MHD wave transmission in the Sun’s atmosphere

¹ Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Roma “Tor Vergata”, via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, 00133 Rome, Italy
e-mail: marco.stangalini@roma2.infn.it
² University of Hawai’i, Institute for Astronomy, 34 “Ohi”a Ku St. Pukalani, Hawaii 96768-8288, USA

Received: 27 May 2011
Accepted: 20 August 2011

Abstract

Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) wave propagation inside the Sun’s atmosphere is closely related to the magnetic field topology. For example, magnetic fields are able to lower the cutoff frequency for acoustic waves, thus allowing the propagation of waves that would otherwise be trapped below the photosphere into the upper atmosphere. In addition, MHD waves can be either transmitted or converted into other forms of waves at altitudes where the sound speed equals the Alfvén speed. We take advantage of the large field-of-view provided by the IBIS experiment to study the wave propagation at two heights in the solar atmosphere, which is probed using the photospheric Fe 617.3 nm spectral line and the chromospheric Ca 854.2 nm spectral line, and its relationship to the local magnetic field. Among other things, we find substantial leakage of waves with five-minute periods in the chromosphere at the edges of a pore and in the diffuse magnetic field surrounding it. By using spectropolarimetric inversions of Hinode SOT/SP data, we also find a relationship between the photospheric power spectrum and the magnetic field inclination angle. In particular, we identify well-defined transmission peaks around 25° for five-minute waves and around 15° for three-minute waves. We propose a very simple model based on wave transmission theory to explain this behavior. Finally, our analysis of both the power spectra and chromospheric amplification spectra suggests the presence of longitudinal acoustic waves along the magnetic field lines.