Investigating the role of plasma topography on chromospheric oscillations observed by TRACE

¹ European Space Agency, Research and Scientific Support Department, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20772, USA
² High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research (The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.) , PO Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307, USA

Corresponding author: S. W. McIntosh, scott@esa.nascom.nasa.gov

Received: 10 February 2003
Accepted: 15 April 2003

Abstract

We present the results of an investigation into the interaction of the topographic structure of the solar chromospheric plasma with the wave modes manifesting themselves in the UV continua formed there. We show that there is a distinct correlation between the inferred plasma topography, the phase-differences between and suppression of oscillations in different levels of the solar atmosphere. We interpret these factors as evidence of interaction between the oscillations and the extended magnetic “canopy”. This work is based on the analysis of joint observations made by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft and the Transition Region and Coronal Explorer (TRACE).