ABSTRACT We use 3D radiation magnetohydrodynamic models to investigate how the thermodynamic quantities in the simulation are encoded in observable quantities, thus exploring the diagnostic potential ...of the C ii 133.5 nm lines. We find that the line core intensity is correlated with the temperature at the formation height but the correlation is rather weak, especially when the lines are strong. The line core Doppler shift is a good measure of the line-of-sight velocity at the formation height. The line width is both dependent on the width of the absorption profile (thermal and non-thermal width) and an opacity broadening factor of 1.2-4 due to the optically thick line formation with a larger broadening for double peak profiles. The C ii 133.5 nm lines can be formed both higher and lower than the core of the Mg ii k line depending on the amount of plasma in the 14-50 kK temperature range. More plasma in this temperature range gives a higher C ii 133.5 nm formation height relative to the Mg ii k line core. The synthetic line profiles have been compared with Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph observations. The derived parameters from the simulated line profiles cover the parameter range seen in observations but, on average, the synthetic profiles are too narrow. We interpret this discrepancy as a combination of a lack of plasma at chromospheric temperatures in the simulation box and too small non-thermal velocities. The large differences in the distribution of properties between the synthetic profiles and the observed ones show that the C ii 133.5 nm lines are powerful diagnostics of the upper chromosphere and lower transition region.
We observed rapid variability ( 60 s) at the footpoints of transient, hot (∼8-10 MK) coronal loops in active region cores, with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). The high spatial (∼0 ...33) and temporal ( 5-10 s) resolution of IRIS is often crucial for the detection of this variability. We show how, in combination with 1D RADYN loop modeling, these IRIS spectral observations of the transition region (TR) and chromosphere provide powerful diagnostics of the properties of coronal heating and energy transport (thermal conduction or nonthermal electrons, NTEs). Our simulations of nanoflare-heated loops indicate that emission in the Mg ii triplet can be used as a sensitive diagnostic for nonthermal particles. In our events, we observe a large variety of IRIS spectral properties (intensity, Doppler shifts, broadening, chromospheric/TR line ratios, Mg ii triplet emission) even for different footpoints of the same coronal events. In several events, we find spectroscopic evidence for NTEs (e.g., TR blueshifts and Mg ii triplet emission), suggesting that particle acceleration can occur even for very small magnetic reconnection events, which are generally below the detection threshold of hard X-ray instruments that provide direct detection of emission of nonthermal particles.
ABSTRACT We analyze observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph of the Mg ii k line, the Mg ii UV subordinate lines, and the O i 135.6 line to better understand the solar plage ...chromosphere. We also make comparisons with observations from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope of the H line, the Ca ii 8542 line, and Solar Dynamics Observatory/Atmospheric Imaging Assembly observations of the coronal line. To understand the observed Mg ii profiles, we compare these observations to the results of numerical experiments. The single-peaked or flat-topped Mg ii k profiles found in plage imply a transition region at a high column mass and a hot and dense chromosphere of about 6500 K. This scenario is supported by the observed large-scale correlation between moss brightness and filled-in profiles with very little or absent self-reversal. The large wing width found in plage also implies a hot and dense chromosphere with a steep chromospheric temperature rise. The absence of emission in the Mg ii subordinate lines constrain the chromospheric temperature and the height of the temperature rise while the width of the O i 135.6 line sets a limit to the non-thermal velocities to around 7 km s−1.
We investigate the effects of interactions between ions and neutrals on the chromosphere and overlying corona using 2.5D radiative MHD simulations with the Bifrost code. We have extended the code ...capabilities implementing ion-neutral interaction effects using the generalized Ohm's law, i.e., we include the Hall term and the ambipolar diffusion (Pedersen dissipation) in the induction equation. Our models span from the upper convection zone to the corona, with the photosphere, chromosphere, and transition region partially ionized. Our simulations reveal that the interactions between ionized particles and neutral particles have important consequences for the magnetothermodynamics of these modeled layers: (1) ambipolar diffusion increases the temperature in the chromosphere; (2) sporadically the horizontal magnetic field in the photosphere is diffused into the chromosphere, due to the large ambipolar diffusion; (3) ambipolar diffusion concentrates electrical currents, leading to more violent jets and reconnection processes, resulting in (3a) the formation of longer and faster spicules, (3b) heating of plasma during the spicule evolution, and (3c) decoupling of the plasma and magnetic field in spicules. Our results indicate that ambipolar diffusion is a critical ingredient for understanding the magnetothermodynamic properties in the chromosphere and transition region. The numerical simulations have been made publicly available, similar to previous Bifrost simulations. This will allow the community to study realistic numerical simulations with a wider range of magnetic field configurations and physics modules than previously possible.
Context. The solar chromosphere is the interface between the solar surface and the solar corona. Modelling of this region is difficult because it represents the transition from optically thick to ...thin radiation escape, from gas-pressure domination to magnetic-pressure domination, from a neutral to an ionised state, from MHD to plasma physics, and from near-equilibrium (LTE) to non-equilibrium conditions. Aims. Our aim is to provide the community with realistic simulations of the magnetic solar outer atmosphere. This will enable detailed comparison of existing and upcoming observations with synthetic observables from the simulations, thereby elucidating the complex interactions of magnetic fields and plasma that are crucial for our understanding of the dynamic outer atmosphere. Methods. We used the radiation magnetohydrodynamics code Bifrost to perform simulations of a computational volume with a magnetic field topology similar to an enhanced network area on the Sun. Results. The full simulation cubes are made available from the Hinode Science Data Centre Europe. The general properties of the simulation are discussed, and limitations are discussed.
ABSTRACT Transverse magnetohydrodynamic waves have been shown to be ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere and can, in principle, carry sufficient energy to generate and maintain the Sun's million-degree ...outer atmosphere or corona. However, direct evidence of the dissipation process of these waves and subsequent heating has not yet been directly observed. Here we report on high spatial, temporal, and spectral resolution observations of a solar prominence that show a compelling signature of so-called resonant absorption, a long hypothesized mechanism to efficiently convert and dissipate transverse wave energy into heat. Aside from coherence in the transverse direction, our observations show telltale phase differences around 180° between transverse motions in the plane-of-sky and line-of-sight velocities of the oscillating fine structures or threads, and also suggest significant heating from chromospheric to higher temperatures. Comparison with advanced numerical simulations support a scenario in which transverse oscillations trigger a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) at the boundaries of oscillating threads via resonant absorption. This instability leads to numerous thin current sheets in which wave energy is dissipated and plasma is heated. Our results provide direct evidence for wave-related heating in action, one of the candidate coronal heating mechanisms.
The
Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph
(IRIS) has been obtaining near- and far-ultraviolet images and spectra of the solar atmosphere since July 2013. IRIS is the highest resolution observatory to ...provide seamless coverage of spectra and images from the photosphere into the low corona. The unique combination of near- and far-ultraviolet spectra and images at sub-arcsecond resolution and high cadence allows the tracing of mass and energy through the critical interface between the surface and the corona or solar wind. IRIS has enabled research into the fundamental physical processes thought to play a role in the low solar atmosphere such as ion–neutral interactions, magnetic reconnection, the generation, propagation, and dissipation of waves, the acceleration of non-thermal particles, and various small-scale instabilities. IRIS has provided insights into a wide range of phenomena including the discovery of non-thermal particles in coronal nano-flares, the formation and impact of spicules and other jets, resonant absorption and dissipation of Alfvénic waves, energy release and jet-like dynamics associated with braiding of magnetic-field lines, the role of turbulence and the tearing-mode instability in reconnection, the contribution of waves, turbulence, and non-thermal particles in the energy deposition during flares and smaller-scale events such as UV bursts, and the role of flux ropes and various other mechanisms in triggering and driving CMEs. IRIS observations have also been used to elucidate the physical mechanisms driving the solar irradiance that impacts Earth’s upper atmosphere, and the connections between solar and stellar physics. Advances in numerical modeling, inversion codes, and machine-learning techniques have played a key role. With the advent of exciting new instrumentation both on the ground, e.g. the
Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope
(DKIST) and the
Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array
(ALMA), and space-based, e.g. the
Parker Solar Probe
and the
Solar Orbiter
, we aim to review new insights based on IRIS observations or related modeling, and highlight some of the outstanding challenges.
ABSTRACT We use UV spectral observations of active regions with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) to investigate the properties of the coronal Fe xii 1349.4 emission at unprecedented ...high spatial resolution (∼0.33″). We find that by using appropriate observational strategies (i.e., long exposures, lossless compression), Fe xii emission can be studied with IRIS at high spatial and spectral resolution, at least for high-density plasma (e.g., post-flare loops and active region moss). We find that upper transition region (TR; moss) Fe xii emission shows very small average Doppler redshifts ( ∼ 3 km s−1) as well as modest non-thermal velocities (with an average of ∼24 km s−1 and the peak of the distribution at ∼15 km s−1). The observed distribution of Doppler shifts appears to be compatible with advanced three-dimensional radiative MHD simulations in which impulsive heating is concentrated at the TR footpoints of a hot corona. While the non-thermal broadening of Fe xii 1349.4 peaks at similar values as lower resolution simultaneous Hinode Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) measurements of Fe xii 195 , IRIS observations show a previously undetected tail of increased non-thermal broadening that might be suggestive of the presence of subarcsecond heating events. We find that IRIS and EIS non-thermal line broadening measurements are affected by instrumental effects that can only be removed through careful analysis. Our results also reveal an unexplained discrepancy between observed 195.1/1349.4 Fe xii intensity ratios and those predicted by the CHIANTI atomic database.
The GOES X1 flare SOL2014-10-25T17:08:00 was a three-ribbon solar flare observed with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) in the near-UV (NUV) and far-UV. One of the flare ribbons ...crossed a sunspot umbra, producing a dramatic, ∼1000% increase in the NUV continuum radiation. We comprehensively analyze the UV spectral data of the umbral flare brightenings, which provide new challenges for radiative−hydrodynamic modeling of the chromospheric velocity field and the white-light continuum radiation. The emission line profiles in the umbral flare brightenings exhibit redshifts and profile asymmetries, but these are significantly smaller than in another, well-studied X-class solar flare. We present a ratio of the NUV continuum intensity to the Fe ii λ2814.45 intensity. This continuum-to-line ratio is a new spectral diagnostic of significant heating at high column mass (log m/g cm−2 > −2) during solar flares because the continuum and emission line radiation originate from relatively similar temperatures but moderately different optical depths. The full spectral readout of these IRIS data also allow for a comprehensive survey of the flaring NUV landscape: in addition to many lines of Fe ii and Cr ii, we identify a new solar flare emission line, He i λ2829.91 (as previously identified in laboratory and early-type stellar spectra). The Fermi/GBM hard X-ray data provide inputs to radiative−hydrodynamic models (which will be presented in Paper II) in order to better understand the large continuum-to-line ratios, the origin of the white-light continuum radiation, and the role of electron beam heating in the low atmosphere.
ABSTRACT A triplet of subordinate lines of Mg ii exists in the region around the h&k lines. In solar spectra these lines are seen mostly in absorption, but in some cases can become emission lines. ...The aim of this work is to study the formation of this triplet, and investigate any diagnostic value they can bring. Using 3D radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations of quiet Sun and flaring flux emergence, we synthesize spectra and investigate how spectral features respond to the underlying atmosphere. We find that emission in the lines is rare and is typically caused by a steep temperature increase in the lower chromosphere (above 1500 K, with electron densities above 1017 m−3). In both simulations the lines are sensitive to temperature increases taking place at column masses 5 10−4 g cm−2. Additional information can also be inferred from the peak-to-wing ratio and shape of the line profiles. Using observations from NASA's Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph we find both absorption and emission line profiles with similar shapes to the synthetic spectra, which suggests that these lines represent a useful diagnostic that complements the Mg ii h&k lines.
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