of the cloud material is predominantly directed downwards near the footpoints of the loops with velocities of up to 12 km/s, whereas loop tops show upward motions of about 3 km/s. Conclusions. Micro-pores are the smallest magnetic field concentrations leaving a photometric signature in the photosphere. In the observed case, they are accompanied by a miniature arch filament system indicative of newly emerging flux in the form of $\Omega$-loops. Flux emergence and decay take place on a time-scale of about two days, whereas the photometric decay of the micro-pores is much more rapid (a few hours), which is consistent with the incipient submergence of $\Omega$-loops. The results are representative for the smallest emerging flux regions still recognizable as such.

NLTE modeling of a small active region filament observed with the VTT

AbstractAn active region mini‐filament was observed with the Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) in Tenerife simultaneously in the Hei infrared triplet using the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter 1 (TIP 1), in Hα with the TESOS Fabry‐Pérot interferometer, and in Caii 8542 Å with the VTT spectrograph. The spectropolarimetric data were inverted using the HAZEL code and Hα profiles were modelled by solving a NLTE radiative transfer in a simple isobaric and isothermal 2D slab irradiated both from its bottom and sides from the solar surface. It was found that the mini‐filament is composed of horizontal fluxtubes, along which the cool plasma of T ∼ 10000 K can flow with very large, even supersonic, velocities. (© 2016 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)

OBSERVATIONAL DETECTION OF DRIFT VELOCITY BETWEEN IONIZED AND NEUTRAL SPECIES IN SOLAR PROMINENCES

ABSTRACT We report the detection of differences in the ion and neutral velocities in prominences using high-resolution spectral data obtained in 2012 September at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope (Observatorio del Teide, Tenerife). A time series of scans of a small portion of a solar prominence was obtained simultaneously with high cadence using the lines of two elements with different ionization states, namely, Ca ii 8542 Å and He i 10830 Å. The displacements, widths, and amplitudes of both lines were carefully compared to extract dynamical information about the plasma. Many dynamical features are detected, such as counterstreaming flows, jets, and propagating waves. In all of the cases, we find a very strong correlation between the parameters extracted from the lines of both elements, confirming that both lines trace the same plasma. Nevertheless, we also find short-lived transients where this correlation is lost. These transients are associated with ion-neutral drift velocities of the order of several hundred m s−1. The patches of non-zero drift velocity show coherence in time–distance diagrams.

Giant quiescent solar filament observed with high-resolution spectroscopy

A giant, quiet-Sun filament was observed with the high-resolution Echelle spectrograph at the Vacuum Tower Telescope at Observatorio del Teide on 2011 November 15. A mosaic of spectra (10 maps of 100" X 182") was recorded simultaneously in the chromospheric absorption lines H-alpha and Na I D2. Physical parameters of the filament plasma were derived using Cloud Model (CM) inversions and line core fits. The spectra were complemented with full-disk filtergrams (He I 10830 A, H-alpha, and Ca II K) of the Chromspheric Telescope (ChroTel) and full-disk magnetograms of HMI. The filament had extremely large linear dimensions (817"), which corresponds to about 658 Mm along a great circle on the solar surface. A total amount of 175119 H-alpha contrast profiles were inverted using the CM approach. The inferred mean line-of-sight (LOS) velocity, Doppler width, and source function were similar to previous works of smaller quiescent filaments. However, the derived optical thickness was larger. LOS velocity trends inferred from the H-alpha line core fits were in accord, but smaller, than the ones obtained with CM inversions. Signatures of counter-streaming flows were detected in the filament.The largest conglomerates of brightenings in the line core of Na I D2 coincided well with small-scale magnetic fields as seen by HMI. Mixed magnetic polarities were detected close to the ends of barbs. The computation of photospheric horizontal flows based on HMI magnetograms revealed flow kernels with a size of 5-8 Mm and velocities of 0.30-0.45 km/s at the ends of the filament. The physical properties of extremely large filaments are similar to their smaller counterparts, except for the optical thickness which in our sample was found to be larger. We found that a part of the filament, which erupted the day before, is in the process of reestablishing its initial configuration.