arXiv subjects

Jorrit Leenaarts

Publications and source records attributed to Jorrit Leenaarts.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Recent advancements in the EST project

The European Solar Telescope (EST) is a project of a new-generation solar telescope. It has a large aperture of 4~m, which is necessary for achieving high spatial and temporal resolution. The high polarimetric sensitivity of the EST will allow to measure the magnetic field in the solar atmosphere with unprecedented precision. Here, we summarise the recent advancements in the realisation of the EST project regarding the hardware development and the refinement of the science requirements.

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arXiv2018

Chromospheric observations and magnetic configuration of a supergranular structure

Unipolar magnetic regions are often associated with supergranular cells. The chromosphere above these regions is regulated by the magnetic field, but the field structure is poorly known. In unipolar regions, the fibrillar arrangement does not always coincide with magnetic field lines, and polarimetric observations are needed to establish the chromospheric magnetic topology. In an active region close to the limb, we observed a unipolar annular network of supergranular size. This supergranular structure harbours a radial distribution of the fibrils converging towards its centre. We observed this structure at different heights by taking data in the FeI 6301-6302 Å, H-α, CaII 8542 Å and the CaII H&K spectral lines with the CRISP and CHROMIS instruments at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. We performed Milne-Eddington inversions of the spectropolarimetric data of FeI and applied the weak field approximation to CaII 8542 Å data to retrieve the magnetic field in the photosphere and chromosphere. We used magnetograms of CRISP, HINODE/SP and HMI to calculate the magnetic flux. We investigated the velocity using the line-of-sight velocities computed from the Milne-Eddington inversion and from Doppler shift of the K$_3$ feature in the CaII K spectral line. To describe the typical spectral profiles characterising the chromosphere above the supergranular structure, we performed a K-mean clustering of the spectra in CaIIK. The photospheric magnetic flux is not balanced. The magnetic field vector at chromospheric heights, retrieved by the weak field approximation, indicates that the field lines within the supegranular cell tend to point inwards, and might form a canopy above the unipolar region. In the centre of the supergranular cell hosting the unipolar region, we observe a persistent chromospheric brightening coinciding with a strong gradient in the line-of-sight velocity.

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arXiv2018

Temperature constraints from inversions of synthetic solar optical, UV and radio spectra

High-resolution observations of the solar chromosphere at millimeter wavelengths are now possible with the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), promising to tackle many open problems in solar physics. Observations from other ground and space-based telescopes will greatly benefit from coordinated endeavors with ALMA, yet the diagnostic potential of combined optical, ultraviolet and mm observations has remained mostly unassessed. In this paper we investigate whether mm-wavelengths could aid current inversion schemes to retrieve a more accurate representation of the temperature structure of the solar atmosphere. We performed several non-LTE inversion experiments of the emergent spectra from a snapshot of 3D radiation-MHD simulation. We included common line diagnostics such as CaII H, K, 8542 Å$\,$ and MgII h and k, taking into account partial frequency redistribution effects, along with the continuum around 1.2 mm and 3 mm. We found that including the mm-continuum in inversions allows a more accurate inference of temperature as function of optical depth. The addition of ALMA bands to other diagnostics should improve the accuracy of the inferred chromospheric temperatures between $\log τ\sim[-6,-4.5]$ where the CaII and MgII lines are weakly coupled to the local conditions. However, we found that simultaneous multi-atom, non-LTE inversions of optical and UV lines present equally strong constraints in the lower chromosphere and thus are not greatly improved by the 1.2 mm band. Nonetheless, the 3 mm band is still needed to better constrain the mid-upper chromosphere.

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arXiv2018

Tracing the evolution of radiation-MHD simulations of solar and stellar atmospheres in the Lagrangrian frame

Context: Radiation-MHD simulations have become a standard tool to investigate the physics of solar and stellar atmospheres. Aims: The aim of this paper to present a method that allows efficient and accurate analysis of flows in such simulations in the Lagrangian frame. Methods: This paper presents a method that allows the construction of pathlines given a seed point that can be chosen freely at any location and at any time during the simulation where the simulation state is stored. The method is based on passive tracer particles. Through injection of particles in expanding regions the occurrence of particle-free volumes is avoided, even in the case of strongly compressive flows. Results:The method was implemented in the solar and stellar atmosphere simulation code Bifrost. It is efficient and accurate. As examples I present an analysis of a gas parcel in the convection zone and a particle in the solar transition region.}

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arXiv2017

Three-dimensional modeling of the Ca II H&K lines in the solar atmosphere

CHROMIS, a new imaging spectrometer at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST), can observe the chromosphere in the H and K lines of Ca II at high spatial and spectral resolution. Accurate modeling as well as an understanding of the formation of these lines are needed to interpret the SST/CHROMIS observations. Such modeling is computationally challenging because these lines are influenced by strong departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium, three-dimensional radiative transfer, and partially coherent resonance scattering of photons. We aim to model the CaII H&K lines in 3D model atmospheres to understand their formation and to investigate their diagnostic potential for probing the chromosphere. We model the synthetic spectrum of Ca II using the radiative transfer code Multi3D in three different radiation-magnetohydrodynamic model atmospheres computed with the Bifrost code. We classify synthetic intensity profiles according to their shapes and study how their features are related to the physical properties in the model atmospheres. We investigate whether the synthetic data reproduce the observed spatially-averaged line shapes, center-to-limb variation and compare with SST/CHROMIS images. The spatially-averaged synthetic line profiles show too low central emission peaks, and too small separation between the peaks. The trends of the observed center-to-limb variation of the profiles properties are reproduced by the models. The Ca II H&K line profiles provide a temperature diagnostic of the temperature minimum and the temperature at the formation height of the emission peaks. The Doppler shift of the central depression is an excellent probe of the velocity in the upper chromosphere.

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arXiv2017

On chromospheric heating during flux emergence in the solar atmosphere

Context. The radiative losses in the solar chromosphere vary from 4~kW~m$^{-2}$ in the quiet Sun, to 20~kW~m$^{-2}$ in active regions. The mechanisms that transport non-thermal energy to and deposit it in the chromosphere are still not understood. Aims. We aim to investigate the atmospheric structure and heating of the solar chromosphere in an emerging flux region. Methods. We use observations taken with the CHROMIS and CRISP instruments on the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope in the Ca II K, Ca II 854.2 nm, H$α$, and Fe I 630.1 nm and 630.2 nm lines. We analyse the various line profiles and in addition perform multi-line, multi-species, non-Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (non-LTE) inversions to estimate the spatial and temporal variation of the chromospheric structure. Results. We investigate which spectral features of Ca II K contribute to the frequency-integrated Ca II K brightness, which we use as a tracer of chromospheric radiative losses. The majority of the radiative losses are not associated with localized high-Ca II K-brightness events, but instead with a more gentle, spatially extended, and persistent heating. The frequency-integrated Ca II K brightness correlates strongly with the total linear polarization in the Ca II 854.2 nm line, while the Ca II K profile shapes indicate that the bulk of the radiative losses occur in the lower chromosphere. Non-LTE inversions indicate a transition from heating concentrated around photospheric magnetic elements below $\log{τ_{500}} =-3$ to a more space-filling and time-persistent heating above $\log{τ_{500}} =-4$. The inferred gas temperature at $\log{τ_{500}} =-3.8$ correlates strongly with the total linear polarization in the Ca II 854.2 nm line, suggesting that that the heating rate correlates with the strength of the horizontal magnetic field in the low chromosphere.

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arXiv2017

The chromosphere above a $δ$-sunspot in the presence of fan-shaped jets

$δ$-sunspots are known to be favourable locations for fast and energetic events like flares and CMEs. The photosphere of this type of sunspots has been thoroughly investigated in the past three decades. The atmospheric conditions in the chromosphere are not so well known, however. his study is focused on the chromosphere of a $δ$-sunspot that harbours a series of fan-shaped jets in its penumbra . The aim of this study is to establish the magnetic field topology and the temperature distribution in the presence of jets in the photosphere and the chromosphere. We use data from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) and the Solar Dynamics Observatory. We invert the spectropolarimetric FeI 6302~Å and CaII ~8542~Å data from the SST using the the non-LTE inversion code NICOLE to estimate the magnetic field configuration, temperature and velocity structure in the chromosphere. A loop-like magnetic structure is observed to emerge in the penumbra of the sunspot. The jets are launched from the loop-like structure. Magnetic reconnection between this emerging field and the pre-existing vertical field is suggested by hot plasma patches on the interface between the two fields. The height at which the reconnection takes place is located between $\log τ_{500} = -2$ and $\log τ_{500} = -3$. The magnetic field vector and the atmospheric temperature maps show a stationary configuration during the whole observation.

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arXiv2017

The Formation of IRIS Diagnostics. IX. The Formation of the C I 135.58 Line in the Solar Atmosphere

The C I 135.58 line is located in the wavelength range of NASA's Interface Region Imagin Spectrograph (IRIS) small explorer mission. We here study the formation and diagnostic potential of this line by means of non local-thermodynamic-equilibrium modeling, employing both 1D and 3D radiation-magnetohydrodynamic models. The C I/C II ionization balance is strongly influenced by photoionization by Ly-alpha emission. The emission in the C I 135.58 line is dominated by a recombination cascade and the line forming region is optically thick. The Doppler shift of the line correlates strongly with the vertical velocity in its line forming region, which is typically located at 1.5 Mm height. With IRIS the C I 135.58 line is usually observed together with the O I 135.56 line, and from the Doppler shift of both lines, we obtain the velocity difference between the line forming regions of the two lines. From the ratio of the C I/O I line core intensity, we can determine the distance between the C I and the O I forming layers. Combined with the velocity difference, the velocity gradient at mid-chromospheric heights can be derived. The C I/O I total intensity line ratio is correlated with the inverse of the electron density in the mid-chromosphere. We conclude that the C I 135.58 line is an excellent probe of the middle chromosphere by itself, and together with the O I 135.56 line the two lines provide even more information, which complements other powerful chromospheric diagnostics of IRIS such as the Mg II h and k lines and the C II lines around 133.5 nm.

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arXiv2017

Bombs and flares at the surface and lower atmosphere of the Sun

A spectacular manifestation of solar activity is the appearance of transient brightenings in the far wings of the H$α$ line, known as Ellerman bombs (EBs). Recent observations obtained by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) have revealed another type of plasma "bombs" (UV bursts) with high temperatures of perhaps up to $8\times 10^4$ K within the cooler lower solar atmosphere. Realistic numerical modeling showing such events is needed to explain their nature. Here, we report on 3D radiative magneto-hydrodynamic simulations of magnetic flux emergence in the solar atmosphere. We find that ubiquitous reconnection between emerging bipolar magnetic fields can trigger EBs in the photosphere, UV bursts in the mid/low chromosphere and small (nano-/micro-) flares ($10^6$ K) in the upper chromosphere. These results provide new insights on the emergence and build up of the coronal magnetic field and the dynamics and heating of the solar surface and lower atmosphere.

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arXiv2017

Numerical non-LTE 3D radiative transfer using a multigrid method

3D non-LTE radiative transfer problems are computationally demanding, and this sets limits on the size of the problems that can be solved. So far Multilevel Accelerated Lambda Iteration (MALI) has been to the method of choice to perform high-resolution computations in multidimensional problems. The disadvantage of MALI is that its computing time scales as $\mathcal{O}(n^2)$, with $n$ the number of grid points. When the grid gets finer, the computational cost increases quadratically. We aim to develop a 3D non-LTE radiative transfer code that is more efficient than MALI. We implement a non-linear multigrid, fast approximation storage scheme, into the existing Multi3D radiative transfer code. We verify our multigrid implementation by comparing with MALI computations. We show that multigrid can be employed in realistic problems with snapshots from 3D radiative-MHD simulations as input atmospheres. With multigrid, we obtain a factor 3.3-4.5 speedup compared to MALI. With full-multigrid the speed-up increases to a factor 6. The speedup is expected to increase for input atmospheres with more grid points and finer grid spacing. Solving 3D non-LTE radiative transfer problems using non-linear multigrid methods can be applied to realistic atmospheres with a substantial speed-up.

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arXiv2016

Observations of Ellerman bomb emission features in He I D3 and He I 10830 Å

Context. Ellerman bombs (EBs) are short-lived emission features, characterized by extended wing emission in hydrogen Balmer lines. Until now, no distinct signature of EBs has been found in the He I 10830 Å line, and conclusive observations of EBs in He I D 3 have never been reported. Aims. We aim to study the signature of EBs in neutral helium triplet lines. Methods. The observations consist of 10 consecutive SST/TRIPPEL raster scans close to the limb, featuring the H$β$, He I D3 and He I 10830 Å spectral regions. We also obtained raster scans with IRIS and make use of the SDO/AIA 1700 Å channel. We use Hazel to invert the neutral helium triplet lines. Results. Three EBs in our data show distinct emission signatures in neutral helium triplet lines, most prominently visible in the He I D3 line. The helium lines have two components: a broad and blue-shifted emission component associated with the EB, and a narrower absorption component formed in the overlying chromosphere. One of the EBs in our data shows evidence of strong velocity gradients in its emission component. The emission component of the other two EBs could be fitted using a constant slab. Our analysis hints towards thermal Doppler motions having a large contribution to the broadening for helium and IRIS lines. We conclude that the EBs must have high temperatures to exhibit emission signals in neutral helium triplet lines. An order of magnitude estimate places our observed EBs in the range of $T\sim 2\cdot 10^4-10^5$ K.

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arXiv2016

Formation of the helium EUV resonance lines

Context: While classical models successfully reproduce intensities of many transition region lines, they predict helium EUV line intensities roughly an order of magnitude lower than the observed value. Aims: To determine the relevant formation mechanism(s) of the helium EUV resonance lines, capable of explaining the high intensities under quiet sun conditions. Methods: We synthesise and study the emergent spectra from a 3D radiation-magnetohydrodynamics simulation model. The effects of coronal illumination and non-equilibrium ionisation of hydrogen and helium are included self-consistently in the numerical simulation. Results: Radiative transfer calculations result in helium EUV line intensities that are an order of magnitude larger than the intensities calculated under the classical assumptions. The enhanced intensity of He I 584 is primarily caused by He II recombination cascades. The enhanced intensity of He II 304 and He II 256 is caused primarily by non-equilibrium helium ionisation. Conclusion: The analysis shows that the long standing problem of the high helium EUV line intensities disappears when taking into account optically thick radiative transfer and non-equilibrium ionisation effects.

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arXiv2016

Non-LTE inversions of the Mg II h&k and UV triplet lines

The Mg II h&k lines are powerful diagnostics for studying the solar chromosphere. They have become particularly popular with the launch of the IRIS satellite, and a number of studies that include these lines have lead to great progress in understanding chromospheric heating, in many cases thanks to the support from 3D MHD simulations. In this study we utilize another approach to analyze observations: non-LTE inversions of the Mg II h&k and UV triplet lines including the effects of partial redistribution. Our inversion code attempts to construct a model atmosphere that is compatible with the observed spectra. We have assessed the capabilities and limitations of the inversions using the FALC atmosphere and a snapshot from a 3D radiation-MHD simulation. We find that Mg II h&k allow reconstructing a model atmosphere from the middle photosphere to the transition region. We have also explored the capabilities of a multi-line/multi-atom setup, including the Mg II h&k, the Ca II 854.2 nm and the Fe I 630.25 lines to recover the full stratification of physical parameters, including the magnetic field vector, from the photosphere to the chromosphere. Finally, we present the first inversions of observed IRIS spectra from quiet-Sun, plage and sunspot, with very promising results.

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arXiv2016

3D NLTE analysis of the most iron-deficient star, SMSS0313-6708

Models of star formation in the early universe depend on the details of accretion, fragmentation and radiative feedback. Different simulations predict different initial mass functions of the first stars, ranging from predominantly low mass (0.1-10 Msol), to massive (10-100 Msol), or even supermassive (100-1000 Msol). The mass distribution of the first stars should lead to unique chemical imprints on the low-mass second and later generation metal-poor stars still in existence. The chemical composition of SMSS0313-6708, which has the lowest abundances of Ca and Fe of any star known, indicates it was enriched by a single massive supernova. However, even weak spectral lines may be affected by strong 3D and NLTE effects in metal-poor stars. If these effects are ignored or treated incorrectly, errors in the inferred abundances may significantly bias the inferred properties of the polluting supernovae. We redetermine the chemical composition of SMSS0313-6708 using 3D NLTE radiative transfer to obtain accurate abundances for Li, Na, Mg, Al, Ca and Fe. The model atoms employ realistic collisional rates, with no calibrated free parameters. We find significantly higher abundances in 3D NLTE than 1D LTE by 0.8 dex for Fe, and 0.5 dex for Mg, Al and Ca, while Li and Na are unaffected to within 0.03 dex. In particular, our upper limit for [Fe/H] is now a factor ten larger, at [Fe/H] < -6.53 (3 sigma), than previous estimates based on <3D> NLTE (i.e. using averaged 3D models). This higher estimate is due to a conservative upper limit estimation, updated NLTE data, and 3D-<3D> NLTE differences, all of which lead to a higher abundance determination. We find that the revised chemical composition of SMSS0313-6708 matches supernova yields for massive progenitors of 20-60 Msol exploding with low energies (1-2 x 10^51 erg), as well as progenitors of 10 Msol with very low explosion energies (< 10^51 erg).

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arXiv2016

The cause of spatial structure in solar He I 1083 nm multiplet images

Context. The He i 1083 nm is a powerful diagnostic for inferring properties of the upper solar chromosphere, in particular for the magnetic field. The basic formation of the line in one-dimensional models is well understood, but the influence of the complex 3D structure of the chromosphere and corona has however never been investigated. This structure must play an essential role because images taken in He i 1083 nm show structures with widths down to 100 km. Aims. To understand the effect of the three-dimensional temperature and density structure in the solar atmosphere on the formation of the He i 1083 nm line. Methods. We solve the non-LTE radiative transfer problem assuming statistical equilibrium for a simple 9-level helium atom that nevertheless captures all essential physics. As a model atmosphere we use a snapshot from a 3D radiation-MHD simulation computed with the Bifrost code. Ionising radiation from the corona is self-consistently taken into account. Results. The emergent intensity in the He i 1083 nm is set by the source function and the opacity in the upper chromosphere. The former is dominated by scattering of photospheric radiation and does not vary much with spatial location. The latter is determined by the photonionisation rate in the He i ground state continuum, as well as the electron density in the chromosphere. The spatial variation of the flux of ionising radiation is caused by the spatially-structured emissivity of the ionising photons from material at T = 100 kK in the transition region. The hotter coronal material produces more ionising photons, but the resulting radiation field is smooth and does not lead to small-scale variation of the UV flux. The corrugation of the transition region further increases the spatial variation of the amount of UV radiation in the chromosphere.

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arXiv2016

Partial redistribution in 3D non-LTE radiative transfer in solar atmosphere models

Resonance spectral lines such as H I Ly α, Mg II h&k, and Ca II H&K that form in the solar chromosphere are influenced by the effects of 3D radiative transfer as well as partial redistribution (PRD). So far no one has modeled these lines including both effects simultaneously owing to the high computing demands of existing algorithms. Such modeling is however indispensable for accurate diagnostics of the chromosphere. We present a computationally tractable method to treat PRD scattering in 3D model atmospheres using a 3D non-LTE radiative transfer code. To make the method memory-friendly, we use the hybrid approximation of Leenaarts et al. (2012) for the redistribution integral. To make it fast, we use linear interpolation on equidistant frequency grids. We verify our algorithm against computations with the RH code and analyze it for stability, convergence, and usefulness of acceleration using model atoms of Mg II with the h&k lines and H I with the Ly α line treated in PRD. A typical 3D PRD solution can be obtained in a model atmosphere with $252 \times 252 \times 496$ coordinate points in 50 000--200 000 CPU hours, which is a factor ten slower than computations assuming complete redistribution. We illustrate the importance of the joint action of PRD and 3D effects for the Mg II h&k lines for disk-center intensities as well as the center-to-limb variation. The proposed method allows simulating PRD lines in time series of radiation-MHD models in order to interpret observations of chromospheric lines at high spatial resolution.

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arXiv2016

Fan-shaped jets above the light bridge of a sunspot driven by reconnection

We report on a fan-shaped set of high-speed jets above a strongly magnetized light bridge (LB) of a sunspot observed in the H$α$ line. We study the origin, dynamics and thermal properties of the jets using high-resolution imaging spectroscopy in H$α$ from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope and data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory and Hinode. The H$α$ jets have lengths of 7-38 Mm, are impulsively accelerated to a speed of $\sim 100$ km/s close to photospheric footpoints in the LB, and exhibit a constant deceleration consistent with solar effective gravity. They are predominantly launched from one edge of the light bridge, and their footpoints appear bright in the H$α$ wings. AIA data indicates elongated brightenings that are nearly co-spatial with the H$α$ jets. We interpret them as jets of at least transition region temperatures. The magnetic field in the light bridge has a strength of $0.8-2$ kG and it is nearly horizontal. All jet properties are consistent with magnetic reconnection as the driver.

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arXiv2015

Non-equilibrium helium ionization in an MHD simulation of the solar atmosphere

The ionization state of the gas in the dynamic solar chromosphere can depart strongly from the instantaneous statistical equilibrium commonly assumed in numerical modeling. We improve on earlier simulations of the solar atmosphere that only included non-equilbrium hydrogen ionization by performing a 2D radiation-magneto-hydrodynamics simulation featuring non-equilibrium ionization of both hydrogen and helium. The simulation includes the effect of hydrogen Lyman-$α$ and the EUV radiation from the corona on the ionization and heating of the atmosphere. Details on code implementation are given. We obtain helium ion fractions that are far from their equilibrium values. Comparison with models with LTE ionization shows that non-equilibrium helium ionization leads to higher temperatures in wave fronts and lower temperatures in the gas between shocks. Assuming LTE ionization results in a thermostat-like behaviour with matter accumulating around the temperatures where the LTE ionization fractions change rapidly. Comparison of DEM curves computed from our models shows that non-equilibrium ionization leads to more radiating material in the temperature range 11-18 kK compared to models with LTE helium ionization. We conclude that non-equilbrium helium ionization is important for the dynamics and thermal structure of the upper chromosphere and transition region. It might also help resolve the problem that intensities of chromospheric lines computed from current models are smaller than those observed.

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