Issue |
A&A
Volume 424, Number 1, September II 2004
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 279 - 288 | |
Section | The Sun | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20035794 | |
Published online | 17 August 2004 |
The role of chromospheric mottles in the mass balance and heating of the solar atmosphere
1
National Observatory of Athens, Institute for Space Applications and Remote Sensing, Lofos Koufos, 15236 Palea Penteli, Greece e-mail: georgia@space.noa.gr
2
Sterrekunding Instituut, Utrecht University, Postbus 80000, 3508 TA, The Netherlands e-mail: K.Tziotziou@astro.uu.nl
Received:
3
December
2003
Accepted:
12
May
2004
High-resolution observations of a solar region
containing several mottles are analyzed. Mottles constitute the
fine structure of the quiet solar chromosphere and are found at
the boundaries of the network cells, where the magnetic field is
mostly concentrated. The driving mechanism for mottles (as well as
for spicules) is suggested to be magnetic flux cancellation which
most likely involves magnetic reconnection. Magnetic reconnection
explains the observed bi-directional flows and, furthermore,
allows conversion of part of magnetic energy to heat. We estimate
several physical parameters of mottles and report a detailed
analysis of their temporal variations. We then consider their
impact on the mass balance and the heating of the solar
atmosphere. We find that less than 1% of the mass flux injected
by these structures into the corona expands outward as solar wind.
The major fraction of this flux returns back to the chromosphere
and provides an explanation for the red-shifts observed in the
transition region spectral lines. The energy released by magnetic
dissipation is quantified in terms of different energy components.
Using typical values for the parameters of these structures it is
found that they can provide ~20% to the energy budget of the
solar corona, but only a small part of it goes to heating. This
percentage, as well as the part of the energy that goes to
heating, can be lower or higher depending on the relative
frequency of these events and on their upward velocity. On the
other hand, if one assumes that all the potential energy of the
downflowing material is converted to heat the amount supplied to
the chromosphere is really negligible.
Key words: Sun: chromosphere / methods: data analysis
© ESO, 2004
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