| 1. |
- Leenaarts, Jorrit, et al.
(författare)
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The cause of spatial structure in solar He I 1083 nm multiplet images
- 2016
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 594
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. The HeI 1083 nm is a powerful diagnostic for inferring properties of the upper solar chromosphere, in particular for the magnetic field. The basic formation of the line in one-dimensional models is well understood, but the influence of the complex three-dimensional structure of the chromosphere and corona has however never been investigated. This structure must play an essential role because images taken in HeI 1083 nm show structures with widths down to 100 km. Aims. We aim to understand the effect of the three-dimensional temperature and density structure in the solar atmosphere on the formation of the HeI 1083 nm line. Methods. We solved the non-LTE radiative transfer problem assuming statistical equilibrium for a simple nine-level helium atom that nevertheless captures all essential physics. As a model atmosphere we used a snapshot from a 3D radiation-MHD simulation computed with the Bifrost code. Ionising radiation from the corona was self-consistently taken into account. Results. The emergent intensity in the HeI 1083 nm is set by the source function and the opacity in the upper chromosphere. The former is dominated by scattering of photospheric radiation and does not vary much with spatial location. The latter is determined by the photonionisation rate in the HeI ground state continuum, as well as the electron density in the chromosphere. The spatial variation of the flux of ionising radiation is caused by the spatially-structured emissivity of the ionising photons from material at T approximate to 100 kK in the transition region. The hotter coronal material produces more ionising photons, but the resulting radiation field is smooth and does not lead to small-scale variation of the UV flux. The corrugation of the transition region further increases the spatial variation of the amount of UV radiation in the chromosphere. Finally we find that variations in the chromospheric electron density also cause strong variation in Het 1083 nm opacity. We compare our findings to observations using SST, IRIS and SDO/AIA data.
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| 2. |
- Libbrecht, Tine, et al.
(författare)
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Chromospheric condensations and magnetic field in a C3.6-class flare studied via He I D-3 spectro-polarimetry
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 621
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Magnetic reconnection during flares takes place in the corona, but a substantial part of flare energy is deposited in the chromosphere. However, high-resolution spectro-polarimetric chromospheric observations of flares are very rare. The most used observables are Ca II 8542 angstrom and He I 10830 angstrom.Aims. We aim to study the chromosphere during a C3.6 class flare via spectro-polarimetric observations of the He I D-3 line.Methods. We present the first SST/CRISP spectro-polarimetric observations of He I D3. We analyzed the data using the inversion code HAZEL, and estimate the line-of-sight velocity and the magnetic field vector.Results. Strong He I D-3 emission at the flare footpoints, as well as strong He I D(3 )absorption profiles tracing the flaring loops are observed during the flare. The He I D-3 traveling emission kernels at the flare footpoints exhibit strong chromospheric condensations of up to similar to 60 km s(-1) at their leading edge. Our observations suggest that such condensations result in shocking the deep chromosphere, causing broad and modestly blueshifted He I D-3 profiles indicating subsequent upflows. A strong and rather vertical magnetic field of up to similar to 2500 G is measured in the flare footpoints, confirming that the He I D-3 line is likely formed in the deep chromosphere at those locations. We provide chromospheric line-of-sight velocity and magnetic field maps obtained via He I D-3 inversions. We propose a fan-spine configuration as the flare magnetic field topology.Conclusions. The He I D-3 line is an excellent diagnostic to study the chromosphere during flares. The impact of strong condensations on the deep chromosphere has been observed. Detailed maps of the flare dynamics and the magnetic field are obtained.
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| 3. |
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| 4. |
- Libbrecht, Tine, et al.
(författare)
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Line formation of He I D3 and He I 10 830 Å in a small-scale reconnection event
- 2021
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 652
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Ellerman bombs (EBs) and UV bursts are small-scale reconnection events that occur in the region of the upper photosphere to the chromosphere. It has recently been discovered that these events can have emission signatures in the He I D3 and He I 10 830 Å lines, suggesting that their temperatures are higher than previously expected.Aims. We aim to explain the line formation of He I D3 and He I 10 830 Å in small-scale reconnection events.Methods. We used a simulated EB in a Bifrost-generated radiative magnetohydrodynamics snapshot. The resulting He I D3 and He I 10 830 Å line intensities were synthesized in 3D using the non-local thermal equilibrium (non-LTE) Multi3D code. The presence of coronal extreme UV (EUV) radiation was included self-consistently. We compared the synthetic helium spectra with observed raster scans of EBs in He I 10 830 Å and He I D3 obtained at the Swedish Solar Telescope with the TRI-Port Polarimetric Echelle-Littrow Spectrograph.Results. Emission in He I D3 and He I 10 830 Å is formed in a thin shell around the EB at a height of ∼0.8 Mm, while the He I D3 absorption is formed above the EB at ∼4 Mm. The height at which the emission is formed corresponds to the lower boundary of the EB, where the temperature increases rapidly from 6 × 103 K to 106 K. The synthetic line profiles at a heliocentric angle of μ = 0.27 are qualitatively similar to the observed profiles at the same μ-angle in dynamics, broadening, and line shape: emission in the wing and absorption in the line core. The opacity in He I D3 and He I 10 830 Å is generated through photoionization-recombination driven by EUV radiation that is locally generated in the EB at temperatures in the range of 2 × 104 − 2 × 106 K and electron densities between 1011 and 1013 cm−3. The synthetic emission signals are a result of coupling to local conditions in a thin shell around the EB, with temperatures between 7 × 103 and 104 K and electron densities ranging from ∼1012 to 1013 cm−3. This shows that both strong non-LTE and thermal processes play a role in the formation of He I D3 and He I 10 830 Å in the synthetic EB/UV burst that we studied.Conclusions. In conclusion, the synthetic He I D3 and He I 10 830 Å emission signatures are an indicator of temperatures of at least 2 × 104 K; in this case, as high as ∼106 K.
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| 5. |
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| 6. |
- Libbrecht, Tine, et al.
(författare)
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Observations of Ellerman bomb emission features in He I D-3 and He I 10 830 angstrom
- 2017
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 598
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Context. Ellerman bombs (EBs) are short-lived emission features, characterised by extended wing emission in hydrogen Balmer lines. Until now, no distinct signature of EBs has been found in the He I 10 830 angstrom line, and conclusive observations of EBs in He I D-3 have never been reported.Aims. We aim to study the signature of EBs in neutral helium triplet lines. Methods. The observations consisted of ten consecutive SST/TRIPPEL raster scans close to the limb, featuring the H beta, He I D-3 and He I 10 830 angstrom spectral regions. We also obtained raster scans with IRIS and made use of the SDO/AIA 1700 angstrom channel. We used HAZEL to invert the neutral helium triplet lines.Results. Three EBs in our data show distinct emission signatures in neutral helium triplet lines, most prominently visible in the He I D-3 line. The helium lines have two components: a broad and blueshifted emission component associated with the EB, and a narrower absorption component formed in the overlying chromosphere. One of the EBs in our data shows evidence of strong velocity gradients in its emission component. The emission component of the other two EBs could be fitted using a constant slab. Our analysis hints towards thermal Doppler motions having a large contribution to the broadening for helium and IRIS lines. We conclude that the EBs must have high temperatures to exhibit emission signals in neutral helium triplet lines. An order of magnitude estimate places our observed EBs in the range of T similar to 2 x 10(4) 10(5) K.
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| 7. |
- Libbrecht, Tine, 1990-
(författare)
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The diagnostic potential of the He I D3 spectral line in the solar atmosphere
- 2019
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The research question of my PhD is in a way a simple one: what can observations of the He I D3 line teach us about the solar chromosphere? This optical spectral line at 5876 Å is generally formed in the upper chromosphere, and is sensitive to the local magnetic field. The He I D3 line is also indirectly sensitive to heating of the transition region and corona, since it is resulting from a transition that occurs between levels in the triplet system of neutral helium. These levels are generally populated via an ionization-recombination mechanism under the influence of EUV radiation originating in the transition region and corona.The He I D3 line was used as a flare diagnostic in the seventies and in the subsequent decades also to measure magnetic fields in prominences. However, due to the poor spatial resolution and low signal-to-noise of that data, almost exclusively off-limb targets have been studied. The on-disk absorption of He I D3 is very weak and localized. Recent instrumental developments allow for the acquisition of high spatial resolution on-disk spectroscopic and spectro-polarimetric data of He I D3 with different instruments at the SST, opening the possibility of studying all types of targets in the chromosphere in a new light. During my PhD, I have focused on the study of reconnection targets via high-resolution observations of He I D3 with TRIPPEL and CRISP at the SST, in co-observation with space-borne instruments. Subsequently, a theoretical study has aimed at in-depth understanding of He I D3 line formation in small-scale reconnection events.The data which I have obtained and analyzed during my PhD has provided new insights in Ellerman bombs and flares. Our He I D3 observations have suggested that the temperature of Ellerman Bombs is higher than 2×104 K based on the discovery of helium emission signatures in these events. This result is unexpected, since previous modeling in the literature estimates the temperatures of Ellerman Bombs below 104 K. Subsequently, 3D non-LTE radiative transfer calculations have revealed the detailed physical mechanisms to generate He I D3 emission in these events. The calculations also confirmed that temperatures between 2×104 - 106 K are required to populate the helium triplet levels.In the context of flares, we measured strong downflows in the chromosphere via He I D3, revealing detailed dynamics in the deep atmosphere during a flare. Spectro-polarimetry was used to measure the magnetic field during a flare and to propose its magnetic topology. In conclusion, the He I D3 line is an excellent probe for reconnection targets in the solar atmosphere. Detailed dynamics as well as the magnetic field configuration can be derived using the line. Our findings encourage the use of the He I D3 spectral line as a diagnostic for the chromosphere and open up a range of applications that is yet to be exploited.
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| 8. |
- Melandri, A., et al.
(författare)
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The high-redshift gamma-ray burst GRB 140515A A comprehensive X-ray and optical study
- 2015
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 581
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- High-redshift eamma-ray bursts (GRBs) offer several advantages When studying the distant Universe, providing unique information about the structure and properties of the galaxies in which they exploded. Spectroscopic identification with large ground-based telescopes has improved our knowledge of this kind of distant events. We present the multi-wavelength analysis of the high-z S'wift GRB GRB 1.40515A (z = 6.327). The best estimate of the neutral hydrogen fraction of the intergalactic medium towards the burst is X-HI <= 0.002. The spectral absorption lines detected for this event are the weakest lines ever observed in GRB afterglows, suggesting that GRB 140515A exploded in a very low-density environment. Its circtun-burst medium is characterised by an average extinction (A(V) similar to 0.1) that seems to be typical of z >= 6 events. The observed multi-band light curves are explained either with a very hard injected spectrum (p = 1.7) or with a multi-component emission (p = 2.1). In the second case a long-lasting central engine activity is needed in order to explain the late time X-ray emission. The possible origin of GRB 140515A in a Pop III (or in a Pop II star with a local environment enriched by Pop III) massive star is unlikely.
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| 9. |
- Vissers, Gregal J. M., et al.
(författare)
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Dissecting bombs and bursts : non-LTE inversions of low-atmosphere reconnection in SST and IRIS observations
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 627
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Ellerman bombs and UV bursts are transient brightenings that are ubiquitously observed in the lower atmospheres of active and emerging flux regions. As they are believed to pinpoint sites of magnetic reconnection in reconfiguring fields, understanding their occurrence and detailed evolution may provide useful insight into the overall evolution of active regions. Here we present results from inversions of SST / CRISP and CHROMIS, as well as IRIS data of such transient events. Combining information from the Mg ii h& k, Si IV, and Ca II 8542 angstrom and Ca II H & K lines, we aim to characterise their temperature and velocity stratification, as well as their magnetic field configuration. We find average temperature enhancements of a few thousand kelvin, close to the classical temperature minimum and similar to previous studies, but localised peak temperatures of up to 10 000-15 000K from Ca ii inversions. Including Mg ii appears to generally dampen these temperature enhancements to below 8000 K, while Si IV requires temperatures in excess of 10 000K at low heights, but may also be reproduced with secondary temperature enhancements of 35 000-60 000K higher up. However, reproducing Si iv comes at the expense of overestimating the Mg ii emission. The line-of-sight velocity maps show clear bidirectional jet signatures for some events and strong correlation with substructure in the intensity images in general. Absolute line-of-sight velocities range between 5 and 20 km s(-1) on average, with slightly larger velocities towards, rather than away from, the observer. The inverted magnetic field parameters show an enhancement of the horizontal field co-located with the brightenings at heights similar to that of the temperature increase. We are thus able to largely reproduce the observational properties of Ellerman bombs with the UV burst signature (e. g. intensities, profile asymmetries, morphology, and bi-directional jet signatures), with temperature stratifications peaking close to the classical temperature minimum. Correctly modelling the Si IV emission in agreement with all other diagnostics is however an outstanding issue and remains paramount in explaining its apparent coincidence with H alpha emission. Finetuning the approach (accounting for resolution di ff erences, fitting localised temperature enhancements, and / or performing spatially coupled inversions) is likely necessary in order to obtain better agreement between all considered diagnostics.
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| 10. |
- Yadav, Rahul, et al.
(författare)
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Three-dimensional magnetic field structure of a flux-emerging region in the solar atmosphere
- 2019
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Ingår i: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 632
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We analyze high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of a flux-emerging region (FER) in order to understand its magnetic and kinematic structure. Our spectropolarimetric observations in the HeI 10830 angstrom spectral region of a FER were recorded with GRIS at the 1.5 m aperture GREGOR telescope. A Milne-Eddington-based inversion code was employed to extract the photospheric information of the SiI spectral line, whereas the HeI triplet line was analyzed with the Hazel inversion code, which takes into account the joint action of the Hanle and the Zeeman effects. The spectropolarimetric analysis of the SiI line reveals a complex magnetic structure near the vicinity of the FER, where a weak (350-600 G) and horizontal magnetic field was observed. In contrast to the photosphere, the analysis of the HeI triplet presents a smooth variation of the magnetic field vector (ranging from 100 to 400 G) and velocities across the FER. Moreover, we find supersonic downflows of similar to 40 km s(-1) appearing near the foot points of loops connecting two pores of opposite polarity, whereas strong upflows of 22 km s(-1) appear near the apex of the loops. At the location of supersonic downflows in the chromosphere, we observed downflows of 3 km s(-1) in the photosphere. Furthermore, nonforce-free field extrapolations were performed separately at two layers in order to understand the magnetic field topology of the FER. We determine, using extrapolations from the photosphere and the observed chromospheric magnetic field, that the average formation height of the HeI triplet line is similar to 2 Mm from the solar surface. The reconstructed loops using photospheric extrapolations along an arch filament system have a maximum height of similar to 10.5 Mm from the solar surface with a foot-point separation of similar to 19 Mm, whereas the loops reconstructed using chromospheric extrapolations reach around similar to 8.4 Mm above the solar surface with a foot-point separation of similar to 16 Mm at the chromospheric height. The magnetic topology in the FER suggests the presence of small-scale loops beneath the large loops. Under suitable conditions, due to magnetic reconnection, these loops can trigger various heating events in the vicinity of the FER.
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