Issue |
A&A
Volume 518, July-August 2010
Herschel: the first science highlights
|
|
---|---|---|
Article Number | A3 | |
Number of page(s) | 4 | |
Section | The Sun | |
DOI | https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/201014374 | |
Published online | 18 August 2010 |
Research Note
Milne-Eddington inversion of the Fe I line pair at 630 nm
1
National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, 2-21-1 Osawa,
Mitaka, Tokyo 181-8588, Japan e-mail: d.orozco@nao.ac.jp
2
Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía (CSIC), Apdo. Correos 3004, 18080 Granada, Spain
Received:
8
March
2010
Accepted:
26
May
2010
Context. The iron lines at 630.15 and 630.25 nm are often used to determine the physical conditions of the solar photosphere. A common approach is to invert them simultaneously under the Milne-Eddington approximation. The same thermodynamic parameters are employed for the two lines, except for their opacities, which are assumed to have a constant ratio.
Aims. We aim at investigating the validity of this assumption, since the two lines are not exactly the same.
Methods. We use magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the quiet Sun to examine the behavior of the ME thermodynamic parameters and their influence on the retrieval of vector magnetic fields and flow velocities.
Results. Our analysis shows that the two lines can be coupled and inverted simultaneously using the same thermodynamic parameters and a constant opacity ratio. The inversion of two lines is significantly more accurate than single-line inversions because of the larger number of observables.
Key words: radiative transfer / polarization / line: profiles / Sun: surface magnetism / Sun: photosphere / methods: data analysis
© ESO, 2010
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