arXiv subjects

M. Mathioudakis

Publications and source records attributed to M. Mathioudakis.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Stellar Surface Magneto-Convection as a Source of Astrophysical Noise II. Center-to-Limb Parameterisation of Absorption Line Profiles and Comparison to Observations

Manifestations of stellar activity (such as star-spots, plage/faculae, and convective flows) are well known to induce spectroscopic signals often referred to as astrophysical noise by exoplanet hunters. For example, setting an ultimate goal of detecting true Earth-analogs demands reaching radial velocity (RV) precisions of ~9 cm/s. While this is becoming technically feasible with the latest generation of highly stabilised spectrographs, it is astrophysical noise that sets the true fundamental barrier on attainable RV precisions. In this paper we parameterise the impact of solar surface magneto-convection on absorption line profiles, and extend the analysis from the solar disc centre (Paper I) to the solar limb. Off disc-centre, the plasma flows orthogonal to the granule tops begin to lie along the line-of-sight and those parallel to the granule tops are no longer completely aligned with the observer. Moreover, the granulation is corrugated and the granules can block other granules, as well as the intergranular lane components. Overall, the visible plasma flows and geometry of the corrugated surface significantly impact the resultant line profiles and induce centre-to-limb variations in shape and net position. We detail these herein, and compare to various solar observations. We find our granulation parameterisation can recreate realistic line profiles and induced radial velocity shifts, across the stellar disc, indicative of both those found in computationally heavy radiative 3D magnetohydrodynamical simulations and empirical solar observations.

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arXiv2018

Spectropolarimetric inversions of the Ca ii 8542 Å line in a M-class solar flare

We study the M1.9 class solar flare SOL2015-09-27T10:40 UT using high-resolution full-Stokes imaging spectropolarimetry of the Ca ii 8542 Å line obtained with the CRISP imaging spectropolarimeter at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. Spectropolarimetric inversions using the non-LTE code NICOLE are used to construct semi-empirical models of the flaring atmosphere to investigate the structure and evolution of the flare temperature and magnetic field. A comparison of the temperature stratification in flaring and non-flaring areas reveals strong heating of the flare ribbon during the flare peak. The polarization signals of the ribbon in the chromosphere during the flare maximum become stronger when compared to its surroundings and to pre- and post- flare profiles. Furthermore, a comparison of the response functions to perturbations in the line-of-sight magnetic field and temperature in flaring and non-flaring atmospheres shows that during the flare the Ca ii 8542 Å line is more sensitive to the lower atmosphere where the magnetic field is expected to be stronger. The chromospheric magnetic field was also determined with the weak-field approximation which led to results similar to those obtained with the NICOLE inversions.

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arXiv2018

First Evidence of the Frequency Filtering of Magnetoacoustic Waves in the Flaring Star EK Dra

Using the data obtained from XMM-Newton, we show the gradual evolution of two periodicities of ~4500 s and ~2200 s in the decay phase of the flare observed in a solar analog EK Dra. The longer period evolves firstly for first 14 ks, while the shorter period evolves for next 10 ks in the decay phase. We find that these two periodicities are associated with the magnetoacoustic waves triggered in the flaring region. The flaring loop system shows cooling and thus it is subjected to the change in the scale height and the acoustic cut-off period. This serves to filter the longer period magnetoacoustic waves and enables the propagation of the shorter period waves in the later phase of the flare. We provide the first clues of the dynamic behaviour of EK Dra's corona which affects the propagation of waves and causes their filtering.

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arXiv2018

Penumbral Waves driving Solar chromospheric fan-shaped jets

We use H$α$ imaging spectroscopy taken via the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) to investigate the occurrence of fan-shaped jets at the solar limb. We show evidence for near-simultaneous photospheric reconnection at a sunspot edge leading to the jets appearance, with upward velocities of 30\ks, and extensions up to 8~Mm. The brightening at the base of the jets appears recurrent, with a periodicity matching that of the nearby sunspot penumbra, implying running penumbral waves could be the driver of the jets. The jets' constant extension velocity implies that a driver counteracting solar gravity exists, possibly as a result of the recurrent reconnection erupting material into the chromosphere. These jets also show signatures in higher temperature lines captured from the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), indicating a very hot jet front, leaving behind optically thick cool plasma in its wake.

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arXiv2017

X-ray line coincidence photopumping in a solar flare

Line coincidence photopumping is a process where the electrons of an atomic or molecular species are radiatively excited through the absorption of line emission from another species at a coincident wavelength. There are many instances of line coincidence photopumping in astrophysical sources at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths, with the most famous example being Bowen fluorescence (pumping of O III 303.80 A by He II), but none to our knowledge in X-rays. However, here we report on a scheme where a He-like line of Ne IX at 11.000 A is photopumped by He-like Na X at 11.003 A, which predicts significant intensity enhancement in the Ne IX 82.76 A transition under physical conditions found in solar flare plasmas. A comparison of our theoretical models with published X-ray observations of a solar flare obtained during a rocket flight provides evidence for line enhancement, with the measured degree of enhancement being consistent with that expected from theory, a truly surprising result. Observations of this enhancement during flares on stars other than the Sun would provide a powerful new diagnostic tool for determining the sizes of flare loops in these distant, spatially-unresolved, astronomical sources.

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arXiv2017

Spectroscopic inversions of the Ca ii 8542 Å line in a C-class solar flare

We study the C8.4 class solar flare SOL2016-05-14T11:34 UT using high-resolution spectral imaging in the Ca ii 8542 Å line obtained with the CRISP imaging spectropolarimeter on the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. Spectroscopic inversions of the Ca ii 8542 Å line using the non-LTE code NICOLE are used to investigate the evolution of the temperature and velocity structure in the flare chromosphere. A comparison of the temperature stratification in flaring and non-flaring areas reveals strong footpoint heating during the flare peak in the lower atmosphere. The temperature of the flaring footpoints between continuum optical depth at 500~nm, $\mathrm{log~τ_{500}~\approx -2.5~and~ -3.5}$ is $\mathrm{\sim5-6.5~kK}$, close to the flare peak, reducing gradually to $\mathrm{\sim5~kK}$. The temperature in the middle and upper chromosphere, between $\mathrm{log~τ_{500} \approx - 3.5~and~- 5.5}$, is estimated to be $\mathrm{\sim6.5 - 20~kK}$, decreasing to pre-flare temperatures, $\mathrm{\sim5 - 10~kK}$, after approximately 15 minutes. However, the temperature stratification of the non-flaring areas is unchanged. The inverted velocity fields show that the flaring chromosphere is dominated by weak downflowing condensations at the Ca ii 8542 Å formation height.

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arXiv2017

IRIS Burst Spectra Co-Spatial To A Quiet-Sun Ellerman-Like Brightening

Ellerman bombs (EBs) have been widely studied over the past two decades; however, only recently have counterparts of these events been observed in the quiet-Sun. The aim of this article is to further understand small-scale quiet-Sun Ellerman-like brightenings (QSEBs) through research into their spectral signatures, including investigating whether the hot signatures associated with some EBs are also visible co-spatial to any QSEBs. We combine H$α$ and Ca II $8542$ Å line scans at the solar limb with spectral and imaging data sampled by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). Twenty one QSEBs were identified with average lifetimes, lengths, and widths measured to be around $120$ s, $0.63$", and $0.35$", respectively. Three of these QSEBs displayed clear repetitive flaring through their lifetimes, comparable to the behaviour of EBs in Active Regions (ARs). Two QSEBs in this sample occurred co-spatial with increased emission in SDO/AIA $1600$ Å and IRIS slit-jaw imager $1400$ Å data, however, these intensity increases were smaller than reported co-spatial to EBs. One QSEB was also sampled by the IRIS slit during its lifetime, displaying increases in intensity in the Si IV $1393$ Å and Si IV $1403$ Å cores as well as the C II and Mg II line wings, analogous to IRIS bursts (IBs). Using RADYN simulations, we are unable to reproduce the observed QSEB H$α$ and Ca II $8542$ Å line profiles leaving the question of the temperature stratification of QSEBs open. Our results imply that some QSEBs could be heated to Transition Region temperatures, suggesting that IB profiles should be observed throughout the quiet-Sun.

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arXiv2017

Chromospheric Inversions of a Micro-flaring Region

We use spectropolarimetric observations of the Ca II 8542~Å line, taken from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST), in an attempt to recover dynamic activity in a micro-flaring region near a sunspot via inversions. These inversions show localized mean temperature enhancements of $\sim$1000~K in the chromosphere and upper photosphere, along with co-spatial bi-directional Doppler shifting of 5 - 10 km s$^{-1}$. This heating also extends along a nearby chromospheric fibril, co-spatial to 10 - 15 km s$^{-1}$ down-flows. Strong magnetic flux cancellation is also apparent in one of the footpoints, concentrated in the chromosphere. This event more closely resembles that of an Ellerman Bomb (EB), though placed slightly higher in the atmosphere than is typically observed.

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arXiv2017

The formation of small-scale umbral brightenings in sunspot atmospheres

Sunspot atmospheres are highly inhomogeneous hosting both quasi-stable and transient features, such as `umbral micro-jets' and dark fibril-like events. We seek to understand the morphological properties and formation mechanisms of small-scale umbral brightenings (SSUBs; analogous to umbral micro-jets) and to understand whether links between these events and short dynamic fibrils, umbral flashes, and umbral dots can be established. An SST filtergram time-series sampling the Ca II H line and a CRISP full-Stokes 15-point Ca II 8542 A line scan dataset were used. The average lifetime and lengths of 54 SSUBs identified in the sunspot umbra are found to be 44.2 seconds (sigma=20 seconds) and 0.56" (sigma=0.14"). The spatial positioning and morphological evolution of these events was investigated finding no evidence of parabolic or ballistic profiles nor a preference for co-spatial formation with umbral flashes. The presence of Stokes V profile reversals provided evidence that these events could form through the development of shocks in the chromosphere. The application of the weak-field approximation indicated that changes in the line-of-sight magnetic field were not responsible for the modifications to the line profile and suggested that thermodynamic effects are the actual cause of the increased emission. Finally, a sub-set of SSUBs were observed to form at the foot-points of short dynamic fibrils. Overall, we found no correlation between the spatial locations where these events were observed and the occurrence of umbral dots and umbral flashes. SSUBs, however, have lifetimes and spectral signatures comparable to umbral flashes and are located at the footpoints of short dynamic fibrils, during or at the end of the red-shifted stage. It is possible, therefore, that these features form due to the shocking of fibrilar material in the lower atmosphere upon its return under gravity.

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arXiv2017

An assessment of Fe XX - Fe XXII emission lines in SDO/EVE data as diagnostics for high density solar flare plasmas using EUVE stellar observations

The Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory obtains extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) spectra of the full-disk Sun at a spectral resolution of ~1 A and cadence of 10 s. Such a spectral resolution would normally be considered to be too low for the reliable determination of electron density (N_e) sensitive emission line intensity ratios, due to blending. However, previous work has shown that a limited number of Fe XXI features in the 90-60 A wavelength region of EVE do provide useful N_e-diagnostics at relatively low flare densities (N_e ~ 10^11-10^12 cm^-3). Here we investigate if additional highly ionised Fe line ratios in the EVE 90-160 A range may be reliably employed as N_e-diagnostics. In particular, the potential for such diagnostics to provide density estimates for high N_e (~10^13 cm^-3) flare plasmas is assessed. Our study employs EVE spectra for X-class flares, combined with observations of highly active late-type stars from the Extreme Ultraviolet Explorer (EUVE) satellite plus experimental data for well-diagnosed tokamak plasmas, both of which are similar in wavelength coverage and spectral resolution to those from EVE. Several ratios are identified in EVE data which yield consistent values of electron density, including Fe XX 113.35/121.85 and Fe XXII 114.41/135.79, with confidence in their reliability as N_e-diagnostics provided by the EUVE and tokamak results. These ratios also allow the determination of density in solar flare plasmas up to values of ~10^13 cm^-3.

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arXiv2017

Solar Ellerman Bombs in 1-D Radiative Hydrodynamics

Recent observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) appear to show impulsive brightenings in high temperature lines, which when combined with simultaneous ground based observations in H$α$, appear co-spatial to Ellerman Bombs (EBs). We use the RADYN 1-dimensional radiative transfer code in an attempt to try and reproduce the observed line profiles and simulate the atmospheric conditions of these events. Combined with the MULTI/RH line synthesis codes, we compute the H$α$, Ca II 8542~Å, and Mg II h \& k lines for these simulated events and compare them to previous observations. Our findings hint that the presence of superheated regions in the photosphere ($>$10,000 K) is not a plausible explanation for the production of EB signatures. While we are able to recreate EB-like line profiles in H$α$, Ca II 8542~Å, and Mg II h \& k, we cannot achieve agreement with all of these simultaneously.

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arXiv2016

Observations and simulations of the Na I D1 line profiles in an M-class solar flare

We study the temporal evolution of the Na I D1 line profiles in the M3.9 flare SOL2014-06-11T21:03 UT, using high spectral resolution observations obtained with the IBIS instrument on the Dunn Solar Telescope combined with radiative hydrodynamic simulations. Our results show a significant increase in line core and wing intensities during the flare. The analysis of the line profiles from the flare ribbons reveal that the Na I D1 line has a central reversal with excess emission in the blue wing (blue asymmetry). We combine RADYN and RH simulations to synthesise Na I D1 line profiles of the flaring atmosphere and find good agreement with the observations. Heating with a beam of electrons modifies the radiation field in the flaring atmosphere and excites electrons from the ground state $\mathrm{3s~^2S}$ to the first excited state $\mathrm{3p~^2P}$, which in turn modifies relative population of the two states. The change in temperature and the population density of the energy states make the sodium line profile revert from absorption into emission. Analysis of the simulated spectra also reveals that the Na I D1 flare profile asymmetries are produced by the velocity gradients generated %and opacity effects in the lower solar atmosphere.

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arXiv2016

Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in solar chromospheric jets: theory and observation

Using data obtained by the high resolution CRisp Imaging SpectroPolarimeter instrument on the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope, we investigate the dynamics and stability of quiet-Sun chromospheric jets observed at disk center. Small-scale features, such as Rapid Redshifted and Blueshifted Excursions, appearing as high speed jets in the wings of the H$α$ line, are characterized by short lifetimes and rapid fading without any descending behavior. To study the theoretical aspects of their stability without considering their formation mechanism, we model chromospheric jets as twisted magnetic flux tubes moving along their axis, and use the ideal linear incompressible magnetohydrodynamic approximation to derive the governing dispersion equation. Analytical solutions of the dispersion equation indicate that this type of jet is unstable to Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI), with a very short (few seconds) instability growth time at high upflow speeds. The generated vortices and unresolved turbulent flows associated with the KHI could be observed as broadening of chromospheric spectral lines. Analysis of the H$α$ line profiles shows that the detected structures have enhanced line widths with respect to the background. We also investigate the stability of a larger scale H$α$ jet that was ejected along the line-of-sight. Vortex-like features, rapidly developing around the jet's boundary, are considered as evidence of the KHI. The analysis of the energy equation in the partially ionized plasma shows that the ion-neutral collisions may lead to the fast heating of the KH vortices over timescales comparable to the lifetime of chromospheric jets.

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arXiv2016

Solar coronal magnetic fields derived using seismology techniques applied to omnipresent sunspot waves

Sunspots on the surface of the Sun are the observational signatures of intense manifestations of tightly packed magnetic field lines, with near-vertical field strengths exceeding 6,000 G in extreme cases. It is well accepted that both the plasma density and the magnitude of the magnetic field strength decrease rapidly away from the solar surface, making high-cadence coronal measurements through traditional Zeeman and Hanle effects difficult since the observational signatures are fraught with low-amplitude signals that can become swamped with instrumental noise. Magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) techniques have previously been applied to coronal structures, with single and spatially isolated magnetic field strengths estimated as 9-55 G. A drawback with previous MHD approaches is that they rely on particular wave modes alongside the detectability of harmonic overtones. Here we show, for the first time, how omnipresent magneto-acoustic waves, originating from within the underlying sunspot and propagating radially outwards, allow the spatial variation of the local coronal magnetic field to be mapped with high precision. We find coronal magnetic field strengths of 32 +/- 5 G above the sunspot, which decrease rapidly to values of approximately 1 G over a lateral distance of 7000 km, consistent with previous isolated and unresolved estimations. Our results demonstrate a new, powerful technique that harnesses the omnipresent nature of sunspot oscillations to provide magnetic field mapping capabilities close to a magnetic source in the solar corona.

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arXiv2016

The effects of transients on photospheric and chromospheric power distributions

We have observed a quiet Sun region with the Swedish 1-meter Solar Telescope (SST) equipped with CRISP Imaging SpectroPolarimeter. High-resolution, high-cadence, H$α$ line scanning images were taken to observe different layers of the solar atmosphere from the photosphere to upper chromosphere. We study the distribution of power in different period-bands at different heights. Power maps of the upper photosphere and the lower chromosphere show suppressed power surrounding the magnetic-network elements, known as "magnetic shadows". These also show enhanced power close to the photosphere, traditionally referred to as "power halos". The interaction between acoustic waves and inclined magnetic fields is generally believed to be responsible for these two effects. In this study we explore if small-scale transients can influence the distribution of power at different heights. We show that the presence of transients, like mottles, Rapid Blueshifted Excursions (RBEs) and Rapid Redshifted Excursions (RREs), can strongly influence the power-maps. The short and finite lifetime of these events strongly affects all powermaps, potentially influencing the observed power distribution. We show that Doppler-shifted transients like RBEs and RREs that occur ubiquitously, can have a dominant effect on the formation of the power halos in the quiet Sun. For magnetic shadows, transients like mottles do not seem to have a significant effect in the power suppression around 3 minutes and wave interaction may play a key role here. Our high cadence observations reveal that flows, waves and shocks manifest in presence of magnetic fields to form a non-linear magnetohydrodynamic system.

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arXiv2016

Magnetic Flux Cancellation in Ellerman Bombs

Ellerman Bombs (EBs) are often found co-spatial with bipolar photospheric magnetic fields. We use H$α$ imaging spectroscopy along with Fe I 6302.5 Å spectro-polarimetry from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST), combined with data from the Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) to study EBs and the evolution of the local magnetic fields at EB locations. The EBs are found via an EB detection and tracking algorithm. We find, using NICOLE inversions of the spectro-polarimetric data, that on average (3.43 $\pm$ 0.49) x 10$^{24}$ ergs of stored magnetic energy disappears from the bipolar region during the EBs burning. The inversions also show flux cancellation rates of 10$^{14}$ - 10$^{15}$ Mx s$^{-1}$, and temperature enhancements of 200 K at the detection footpoints. We investigate near-simultaneous flaring of EBs due to co-temporal flux emergence from a sunspot, which shows a decrease in transverse velocity when interacting with an existing, stationary area of opposite polarity magnetic flux and the EBs are formed. We also show that these EBs can get fueled further by additional, faster moving, negative magnetic flux regions.

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arXiv2016

Quiet Sun Hα Transients and Corresponding Small-Scale Transition Region and Coronal Heating

Rapid Blue- and Red-shifted Excursions (RBEs and RREs) are likely to be the on-disk counterparts of Type II spicules. Recently, heating signatures from RBEs/RREs have been detected in IRIS slit-jaw images dominated by transition-region lines around network patches. Additionally, signatures of Type II spicules have been observed in AIA diagnostics. The full-disk, ever-present nature of the AIA diagnostics should provide us with sufficient statistics to directly determine how important RBEs and RREs are to the heating of the transition region and corona. We find, with high statistical significance, that at least 11% of the low-coronal brightenings detected in a quiet-Sun region in 304, can be attributed to either RBEs or RREs as observed in Hα, and a 6% match of 171 detected events to RBEs or RREs with very similar statistics for both types of Hα features. We took a statistical approach that allows for noisy detections in the coronal channels and provides us with a lower, but statistical significant, bound. Further, we consider matches based on overlapping features in both time and space, and find strong visual indications of further correspondence between coronal events and co-evolving but non-overlapping, RBEs and RREs.

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arXiv2015

Halpha line profile asymmetries and the chromospheric flare velocity field

The asymmetries observed in the line profiles of solar flares can provide important diagnostics of the properties and dynamics of the flaring atmosphere. In this paper the evolution of the Halpha and Ca II 8542 Å lines are studied using high spatial, temporal and spectral resolution ground-based observations of an M1.1 flare obtained with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. The temporal evolution of the Halpha line profiles from the flare kernel shows excess emission in the red wing (red asymmetry) before flare maximum, and excess in the blue wing (blue asymmetry) after maximum. However, the Ca II 8542 Å line does not follow the same pattern, showing only a weak red asymmetry during the flare. RADYN simulations are used to synthesise spectral line profiles for the flaring atmosphere, and good agreement is found with the observations. We show that the red asymmetry observed in Halpha is not necessarily associated with plasma downflows, and the blue asymmetry may not be related to plasma upflows. Indeed, we conclude that the steep velocity gradients in the flaring chromosphere modifies the wavelength of the central reversal in the Halpha line profile. The shift in the wavelength of maximum opacity to shorter and longer wavelengths generates the red and blue asymmetries, respectively.

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