arXiv subjects

M. Mathioudakis

Publications and source records attributed to M. Mathioudakis.

85 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

6^Li in the atmosphere of GJ 117 Revisited

Detection of 6^Li has been shown for energetic solar events, one chromospherically active binary, and several dwarf halo stars. We had previously found a 6^Li/7^Li = 0.03+/-0.01 for active K dwarf GJ 117 using VLT UVES observations. Here we present high signal-to-noise (>1000) high spectral resolution observations taken with the McDonald Observatory's 2.7m and echelle spectrometer of GJ 117. We have used the solar spectrum and template stars to eliminate possible blends, such as Ti I, in the 6^Li spectral region. Our new analysis, using an updated PHOENIX model atmosphere finds 6^Li/7^Li = 0.05+/-0.02. Additionally, bisector analysis showed no significant red asymmetries that would affect the lithium line profile. No changes above the statistical uncertainties are found between the VLT and McDonald data. The amount of 6^Li derived for GJ 117 is consistent with creation in spallation reactions on the stellar surface, but we caution that uncertainties in the continuum level may cause additional uncertainty in the 6^Li fraction.

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arXiv2008

Transition-Region Velocity Oscillations Observed by EUNIS-06

Spectroscopic measurements of AR NOAA 10871, obtained with the Extreme Ultraviolet Normal Incidence Spectrograph (EUNIS) sounding rocket instrument on 2006 April 12, reveal velocity oscillations in the He II 303.8 Angstrom emission line formed at T ~ 50000K. The oscillations appear to arise in a bright active-region loop arcade about 25" wide which crosses the EUNIS slit. The period of these transition region oscillations is 26 +/- 4 s, coupled with a velocity amplitude of +/- 10 km/s, detected over 4 complete cycles. Similar oscillations are observed in lines formed at temperatures up to T ~ 400000K, but we find no evidence for the coupling of these velocity oscillations with corresponding phenomena in the corona. We interpret the detected oscillations as originating from an almost purely adiabatic plasma, and infer that they are generated by the resonant transmission of MHD waves through the lower active-region atmospheres. Through use of seismological techniques, we establish that the observed velocity oscillations display wave properties most characteristic of fast-body global sausage modes.

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arXiv2008

Line intensity enhancements in stellar coronal X-ray spectra due to opacity effects

Context. The I(15.01 A)/I(16.78 A) emission line intensity ratio in Fe XVII has been reported to deviate from its theoretical value in solar and stellar X-ray spectra. This is attributed to opacity in the 15.01 A line, leading to a reduction in its intensity, and was interpreted in terms of a geometry in which the emitters and absorbers are spatially distinct. Aims. We study the I(15.01 A)/I(16.78 A) intensity ratio for the active cool dwarf EV Lac, in both flare and quiescent spectra. Methods. The observations were obtained with the Reflection Grating Spectrometer on the XMM-Newton satellite. The emission measure distribution versus temperature reconstruction technique is used for our analysis. Results. We find that the 15.01 A line exhibits a significant enhancement in intensity over the optically thin value. To our knowledge, this is the first time that such an enhancement has been detected on such a sound statistical basis. We interpret this enhancement in terms of a geometry in which the emitters and absorbers are not spatially distinct, and where the geometry is such that resonant pumping of the upper level has a greater effect on the observed line intensity than resonant absorption in the line-of-sight.

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arXiv2008

Discovery of Spatial Periodicities in a Coronal Loop using Automated Edge-Tracking Algorithms

A new method for automated coronal loop tracking, in both spatial and temporal domains, is presented. Applying this technique to TRACE data, obtained using the 171 Angstrom filter on 1998 July 14, we detect a coronal loop undergoing a 270s kink-mode oscillation, as previously found by Aschwanden et al. (1999). However, we also detect flare-induced, and previously unnoticed, spatial periodicities on a scale of 3500km, which occur along the coronal-loop edge. Furthermore, we establish a reduction in oscillatory power for these spatial periodicities of 45% over a 222s interval. We relate the reduction in detected oscillatory power to the physical damping of these loop-top oscillations.

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arXiv2007

High-Frequency Oscillations in a Solar Active Region observed with the Rapid Dual Imager

High-cadence, synchronized, multiwavelength optical observations of a solar active region (NOAA 10794) are presented. The data were obtained with the Dunn Solar Telescope at the National Solar Observatory/Sacramento Peak using a newly developed camera system : the Rapid Dual Imager. Wavelet analysis is undertaken to search for intensity related oscillatory signatures, and periodicities ranging from 20 to 370 s are found with significance levels exceeding 95%. Observations in the H-alpha blue wing show more penumbral oscillatory phenomena when compared to simultaneous G-band observations. The H-alpha oscillations are interpreted as the signatures of plasma motions with a mean velocity of 20 km/s. The strong oscillatory power over H-alpha blue-wing and G-band penumbral bright grains is an indication of the Evershed flow with frequencies higher than previously reported.

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arXiv2007

Twisting Flux Tubes as a cause of Micro-Flaring Activity

High-cadence optical observations of an H-alpha blue-wing bright point near solar AR NOAA 10794 are presented. The data were obtained with the Dunn Solar Telescope at the National Solar Observatory/Sacramento Peak using a newly developed camera system, the Rapid Dual Imager. Wavelet analysis is undertaken to search for intensity-related oscillatory signatures, and periodicities ranging from 15 to 370 s are found with significance levels exceeding 95%. During two separate microflaring events, oscillation sites surrounding the bright point are observed to twist. We relate the twisting of the oscillation sites to the twisting of physical flux tubes, thus giving rise to reconnection phenomena. We derive an average twist velocity of 8.1 km/s and detect a peak in the emitted flux between twist angles of 180 and 230 degrees.

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arXiv2006

The periodic variations of a white-light flare observed with ULTRACAM

High time resolution observations of a white--light flare on the active star EQ PegB show evidence of intensity variations with a period of approximately 10 s. The period drifts to longer values during the decay phase of the flare. If the oscillation is interpreted as an impulsively--excited, standing--acoustic wave in a flare loop, the period implies a loop length of 1.7 Mm and 3.4 Mm for the case of the fundamental mode and the second harmonic, respectively. However, the small loop lengths imply a very high modulation depth making the acoustic interpretation unlikely. A more realistic interpretation may be that of a fast--MHD wave, with the modulation of the emission being due to the magnetic field. Alternatively, the variations could be due to a series of reconnection events. The periodic signature may then arise as a result of the lateral separation of individual flare loops or current sheets with oscillatory dynamics (i.e. periodic reconnection).

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arXiv2006

Opacity in the upper atmospheres of active stars II. AD Leonis

We present FUV and UV spectroscopic observations of AD Leonis, with the aim of investigating opacity effects in the transition regions of late-type stars. The C III lines in FUSE spectra show significant opacity during both the quiescent and flaring states of AD Leonis, with up to 30% of the expected flux being lost during the latter. Other FUSE emission lines tested for opacity include those of O VI, while C IV, Si IV and N V transitions observed with STIS are also investigated. These lines only reveal modest amounts of opacity with losses during flaring of up to 20%. Optical depths have been calculated for homogeneous and inhomogeneous geometries, giving path lengths of ~20-60 km and \~10-30 km, respectively, under quiescent conditions. However path lengths derived during flaring are ~2-3 times larger. These values are in excellent agreement with both estimates of the small-scale structure observed in the solar transition region, and path lengths derived previously for several other active late-type stars.

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arXiv2005

RHESSI and SOHO/CDS Observations of Explosive Chromospheric Evaporation

Simultaneous observations of explosive chromospheric evaporation are presented using data from the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) and the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS) onboard SOHO. For the first time, co-spatial imaging and spectroscopy have been used to observe explosive evaporation within a hard X-ray emitting region. RHESSI X-ray images and spectra were used to determine the flux of non-thermal electrons accelerated during the impulsive phase of an M2.2 flare. Assuming a thick-target model, the injected electron spectrum was found to have a spectral index of ~7.3, a low energy cut-off of ~20 keV, and a resulting flux of >4x10^10 ergs cm^-2 s^-1. The dynamic response of the atmosphere was determined using CDS spectra, finding a mean upflow velocity of 230+/-38 km s^-1 in Fe XIX (592.23A), and associated downflows of 36+/-16 km s^-1 and 43+/-22 km s^-1 at chromospheric and transition region temperatures, respectively, relative to an averaged quiet-Sun spectra. The errors represent a 1 sigma dispersion. The properties of the accelerated electron spectrum and the corresponding evaporative velocities were found to be consistent with the predictions of theory.

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arXiv2005

6^Li in the atmosphere of GJ 117

We present high resolution VLT UVES observations of the active K dwarf GJ 117. 6^Li enhancement has been shown for energetic solar events, one chromospherically active binary, and several dwarf halo stars. Our analysis reveals the detection of 6^Li on this source with 6^Li/7^Li = 0.030+/-0.010. We found no significant contribution from other lines, including Ti I, in the Li profile of GJ 117 and a template star of similar spectral type and metallicity. We discuss the possibility for 6^Li production by spallation and find it to be consistent with the activity levels of the object.

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arXiv2005

Plasma Diagnostics of Active Region Evolution and Implications for Coronal Heating

A detailed study is presented of the decaying solar active region NOAA 10103 observed with the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer (CDS), the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) and the Extreme-ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Electron density maps formed using Si X (356.03A/347.41A) show that the density varies from ~10^10 cm^-3 in the active region core, to ~7x10^8 cm^-3 at the region boundaries. Over the five days of observations, the average electron density fell by ~30%. Temperature maps formed using Fe XVI(335.41A)/Fe XIV(334.18A) show electron temperatures of \~2.34x10^6 K in the active region core, and ~2.10x10^6 K at the region boundaries. Similarly to the electron density, there was a small decrease in the average electron temperature over the five day period. The radiative, conductive, and mass flow losses were calculated and used to determine the resultant heating rate (P_H). Radiative losses were found to dominate the active region cooling process. As the region decayed, the heating rate decreased by almost a factor of five between the first and last day of observations. The heating rate was then compared to the total unsigned magnetic flux (Phi_tot), yielding a power-law of the form P_H ~ Phi_tot^(0.81 +/- 0.32). This result suggests that waves rather than nanoflares may be the dominant heating mechanism in this active region.

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arXiv2005

Flare X-ray observations of AB Dor: evidence for Stellar Coronal Opacity

X-ray spectra of the late-type star AB Dor, obtained with the XMM-Newton satellite are analysed. AB Dor was particularly active during the observations. An emission measure reconstruction technique is employed to analyse flare and quiescent spectra, with emphasis on the Fe XVII 15-17 A wavelength region. The Fe XVII 16.78 A/15.01 A line ratio increases significantly in the hotter flare plasma. This change in the ratio is opposite to the theoretical predictions and is attributed to the scattering of 15.01 A line photons from the line-of-sight. The escape probability technique indicates an optical depth of about 0.4 for the 15.01 A line. During the flare, the electron density is 4.4*10^10 cm^-3 and the fractional Fe abundance is 0.5 +/- 0.1 of the solar photospheric value. Using these parameters a path length of about 8,000 km is derived. There is no evidence for opacity in the quiescent X-ray spectrum of the star.

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arXiv2001

Solar coronal observations at high frequencies

The Solar Eclipse Coronal Imaging System (SECIS) is a simple and extremely fast, high-resolution imaging instrument designed for studies of the solar corona. Light from the corona (during, for example, a total solar eclipse) is reflected off a heliostat and passes via a Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and beam splitter to two CCD cameras capable of imaging at 60 frames a second. The cameras are attached via SCSI connections to a purpose-built PC that acts as the data acquisition and storage system. Each optical channel has a different filter allowing observations of the same events in both white light and in the green line (Fe XIV at 5303 A). Wavelet analysis of the stabilized images has revealed high frequency oscillations which may make a significant contribution on the coronal heating process. In this presentation we give an outline of the instrument and its future development.

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