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Cram, L. E.

Publications and source records attributed to Cram, L. E..

13 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1991

Inhomogeneous structure in the chromospheres of dwarf M stars

Linear combinations of observed spectra of the H-alpha and Ca-II resonance and IR lines from the chromospheres of a quiet (Gl 1) and an active (Gl 735) dwarf-M star are compared with the corresponding spectra from a star of intermediate activity (Gl 887). It is shown that the intermediate spectra cannot be explained as a simple juxtaposition of the extreme chromospheric states. It is concluded that the range of observed strengths of chromospheric activity indicators in dwarf-M stars is due, at least in part, to changes in the radial structure of the chromospheric heating function and not to changes in the area filling factor.

Turner, N. J.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Formation of the H-alpha absorption line in the chromospheres of cool stars

The theory of the formation of the H-alpha absorption line in the chromospheres of cool stars is discussed and a number of results are presented which demonstrate that observations of this line can provide valuable information on certain properties of stellar chromospheres. It is shown that the widespread existence of strong H-alpha absorption in cool stars indicates the equally widespread existence of stellar chromospheres. The calculations also reinforce the idea that the great widths of H-alpha absorption lines in late-type giant stars are due to nonthermal chromospheric velocity fields.

Cram, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

A search for long-lived velocity fields at the solar poles

A search has been made in the polar regions of the sun for large-scale (50-200 Mm) velocity fields with lifetimes of the order of the solar rotation period (approximately equal to or greater than 30 days). The observations show that any such large-scale, long-lived velocity patterns in the polar regions must have an amplitude less than 5 m/s. Marginally significant detections (at the 2-3 sigma level) were made of two kinds of structures with amplitudes of order 3 m/s. One has a rotation period approximately 38 days (close to the polar rotation period at the sun's surface), and a scale approximately 150 Mm; the other has a period approximately 24 days and a scale approximately 100 Mm. Tentatively, the first structure is interpreted as being of supergranular origin. The second structure is interpreted as the overshooting of the dominant convective mode of the lower solar convection zone - the giant granulation.

Durney, B. R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Dynamical phenomena in sunspots. I - Observing procedures and oscillatory phenomena. II - A moving magnetic feature

High resolution spectra consisting of at least 1 hr periods were obtained of the sunpost atmosphere. The Ca II H and K lines were scanned to characterize umbral oscillations and flashes. The former displayed peaks lasting 150-197 sec, while penumbral oscillations peaked in the 197-300 sec range. Quiet sun oscillations exhibited no peaks under 300 sec. The Ca II K line umbral flashes were ubiquitous for all observational periods and were associated with light bridges in the umbra. Magnetic field, vertical velocity, and chromospheric intensity measurements taken during the 1 hr scans covered moving magnetic features (MMF), which traversed the moats around sunspots. MMF areas increased while the magnetic field intensity decreased with MMF movement away from a sunspot. Bright Ca II K line wings were apparent in the MMFs, but cores of the lines were not observed, suggesting that flux loops generating the line are low in the photosphere.

Thomas, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Preliminary observations of velocity fields at the solar poles

Using the 13 m Littrow spectrograph at Sacramento Peak Observatory, the Doppler shift of Fe I 5863 A in the polar regions of the sun over a 20 day interval is studied. The daily observations were assembled into a polar projection of the line-of-sight velocity field. The projection shows a very clear pattern of supergranulation. When a low-pass spatial filter is run over the data, a pattern of large-scale (80-100 Mm) velocity features can be seen. Cross-correlation studies show that the supergranular pattern rotates with a synodic period of 35 days, while there is evidence that the larger features rotate with a shorter period of about 30 days. At present, it is not possible to say whether the large-scale patterns represent a new scale of convection (possibly related to the dominant convective eddy in the lower solar convection zone) or to the low-wavenumber tail of a distribution of supergranular cells.

Cram, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Five-minute oscillations as a subsurface probe of sunspot structure

Observations of the sun which revealed the presence of oscillations due to the 5-min p-modes in the quiet atmosphere are reported. Umbral oscillations with a 145-190 sec period were detected, along with penumbral waves with a 180-250 sec period. The waves have been linked to resonant magneto-atmospheric wave modes in the sunspot atmosphere. The observations were made with a vacuum tower telescope and echelle spectrograph at Sacramento Peak Observatory. Results are presented of the Fe gamma 6,302.5 line. Irregularities in the umbral structures as to which p-mode initiated the activity are taken as evidence that the oscillations are related to activities in sunspot structure below the solar surface. It is shown that the occurrence of three successive p-mode crossings by the oscillations may be valuable for probing the effective depth of a sunspot.

Thomas, J. H.↗
NASA NTRS1982

Model chromospheres of RS CVn stars - Balmer line profiles in Gamma Andromedae

Two models have been constructed for the chromosphere of the RS CVn star Gamma And, one with a low-pressure transition zone, and one with a high pressure transition zone. The high pressure model predicts an H alpha line profile which agrees fairly well with high resolution observations of Gamma And, without the need to include nonthermal line broadening. The low pressure model predicts an H alpha profile which agrees very well with the observations, after application of macroturbulent broadening with a gaussian velocity parameter of about 30 km/sec. Methods which could distinguish between the two alternatives are discussed, and it is suggested that if the low-pressure model is valid, the large macroturbulence may be associated with unstable magnetic flux loops in the atmosphere.

Mullan, D. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

The Sun as a star

The ways in which solar astrophysics serves to improve the methodology for the interpretation of stellar observations and the construction of stellar atmospheric models are summarized. The astrophysical processes highlighted are: stellar mass; stellar rotation; stellar magnetism; stellar composition; stellar companions; and evolutionary history.

Rutten, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Observations of dynamical phenomena in sunspots

A preliminary report of the results of one observing run based on data from one spectral line, the photospheric magnetic line Fe 6303, is presented as part of a series of observations of dynamical phenomena in sunspots using photographic spectra with the SPO vacuum tower telescope and echelle spectrograph. The ejection of a magnetic feature from the outer edge of the penumbra was observed. The initial total field strength of the feature was about 1000 gauss, which appeared to decrease as the feature moved away from the sunspot. The proper motion was about 2 km/s, and the velocity field measured in the V profile showed a downflow of 400 m/s on the spotward side of the moving magnetic feature. Umbral oscillations at the photospheric level with a herringbone structure characteristic of horizontally propagating waves, suggesting some overtone mode of membrane oscillation in the umbra, were seen. The peak amplitude of the oscillation was about 200 m/s, and the mean power spectrum had several clear peaks.

Nye, A. H.↗
NASA NTRS1981

Conjectures regarding the structure of a sunspot penumbra

A study of simple radiative transfer models for some of the dark filaments on the outer edge of penumbras, which observations suggest may lie several hundred km above the base of the quiet photosphere, has determined that elevated dark filaments probably have higher temperatures and densities than the surrounding atmosphere. The possibility of a connection between the dark filaments, the photospheric Evershed flow, and umbral dots, is discussed. An important observational test of the present model would involve an attempt to separate temperature and optical depth effects in the dark filaments. This could be accomplished by either continuum photometry at a few, widely separated wavelengths, or by spectroscopic studies.

Cram, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Emission measures derived from far ultraviolet spectra of T Tauri stars

Spectroscopic diagnostics based on UV emission line observations have been developed to study the solar chromosphere, transition region, and corona. The atmospheric properties that can be inferred from observations of total line intensities include the temperature, by identifying the ionic species present; the temperature distribution of the emission measure, from the absolute intensities; and the electron density of the source, from line intensity ratios sensitive to the electron density. In the present paper, the temperature distribution of the emission measure is estimated from observations of far UV emission line fluxes of the T Tauri stars, RW Aurigae and RU Lupi, made on the IUE. A crude estimate of the electron density of one star is obtained, using density-sensitive line ratios.

Cram, L. E.↗
NASA NTRS1977

High resolution spectroscopy of the disk chromosphere. V - Space-time variations observed simultaneously in seven lines

Time sequence spectroscopic observations of the quiet solar chromosphere along a 200 Mm strip near the center of the disk were reduced to obtain 30 min of data. Oscillations appear in most of the observations in selected photospheric and chromospheric lines, but rarely in continuum observations. At a given point, the oscillations may be prominent or weak, they are never regular in time, and there is no unique relationship between the amplitudes at different heights. There are several examples of granules which apparently excite a burst of short period oscillations. By considering the line shift and intensity variations of all the lines, a working model is derived for the velocity field and related temperature variation.

Cram, L. E.↗