Issue |
A&A
Volume 489, Number 3, October III 2008
|
|
---|---|---|
Page(s) | L57 - L60 | |
Section | Letters | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:200810719 | |
Published online | 11 September 2008 |
Letter to the Editor
Chromospheric magnetic field and density structure measurements using hard X-rays in a flaring coronal loop
1
Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK e-mail: [eduard;iain]@astro.gla.ac.uk
2
Department of ACE, University of Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK e-mail: alec@astro.gla.ac.uk
Received:
30
July
2008
Accepted:
26
August
2008
Aims. A novel method of using hard X-rays as a diagnostic for chromospheric density and magnetic structures is developed to infer sub-arcsecond vertical variation of magnetic flux tube size and neutral gas density.
Methods. Using Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) X-ray data and the newly developed X-ray visibilities forward fitting technique we find the FWHM and centroid positions of hard X-ray sources with sub-arcsecond resolution (~) for a solar limb flare. We show
that the height variations of the chromospheric density and the magnetic flux densities can be found with an unprecedented vertical resolution of ~150 km by mapping 18-250 keV X-ray emission of energetic electrons propagating in the loop at chromospheric heights of 400-1500 km.
Results. Our observations suggest that the density of the neutral gas is in good agreement with hydrostatic models with a scale height of around 140 ± 30 km. FWHM sizes of the X-ray sources decrease with energy suggesting the expansion (fanning out) of magnetic flux tubes in the
chromosphere with height. The magnetic scale height (dB/dz)-1 is found to be of the order of 300 km and a strong horizontal magnetic field is associated with noticeable flux tube expansion at a height of ~900 km.
Key words: Sun: chromosphere / Sun: flares / Sun: X-rays, gamma rays / Sun: magnetic fields / Sun: activity
© ESO, 2008
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