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At least 451 records · Page 25

The San Fernando Observatory video Stokes polarimeter

A study was conducted to determine the suitability of the San Fernando Observatory's 61 cm (24 inch) aperture vacuum solar telescope and 3 m (118 inch) focal length vacuum spectroheliograph for Stokes Polarimetry measurements. The polarization characteristics of these two instruments was measured by determining their Mueller matrices as a function of telescope orientation, field angle, wavelength, grating type, and position of the measuring beam in the telescope entrance window. In general, the polarizing and depolarizing properties are small so that inversion of the system Mueller matrix will permit the accurate measurement of Stokes profiles for vector magnetic field determination. A proposed polarimeter design based on the use of a TV camera system to simultaneously scan six different polarization components of a given line profile is described. This design, which uses no rotating optics or electronic modulators and makes efficient use of the available irradiance, promises to yield high quality vector magnetograms.

Richter, P. H.↗

Evidence for submergencew of magnetic flux in a growing active region

In NOAA Active Region 2372 (April 1980), 4 x 10 to the 20th power maxwell of magnetic flux concentrated within a 30" circular area disappeared overnight. Vector magnetograms show that all components of the magnetic field weakened together. If the field had weakened through diffusion or fluid flow, 80% of the original flux would still have been detected by the magnetograph within a suitably enlarged area. In fact there was at least a threefold decrease in detected flux. Evidently, magnetic field was removed from the photosphere. Since the disappearing flux was located in a region of low magnetic shear and low activity, it is unlikely that the field dissipated through reconnection. The most likely possibility is that flux submerged. Observations suggest that even in the growth phase of active regions, submergence is a strong process comparable in magnitude to emergence.

Rabin, D. M.↗

Simultaneous observation of the plasma sheet in the near earth and distant magnetotail - ISEE-1 and ISEE-3

Particle data have been acquired by the 1981-025 and 1982-019 spacecraft at geosynchronous orbit, as well as ISEE-1 in the near earth geomagnetic tail, and ISEE-3 in the distant geomagnetic tail. These observations are supplemented by ground-based magnetograms from near local midnight stations. Attention is given to a substorm recovery phase, and to observations of ion beams at the plasma sheet boundary in the near earth and distant tail, respectively, which are found to flow in opposite directions.

Scholer, M.↗

Limits on photospheric Doppler signatures for solar giant cells

Mount Wilson solar-velocity data taken since improvement of the spectrograph in May 1982 are analyzed to search for photospheric traces of persistent velocity patterns that are anticipated in recent model predictions. The method involves time-averaged autocorrelations and cross correlations of the residuals that remain after least-squares fits for differential rotation, limb shift, and meridional circulation are extracted from the daily-magnetogram velocity arrays. It is argued that, owing to the supergranular motions in the photosphere, the sensitivity in applying the present method to the new Mount Wilson data is close to the ultimate sensitivity possible for detection of this phenomenon. The following limits are currently established through this analysis: (1) there is no sharply peaked power spectrum with amplitude above about 1 m/s per wavenumber, and (2) there is no broad-band power spectrum for which the total integrated power is greater than about 10 sq m/sq sec.

Snodgrass, H. B.↗

A case for submergence of magnetic flux in a solar active region

In NOAA Active Region 2372 (April 1980), 4 x 10 to the 20th maxwells of magnetic flux concentrated in an area 30 arcsec across disappeared overnight. Vector magnetograms show that all components of the magnetic field weakened together. If the field had weakened through diffusion or fluid flow, 90 percent of the original flux would still have been detected by the magnetograph within a suitably enlarged area. In fact there was a threefold decrease in detected flux. Evidently, magnetic field was removed from the photosphere. Since the disappearing flux was located in a region of low magnetic shear and low activity in H-alpha and Ly-alpha, it is unlikely that the field dissipated through reconnection. It is argued that the most likely possibility is that flux submerged. The observations suggest that even during the growth phase of active regions, submergence is a strong process comparable in magnitude to emergence.

Rabin, D.↗

Magnetic shear. I - Hale region 16918

The present investigation is concerned with a study of the large-scale morphological and dynamical properties of selected active areas of the sun, taking into account a combination of data from the UVSP experiment on the Solar Maximum Mission (SMM) spacecraft and ground-based data. The area considered comprises NOAA active regions 2516, 2517, and 2519 (Hale regions 16918 and the nothern portions of 16923), whose disk passage occurred during rotation 1696 in the latter half of June 1980. The method of analysis is discussed, and the general characteristics of the regions are examined. Attention is given to the designation of features, magnetograms, spectroheliograms, Dopplergrams, H-alpha filaments, and H-alpha fibrils.

Athay, R. G.↗

Structure and polarization of active region microwave emission

Active region radio emission observations made at 6.16 cm wavelength during May 20-27, 1980, are the bases of maps of total intensity and circular polarization presented for the three regions whose Hale numbers are 16850, 16863, and 16864. A detailed comparison is made between these maps and on- and off-band H-alpha pictures and magnetograms. The neutral lines with which the strongest sources were associated have their two opposite polarities close to each other, implying a high magnetic field gradient, and are also associated with arch filament systems. A detailed analysis is undertaken of observations of the circular polarization sense inversion in region 16863. The large scale structure of the magnetic field can be approximated by a dipole with its axis inclined by 11 deg with respect to the photosphere, and with a dipole moment of about 2 x 10 to the 31 power cgs units.

Kundu, M. R.↗

Decomposition of CO2 molecules due to auroral X-rays

It has been reported by SEKIHARA (1981), that the circumpolar measurement from a commercial airliner reported by PRATT and FALCONER (1979) was subjected to a strong influence of a geomagnetic storm, specifically at the beginning stage through the North Pole. The main point of interest was the increase of CO concentration by the order of 10 ppb that took place simultaneously with a temperature decrease of several degrees, which was regarded as a result of enhanced cooling to space due to CO2 decomposition. Later inspection of the original magnetogram of eleven auroral zone stations revealed that the observation started 13 hours after the main phase of a geomagnetic storm, which lasted for 22 hours. A quantitative estimation is made of CO2 decomposition due to auroral X-rays that should take place during the degradation of photoelectrons injected into the lower stratospheres.

Sekihara, K.↗

Measurements of thermospheric response to auroral activities

The Joule heating produced by auroral electrojets and its thermospheric response can be studied by monitoring the thermospheric temperatures by optical methods; simultaneously, the concurrent auroral electrojet activities can be investigated by using geomagnetic records obtained from stations along a meridian close to the observation site of optical measurements. The measurements are reported of thermospheric response to auroral activities which were made at Albany (42.68 deg N, 73.82 deg W), New York on September 2, 1978 (UT) when an isolated substorm occured. The thermospheric temperatures were measured by using a high resolution Fabry-Perot interferometer that determines the line profiles of the (OI) 6300A line emission. The intensities and latitudinal positions of auroral electrojets were obtained by the analysis of magnetograms from the IMS Fort Churchill meridian chain stations.

Okano, S.↗

Coronal X-ray activity preceding solar flares

The characteristics of coronal emplacements preceding solar flares were investigated based on a comprehensive survey of Skylab soft X-ray images. A search interval of 30 min before flare was used in the X-ray observations. X-ray images with preflare enhancements were compared with high resolution H-alpha images and photospheric magnetograms and preflare enhancements were found in a statistically significant number of the observed preflare intervals. The enhancement events consisted of loops, kernels, and sinuous features with one to three separate preflare structures appearing in each interval. Typical gas pressures in the preflare X-ray features were estimated on the order of a few dyne per sq cm and densities were 4-10 x 10 to the -9th per cu cm for assumed average temperatures. H-alpha brightenings in the form of knots and patches were found in conjunction with the X-ray preflare features in nearly all of the intervals. It is concluded that H-alpha emission is characteristic of preflare emission processes. The observational data are interpreted within the framework of existing loop preheating models, and the results are discussed in detail.

Webb, D. F.↗

Energy release topology in a multiple-loop solar flare

The temporal and spatial structures of the UV and X-ray emissions and the magnetic field configuration in the November 12, 1980 flare observed from SMM have been studied. The UV observations were done in the O V and Fe XXI lines with a spatial resolution of 10 arcsec. The observations show that the impulsive UV bursts, and also the hard X-ray bursts by their temporal correlation with the impulsive O V emission, occurred in small localized kernels. By comparing the O V, Fe XXI, and X-ray raster images of the flare with the magnetogram, these emission kernels were identified as footpoints of interacting magnetic flux loops. The temporal evolution of the O V/Fe XXI emission shows that there was considerable preheating in the flare plasma some 8-9 minutes prior to the onset of the main hard X-ray bursts. The results are interpreted as indicating that the primary flare energy release occurred in a highly sheared multiloop structure, which lies along a magnetic neutral line. By either beam particle propagation or convective motion, flare energy is transported via a common footpoint to another loop which brightened later. The preheating of the flare plasma is shown to create a more favorable environment for energetic particle acceleration which resulted in the main impulsive hard X-ray bursts.

Cheng, C.-C.↗

Dynamics of solar filaments. IV - Structure and mass flow of an active region filament

An active region filament near the center of the solar disk was observed on September 29-30, 1980, with the Multichannel Subtractive Double Pass Spectrograph of the Meudon solar tower and the UV Spectrograph and Polarimeter aboard the SMM satellite. H-alpha and C IV measurements are presently used to study brightness and material velocity in the 10,000 and 100,000 K temperature ranges, and photospheric magnetograms are used to investigate the underlying magnetic field. Attention is given to the constraints imposed on possible filament structures by observations, as well as the expected MHD relationships.

Schmieder, B.↗

Multiwavelength analysis of a well observed flare from SMM

Observations of an M 1.4 flare which began at 17:00 UT on November 12, 1980, are presented and analyzed. Ground based H-alpha and magnetogram data have been combined with EUV, soft and hard X-ray observations made with instruments on-board the Solar Maximum Mission satellite. The preflare phase was marked by a gradual brightening of the flare site in O v and the disappearance of an H-alpha filament. Filament ejecta were seen in O v moving southward at a speed of about 60 km/s, before the impulsive phase. The flare loop footpoints brightened in H-alpha and the Ca XIX resonance line broadened dramatically 2 min before the impulsive phase. Nonthermal hard X-ray emission was detected from the loop footpoints during the impulsive phase, while during the same period blue-shifts corresponding to upflows of 200-250 km/s were seen in Ca XIX. Evidence was found for energy deposition in both the chromosphere and corona at a number of stages during the flare. Two widely studied mechanisms for the production of the high temperature soft X-ray flare plasma in the corona are considered, i.e. chromospheric evaporation, and a model in which the heating and transfer of material occurs between flux tubes during reconnection.

Macneice, P.↗

ISEE 3 observations during a plasma sheet encounter at 140 earth radii - Evidence for enhancement of reconnection at the distant neutral line

A plasma sheet encounter of the ISEE-3 spacecraft in the distant tail at 140 earth radii on March 20, 1983 is studied using magnetic field, energetic particle, and plasma electron data sets. The H-component magnetograms from auroral magnetometer stations, intensity-time profiles, high resolution magnetic field measurements, and electron and proton angular distributions are analyzed. The dynamics of the plasma sheet displayed by the strong tailward and earthward directed ion beams, large northward and southward magnetic fields excursions, and short tailward and earthward plasma flows are described.

Scholer, M.↗

Recent studies of magnetic canopies

Two current studies are described which stem from Giovanelli's seminal studies of the spreading of chromospheric fields near active regions and active-region network. First, improved observational techniques are described for obtaining magnetograms in the Ca II 8542 A, Fe I 8688 A, and C I 9111 A lines which at least in principle allow for more accurate treatment of instrumental noise and allow better inference of field orientation. Second, a generalized response function is developed for calculating theoretical magnetograph signals from arbitrary line-of-sight variations of magnetic field, and initial applications to two-dimensional, potential-field models of network fields are described. Preliminary indications are that potential-field models can better explain the presence of low-lying, diffuse horizontal fields than can thin flux-tube models, but fail to predict a differential response between the different lines.

Jones, H. P.↗

C IV Doppler shifts observed in active region filaments

The Doppler shift properties of 21 active region filaments were studied using C IV Dopplergram data. Most are associated with corridors of weak magnetic field that separate opposite polarity strong fields seen in photospheric magnetograms. A majority of the filaments are relatively blue shifted, although several lie very close to the dividing lines between blue and red shift. Only one filament in the samples is clearly red shifted. A new calibration procedure for Dopplergrams indicates that sizable zero point offsets are often required. The center-to-limb behavior of the resulting absolute Doppler shifts suggests that filament flows are usually quite small. It is possible that they vanish.

Klimchuk, J. A.↗

Filament eruption connected to protospheric activity

Two cases of activation of filaments that occured in regions of intense magnetic activity was studied. The simultaneous observations from Debrecen Observatory (white light and H alpha filtergram), and from Meudon Observatory (magnetogram, MSDP dopplergram and intensity maps in H alpha) gave a complementary set of data from which can be produced evidence of the influence of the photospheric magnetic field on the destabilization process of the filaments. On June 22, 1980, the eruption of the filament is associated with the motion of pores, which are manifestations of emerging flux knots. On September 3, 1980, the twisting motions in the filament are associated to the birth of a pore in its neighborhood. These observations are discussed.

Simon, G.↗

Compact, variable, moving sources observed on the sun at 2 centimeters wavelength

The Very Large Array (VLA) was used to observe the active region AT 4508 in the C-configuration between 1530 and 2330 UT on June 4, 1984. The position of this region was N06 E57 at 1300 UT on this day. Followup observations were made between 1500 and 2300 UT on January 17, 1986 in the D-configuration. Observations were compared with Mt. Wilson magnetograms. Results are discussed.

Lang, Kenneth R.↗