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- Pietrow, A. G. M., et al.
(author)
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A comparative study of two X2.2 and X9.3 solar flares observed with HARPS-N : Reconciling Sun-as-a-star spectroscopy and high-spatial resolution solar observations in the context of the solar-stellar connection
- 2024
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 682
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Stellar flares cannot be spatially resolved, which complicates ascertaining the physical processes behind particular spectral signatures. Due to their proximity to Earth, solar flares can serve as a stepping stone for understanding their stellar counterparts, especially when using a Sun-as-a-star instrument and in combination with spatially resolved observations.Aims. We aim to understand the disk-integrated spectral behaviors of a confined X2.2 flare and its eruptive X9.3 successor, which had energies of 2.2 × 1031 erg and 9.3 × 1031 erg, respectively, as measured by Sun-as-a-star observations with the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher for the Northern hemisphere (HARPS-N).Methods. The behavior of multiple photospheric (Na D1 & D2, Mg I at 5173 Å, Fe I at 6173 Å, and Mn I at 4031 Å) and chromospheric (Ca II H & K, Hα, Hβ, and He ID3) spectral lines were investigated by means of activity indices and contrast profiles. A number of different photospheric lines were also investigated by means of equivalent widths, and radial velocity measures, which were then related to physical processes directly observed in high-resolution observations made with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board of the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO).Results. Our findings suggest a relationship between the evolving shapes of contrast profile time and the flare locations, which assists in constraining flare locations in disk-integrated observations. In addition, an upward bias was found in flare statistics based on activity indices derived from the Ca II H & K lines. In this case, much smaller flares cause a similar increase in the activity index as that produced by larger flares. Hα-based activity indices do not show this bias and are therefore less susceptible to activity jitter. Sodium line profiles show a strongly asymmetric response during flare activity, which is best captured with a newly defined asymmetrical sodium activity index. A strong flare response was detected in Mn I line profiles, which is unexpected and calls for further exploration. Intensity increases in Hα, Hβ, and certain spectral windows of AIA before the flare onset suggest their potential use as short-term flare predictors.
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- Pietrow, Alexander G. M., 1991-, et al.
(author)
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Center-to-limb variation of spectral lines and continua observed with SST/CRISP and SST/CHROMIS
- 2023
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In: Astronomy and Astrophysics. - : EDP Sciences. - 0004-6361 .- 1432-0746. ; 671
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Context. Observations of center-to-limb variations (CLVs) of spectral lines and continua provide a good test for the accuracy of models with a solar and stellar atmospheric structure and spectral line formation. They are also widely used to constrain elemental abundances, and are becoming increasingly more important in atmospheric studies of exoplanets. However, only a few such data sets exist for chromospheric lines.Aims. We aim to create a set of standard profiles by means of mosaics made with the CRISP and CHROMIS instruments of the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST), as well as to explore the robustness of said profiles obtained using this method.Methods. For each spectral line, we used a mosaic that ranges from the center to the limb. Each of these mosaics were averaged down to 50 individual spectral profiles and spaced by 0.02 in the μ scale. These profiles were corrected for p-mode oscillations, and their line parameters (equivalent width, line shift, full-width at half-maximum, and line depth) were then compared against literature values whenever possible.Results. We present a set of 50 average profiles that are spaced equidistantly along the cosine of the heliocentric angle (μ) by steps of 0.02 for five continuum points between 4001 and 7772 Å, as well as ten of the most commonly observed spectral lines at the SST (Ca II H & K, Ηβ, Mg I 5173 Å, C I 5380 Å, Fe I 6173 Å, Fe I 6301 Å, Ha, O I 7772 Å, and Ca II 8542 Å).Conclusions. The CLV of line profiles and continua are shared in the CDS as machine readable tables, providing a quantitative constraint on theoretical models that aim to model stellar atmospheres.
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