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Shine, R. A.

Publications and source records attributed to Shine, R. A..

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NASA NTRS1976

Preliminary results from the Orbiting Solar Observatory 8 - Observations of optically thin lines

The University of Colorado spectrometer aboard OSO 8 has measured the high temperature C IV resonance lines (at 1548 and 1551 A) and the Si IV resonance lines (at 1393 and 1402 A) formed in the solar chromosphere-corona transition region. Preliminary results include studies of mean profiles, a comparison of cell and network profiles, and the behavior of the lines at the extreme solar limb.

Shine, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Resonance-line transfer with partial redistribution. VIII - Solution in the comoving frame for moving atmospheres

The effects of partial frequency redistribution in the scattering process for lines formed in moving atmospheres are analyzed using a general method that allows the transfer equation to be solved in the comoving frame of the gas. The same chromospheric and atomic model studied by Cannon and Vardavas (1974) is employed in the calculations, but a depth scale with logarithmically spaced points is adopted. It is found that in both static and moving atmospheres, the profiles obtained with complete and partial frequency redistribution are virtually identical. The large differences in profiles obtained by Cannon and Vardavas when they used complete and partial redistribution are shown to be spurious (and physically unreal) effects resulting from angle averaging in the observer's frame instead of the comoving frame.

Mihalas, D.↗
NASA NTRS1975

The effect of intermediate-scale motions on line formation

The problem of LTE and non-LTE line formation in the presence of nonthermal velocity fields with geometric scales between the microscopic and macroscopic limits is investigated in the cases of periodic sinusoidal and sawtooth waves. For a fixed source function (the LTE case), it is shown that time-averaged line profiles progress smoothly from the microscopic to the macroscopic limits as the geometric scale of the motions increases, that the sinusoidal motions produce symmetric time-averaged profiles, and that the sawtooth motions cause a redshift. In several idealized non-LTE cases, it is found that intermediate-scale velocity fields can significantly increase the surface source functions and line-core intensities. Calculations are made for a two-level atom in an isothermal atmosphere for a range of velocity scales and non-LTE coupling parameters and also for a two-level atom and a four-level representation of Na I line formation in the Harvard-Smithsonian Reference Atmosphere (1971) solar model. It is found that intermediate-scale velocity fields in the solar atmosphere could explain the central intensities of the Na I D lines and other strong absorption lines without invoking previously suggested high electron densities.

Shine, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Resonance-line transfer with partial redistribution. VII Angle-dependent redistribution

A method is presented for treating radiative transfer in resonance lines, allowing for the full angle and frequency dependence of redistribution in the scattering process, as seen in the laboratory frame. The case of an equivalent-two-level-atom source function is considered; the problem to be treated is then linear in the radiation field. We apply this method to the Ca II lines in the solar atmosphere, using a redistribution function which takes into account a mixture of coherence in the atom's frame, with Doppler redistribution in the laboratory frame (for atoms which have not suffered an elastic collision), and of complete redistribution in the laboratory frame (for atoms that are collisionally perturbed during the emission process). Both the angle-averaged approximation and the full angle-dependent solution were obtained, and were compared to assess, differentially, the effects of angular redistribution upon the computed line profile and its center-to-limb behavior. For the Ca II line in a homogeneous solar chromosphere the angle-dependent effects are found to be negligible, indicating that one may use angle-averaged redistribution functions when studying partial redistribution effects in line profiles.

Milkey, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

An archetype hydrogen atmosphere problem

Populations for the first three bound states and the continuum of hydrogen are determined for an isothermal hydrostatic atmosphere at 20,000 K. The atmosphere is treated as optically thin in the Balmer and Paschen continua and illuminated by continuum radiation at these wavelengths with prescribed radiation temperatures. The atmosphere is optically thick in the 2-1, 3-1, 3-2 and c-1 transitions. Three stages of approximation are treated: (1) radiative detailed balance in the 2-1, 3-1 and 3-2 transitions, (2) radiative detailed balance in the 3-1 and 3-2 transitions, and (3) all transitions out of detailed balance. The solution of this problem is nontrivial and presents sufficient difficulty to have caused the failure of at least one rather standard technique. The problem is thus a good archetype against which new methods or new implementations of old methods may be tested.

Athay, R. G.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Resonance line transfer with partial redistribution. IV - A generalized formulation for lines with common upper states. V - The solar Ca II lines

A generalized formulation is given for treating partial redistribution effects in transfer problems in resonance lines with common upper states. The formulation allows explicitly for the possibility that several spectral lines may arise in transitions from a given upper level to several sharp lower levels, including, for example, the ground state and metastable states. Line profiles for the Ca II H and K lines have been calculated, accounting for the partial frequency coherence of scattered photons. These profiles are compared with calculations made with identical atomic and atmospheric models but assuming complete redistribution. Very significant differences between the profiles obtained using these two different physical descriptions of the scattering process are found, and it is now apparent that the assumption of complete redistribution is a serious oversimplification of the actual physical situation. The results question the validity of equating brightness temperatures observed at K(sub 1) in stellar spectra with minimum temperatures in stellar chromospheres; it appears likely that such a procedure will systematically underestimate the value of T-min.

Milkey, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Resonance line transfer with partial redistribution. III Mg II resonance lines in solar-type stars

We discuss the gravity dependence of the Mg II resonance lines calculated with inclusion of effects of partial redistribution in frequency. Using chromospheric models scaled from a solar model, we demonstrate the increased decoupling of the radiation temperature of the k1 feature from the minimum electron temperature in lower-gravity models. The limb darkening of the k-line in the main-sequence model is also discussed.

Milkey, R. W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

A possible width-luminosity correlation of the Ca II K1 and Mg II k1 features

Existing high resolution stellar profiles of the Ca II and Mg II resonance lines suggest a possible width-luminosity correlation of the K1 minimum features. It is shown that such a correlation can be simply understood if the continuum optical depth of the stellar temperature minimum is relatively independent of surface gravity as suggested by three stars studied in detail.

Ayres, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Physical properties of solar chromospheric plages. II - Chromospheric plage models

Chromospheric models of plages are proposed to explain profiles of the Ca II H, K, 8498-A, 8542-A, and 8662-A lines. These models are consistent with boundary conditions imposed by the photosphere and the Lyman continuum. It is found that increasing emission in these lines is consistent with a picture of increasing temperature gradient in the low chromosphere and the resulting increase in pressure and electron density at similar line optical depths. With this picture it is shown how the distribution of chromospheric parameters across the solar disk can be empirically determined directly from Ca II filtergrams. It is also proposed that the high-density aspects of solar activity are produced by steep temperature gradients in the low chromosphere and thus by the enhanced heating mechanisms that steepen these gradients.

Shine, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Stellar model chromospheres. II - Procyon /F5 IV-V/

Derivation of a model for the chromosphere and upper photosphere of Procyon (F5 IV-V) based on calibrated observations of the K and 8542-A lines of Ca II, the k(2796-A) line of Mg II, and the K-line wings. The feasibility of this model synthesis approach to derive a preliminary model chromosphere is demonstrated despite the lack of spatial and spectral resolution associated with solar chromospheric studies. The proposed upper photosphere model is very similar to the radiative equilibrium Procyon model of Strom and Kurucz (1966), while the proposed chromospheric model is similar to the quiet solar chromosphere temperature distribution of Shine (1973) in the 6000 to 8000 K range.

Ayres, T. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

A facular model based on the wings of the Ca II lines

An approach is shown for using the extensive damping wings of the Ca II lines in a direct analysis of photospheric temperature structures. Questions concerning the formation of the Ca II wings are considered. The low angular resolution photoelectric observations reported by Shine and Linsky (1972) are used to derive the spatially averaged differences between faculae and the quiet sun. Data regarding a photospheric facula model are presented in a table.

Shine, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Line profiles and turbulence generated by acoustic waves in the solar chromosphere. II - Contours of the Ca II and Mg II K lines

Making use of the time-averaged absorption profiles derived by Oster and Ulmschneider, non-LTE line formation in the context of a two-level atom is investigated for an isothermal atmosphere and for the Ca II and Mg II K lines in the solar chromosphere as represented by the Harvard-Smithsonian Reference Atmosphere. Source functions and emergent line profiles are computed for a variety of assumptions concerning the acoustically broadened profiles and the solar velocity fields.

Shine, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

One- and multi-component models of the upper photosphere based on molecular spectra. I - The violet system of CN /0, 0/

Spectroheliograms taken in the CN (0, 0) violet band near 3883 A show very small scale network and cell structures with high contrast. The bandhead itself, which is a broad feature due to overlap of several CN lines, allows the diagnostic simplicity of a continuum since motions, magnetic fields, and broadening mechanisms are unimportant. We have obtained spectroheliograms in the bandhead and center-to-limb photoelectric spectra of CN (0, 0) at Kitt Peak National Observatory. From the photoelectric spectra and a detailed analysis of the formation of the CN (0, 0) spectrum we derive a best-fit one-component upper photospheric model differing from that of the HSRA and recommend a change in solar carbon abundance from the HSRA value.

Mount, G. H.↗
NASA NTRS1973

On the dependence of the two-level source function on its radiation field.

The consequences of the universally made assumption that the stimulated emission profile is identical to the absorption profile are quantitatively investigated for a two-level atom with Doppler redistribution. The nonlinear terms arising in the source function are evaluated iteratively. We find that the magnitude of the effects is probably completely negligible for visible and UV solar lines.

Steinitz, R.↗
NASA NTRS1972

Physical properties of solar chromospheric plages. I - Line profiles of the CaII H, K, and infrared triplet lines.

Double pass photoelectric observations are presented of five CaII lines (H, K, 8498 A, 8542 A, and 8662 A) in a number of solar plages of different degrees of activity, quiet regions, and a sunspot. The data are compared with previous work. All five lines show increasing emission together in plages, and the least opaque of the infrared triplet lines appears to exhibit core emission prior to the more opaque members of the multiplet. The question of source function equality is considered and the differences and similarities among plage profiles and between plage and quiet profiles are shown qualitatively and quantitatively.

Shine, R. A.↗