Issue |
A&A
Volume 449, Number 3, April III 2006
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | 1209 - 1218 | |
Section | The Sun | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20054482 | |
Published online | 24 March 2006 |
DOT tomography of the solar atmosphere
VI. Magnetic elements as bright points in the blue wing of H
1
Sterrekundig Instituut, Utrecht University, Postbus 80 000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands e-mail: j.leenaarts@astro.uu.nl
2
Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1029, Blindern, 0315 Oslo, Norway
3
Center of Mathematics for Applications, University of Oslo, PO Box 1053, Blindern, 0316 Oslo, Norway
4
NSO/Sacramento Peak, PO Box 62, Sunspot, NM 88349–0062, USA
Received:
7
November
2005
Accepted:
17
December
2005
High-resolution solar images taken in the blue wing of the Balmer H α line with the Dutch Open Telescope show intergranular magnetic elements as strikingly bright features, similar to, but with appreciably larger contrast over the surrounding granulation than their more familiar manifestation as G-band bright points. Part of this prominent appearance is due to low granular contrast, without granule/lane brightness reversal as, e.g., in the wings of Ca II H & K. We use 1D and 2D radiative transfer modeling and 3D solar convection and magnetoconvection simulations to reproduce and explain the H α wing images. We find that the blue H α wing obeys near-LTE line formation. It appears particularly bright in magnetic elements through low temperature gradients. The granulation observed in the blue wing of H α has low contrast because of the lack of H α opacity in the upper photosphere, Doppler cancellation, and large opacity sensitivity to temperature working against source function sensitivity. We conclude that the blue H α wing represents a promising proxy magnetometer to locate and track isolated intermittent magnetic elements, a better one than the G band and the wings of Ca II H & K although less sharp at given aperture.
Key words: Sun: magnetic fields / Sun: granulation / Sun: photosphere / Sun: chromosphere
© ESO, 2006
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