arXiv subjects

Mats Carlsson

Publications and source records attributed to Mats Carlsson.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

arXiv2018

Chromospheric heating due to cancellation of quiet Sun internetwork fields

The heating of the solar chromosphere remains one of the most important questions in solar physics. Our current understanding is that small-scale internetwork (IN) magnetic fields play an important role as a heating agent. Indeed, cancellations of IN magnetic elements in the photosphere can produce transient brightenings in the chromosphere and transition region. These bright structures might be the signature of energy release and plasma heating, probably driven by magnetic reconnection of IN field lines. Although single events are not expected to release large amounts of energy, their global contribution to the chromosphere may be significant due to their ubiquitous presence in quiet Sun regions. In this paper we study cancellations of IN elements and analyze their impact on the energetics and dynamics of the quiet Sun atmosphere. We use high resolution, multiwavelength, coordinated observations obtained with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) and the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope (SST) to identify cancellations of IN magnetic flux patches and follow their evolution. We find that, on average, these events live for ~3 minutes in the photosphere and ~12 minutes in the chromosphere and/or transition region. Employing multi-line inversions of the Mg II h & k lines we show that cancellations produce clear signatures of heating in the upper atmospheric layers. However, at the resolution and sensitivity accessible to the SST, their number density still seems to be one order of magnitude too low to explain the global chromospheric heating.

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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

On the generation of solar spicules and Alfvénic waves

In the lower solar atmosphere, the chromosphere is permeated by jets known as spicules, in which plasma is propelled at speeds of 50 to 150 kilometers per second into the corona. The origin of the spicules is poorly understood, although they are expected to play a role in heating the million-degree corona and are associated with Alfvénic waves that help drive the solar wind. We compare magnetohydrodynamic simulations of spicules with observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph and the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. Spicules are shown to occur when magnetic tension is amplified and transported upward through interactions between ions and neutrals or ambipolar diffusion. The tension is impulsively released to drive flows, heat plasma (through ambipolar diffusion), and generate Alfvénic waves.

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arXiv2017

On the Misalignment between Chromospheric Features and the Magnetic Field on the Sun

Observations of the upper chromosphere shows an enormous amount of intricate fine structure. Much of this comes in the form of linear features which are most often assumed to be well aligned with the direction of the magnetic field in the low plasma beta regime thought to dominate the upper chromosphere. We use advanced radiative MHD simulations including the effects of ion-neutral interactions (using the generalized Ohm's law) in the partially ionized chromosphere to show that the magnetic field is often not well aligned with chromospheric features. This occurs where the ambipolar diffusion is large, i.e., ions and neutral populations decouple as the ion-neutral collision frequency drops allowing the field to slip through the neutral population, currents perpendicular to the field are strong, and thermodynamic timescales are longer than or similar to the those of ambipolar diffusion. We find this often happens in dynamic spicule or fibril-like features at the top of the chromosphere. This has important consequences for field extrapolation methods which increasingly use such upper chromospheric features to help constrain the chromospheric magnetic field: our results invalidate the underlying assumption that these features are aligned with the field. In addition, our results cast doubt on results from 1D hydrodynamic models, which assume that plasma remains on the same field lines. Finally, our simulations show that ambipolar diffusion significantly alters the amount of free energy available in the coronal part of our simulated volume, which is likely to have consequences for studies of flare initiation.

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arXiv2017

H$α$ and H$β$ emission in a C3.3 solar flare: comparison between observations and simulations

The Hydrogen Balmer series is a basic radiative loss channel from the flaring solar chromosphere. We report here on the analysis of an extremely rare set of simultaneous observations of a solar flare in the H$α$ and H$β$ lines at high spatial and temporal resolution, which were acquired at the Dunn Solar Telescope. Images of the C3.3 flare (SOL2014-04-22T15:22) made at various wavelengths along the H$α$ line profile by the Interferometric Bidimensional Spectrometer (IBIS) and in the H$β$ with the Rapid Oscillations in the Solar Atmosphere (ROSA) broadband imager are analyzed to obtain the intensity evolution. The H$α$ and H$β$ intensity excesses in three identified flare footpoints are well correlated in time. We examine the ratio of H$α$ to H$β$ flare excess, which was proposed by previous authors as a possible diagnostic of the level of electron beam energy input. In the stronger footpoints, the typical value of the the H$α$/H$β$ intensity ratio observed is $\sim 0.4-0.5$, in broad agreement with values obtained from a RADYN non-LTE simulation driven by an electron beam with parameters constrained (as far as possible) by observation. The weaker footpoint has a larger H$α$/H$β$ ratio, again consistent with a RADYN simulation but with a smaller energy flux. The H$α$ line profiles observed have a less prominent central reversal than is predicted by the RADYN results, but can be brought into agreement if the H$α$-emitting material has a filling factor of around 0.2--0.3.

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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

Two-dimensional Radiative Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Partial Ionization in the Chromosphere. II. Dynamics and Energetics of the Low Solar Atmosphere

We investigate the effects of interactions between ions and neutrals on the chromosphere and overlying corona using 2.5D radiative MHD simulations with the Bifrost code. We have extended the code capabilities implementing ion-neutral interaction effects using the Generalized Ohm's Law, i.e., we include the Hall term and the ambipolar diffusion (Pedersen dissipation) in the induction equation. Our models span from the upper convection zone to the corona, with the photosphere, chromosphere and transition region partially ionized. Our simulations reveal that the interactions between ionized particles and neutral particles have important consequences for the magneto-thermodynamics of these modeled layers: 1) ambipolar diffusion increases the temperature in the chromosphere; 2) sporadically the horizontal magnetic field in the photosphere is diffused into the chromosphere due to the large ambipolar diffusion; 3) ambipolar diffusion concentrates electrical currents leading to more violent jets and reconnection processes, resulting in 3a) the formation of longer and faster spicules, 3b) heating of plasma during the spicule evolution, and 3c) decoupling of the plasma and magnetic field in spicules. Our results indicate that ambipolar diffusion is a critical ingredient for understanding the magneto-thermo-dynamic properties in the chromosphere and transition region. The numerical simulations have been made publicly available, similar to previous Bifrost simulations. This will allow the community to study realistic numerical simulations with a wider range of magnetic field configurations and physics modules than previously possible.

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arXiv2017

RADYN simulations of non-thermal and thermal models of Ellerman bombs

Ellerman bombs (EBs) are brightenings in the H$α$ line wings that are believed to be caused by magnetic reconnection in the lower atmosphere. To study the response and evolution of the chromospheric line profiles, we perform radiative hydrodynamic simulations of EBs using both non-thermal and thermal models. Overall, these models can generate line profiles that are similar to observations. However, in non-thermal models we find dimming in the H$α$ line wings and continuum when the heating begins, while for the thermal models dimming occurs only in the H$α$ line core, and with a longer lifetime. This difference in line profiles can be used to determine whether an EB is dominated by non-thermal heating or thermal heating. In our simulations, if a higher heating rate is applied, the H$α$ line will be unrealistically strong, while there are still no clear UV burst signatures.

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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

Millimeter radiation from a 3D model of the solar atmosphere II. Chromospheric magnetic field

We use state-of-the-art, three-dimensional non-local thermodynamic equilibrium (non-LTE) radiative magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the quiet solar atmosphere to carry out detailed tests of chromospheric magnetic field diagnostics from free-free radiation at millimeter and submillimeter wavelengths (mm/submm). The vertical component of the magnetic field was deduced from the mm/submm brightness spectra and the degree of circular polarization synthesized at millimeter frequencies. We used the frequency bands observed by the Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) as a convenient reference. The magnetic field maps obtained describe the longitudinal magnetic field at the effective formation heights of the relevant wavelengths in the solar chromosphere. The comparison of the deduced and model chromospheric magnetic fields at the spatial resolution of both the model and current observations demonstrates a good correlation, but has a tendency to underestimate the model field. The systematic discrepancy of about 10 percent is probably due to averaging of the restored field over the heights contributing to the radiation, weighted by the strength of the contribution. On the whole, the method of probing the longitudinal component of the magnetic field with free-free emission at mm/submm wavelengths is found to be applicable to measurements of the weak quiet-Sun magnetic fields. However, successful exploitation of this technique requires very accurate measurements of the polarization properties (primary beam and receiver polarization response) of the antennas, which will be the principal factor that determines the level to which chromospheric magnetic fields can be measured. Consequently, high-resolution and high-precision observations of circularly polarized radiation at millimeter wavelengths can be a powerful tool for producing chromospheric longitudinal magnetograms.

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arXiv2017

Hydrogen Balmer Line Broadening in Solar and Stellar Flares

The broadening of the hydrogen lines during flares is thought to result from increased charge (electron, proton) density in the flare chromosphere. However, disagreements between theory and modeling prescriptions have precluded an accurate diagnostic of the degree of ionization and compression resulting from flare heating in the chromosphere. To resolve this issue, we have incorporated the unified theory of electric pressure broadening of the hydrogen lines into the non-LTE radiative transfer code RH. This broadening prescription produces a much more realistic spectrum of the quiescent, A0 star Vega compared to the analytic approximations used as a damping parameter in the Voigt profiles. We test recent radiative-hydrodynamic (RHD) simulations of the atmospheric response to high nonthermal electron beam fluxes with the new broadening prescription and find that the Balmer lines are over-broadened at the densest times in the simulations. Adding many simultaneously heated and cooling model loops as a "multithread" model improves the agreement with the observations. We revisit the three-component phenomenological flare model of the YZ CMi Megaflare using recent and new RHD models. The evolution of the broadening, line flux ratios, and continuum flux ratios are well-reproduced by a multithread model with high-flux nonthermal electron beam heating, an extended decay phase model, and a "hot spot" atmosphere heated by an ultrarelativistic electron beam with reasonable filling factors: 0.1%, 1%, and 0.1% of the visible stellar hemisphere, respectively. The new modeling motivates future work to understand the origin of the extended gradual phase emission.

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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

The Atmospheric Response to High Nonthermal Electron Beam Fluxes in Solar Flares I: Modeling the Brightest NUV Footpoints in the X1 Solar Flare of 2014 March 29

The 2014 March 29 X1 solar flare (SOL20140329T17:48) produced bright continuum emission in the far- and near-ultraviolet (NUV) and highly asymmetric chromospheric emission lines, providing long-sought constraints on the heating mechanisms of the lower atmosphere in solar flares. We analyze the continuum and emission line data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) of the brightest flaring magnetic footpoints in this flare. We compare the NUV spectra of the brightest pixels to new radiative-hydrodynamic predictions calculated with the RADYN code using constraints on a nonthermal electron beam inferred from the collisional thick-target modeling of hard X-ray data from RHESSI. We show that the atmospheric response to a high beam flux density satisfactorily achieves the observed continuum brightness in the NUV. The NUV continuum emission in this flare is consistent with hydrogen (Balmer) recombination radiation that originates from low optical depth in a dense chromospheric condensation and from the stationary beam-heated layers just below the condensation. A model producing two flaring regions (a condensation and stationary layers) in the lower atmosphere is also consistent with the asymmetric Fe II chromospheric emission line profiles observed in the impulsive phase.

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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

Chromospheric and Coronal Wave Generation in a Magnetic Flux Sheath

Using radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar atmospheric layers from the upper convection zone to the lower corona, we investigate the self-consistent excitation of slow magneto-acoustic body waves (slow modes) in a magnetic flux concentration. We find that the convective downdrafts in the close surroundings of a two-dimensional flux slab "pump" the plasma inside it in the downward direction. This action produces a downflow inside the flux slab, which encompasses ever higher layers, causing an upwardly propagating rarefaction wave. The slow mode, excited by the adiabatic compression of the downflow near the optical surface, travels along the magnetic field in the upward direction at the tube speed. It develops into a shock wave at chromospheric heights, where it dissipates, lifts the transition region, and produces an offspring in the form of a compressive wave that propagates further into the corona. In the wake of downflows and propagating shock waves, the atmosphere inside the flux slab in the chromosphere and higher tends to oscillate with a period of $ν\approx 4$~mHz. We conclude that this process of "magnetic pumping" is a most plausible mechanism for the direct generation of longitudinal chromospheric and coronal compressive waves within magnetic flux concentrations, and it may provide an important heat source in the chromosphere. It may also be responsible for certain types of dynamic fibrils.

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arXiv2016

The Appearance of Spicules in High Resolution Observations of Ca II H and H-alpha

Solar spicules are chromospheric fibrils that appear everywhere on the Sun, yet their origin is not understood. Using high resolution observations of spicules obtained with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope, we aim to understand how spicules appear in filtergrams and Dopplergrams, how they compare in Ca II H and H-alpha, and what can make them appear and disappear. We find thatspicules display a rich and detailed spatial structure, and show a distribution of transverse velocities that when aligned with the line of sight can make them appear at different H-alpha wing positions. They become more abundant at positions closer to the line core, reflecting a distribution of Doppler shifts and widths. In H-alpha width maps they stand out as bright features both on disk and off limb, reflecting their large Doppler motions and possibly higher temperatures than in the typical H-alpha formation region. Spicule lifetimes measured from narrowband images at only a few positions will be an underestimate because Doppler shifts can make them disappear prematurely from such images; for such cases, width maps are a more robust tool. In H-alpha and Ca II H filtergrams, off limb spicules essentially have the same properties, appearance, and evolution. We find that the sudden appearance of spicules can be explained by Doppler shifts from their transverse motions, and does not require other convoluted explanations.

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arXiv2016

Emergence of granular-sized magnetic bubbles through the solar atmosphere. III. The path to the transition region

We study the ascent of granular-sized magnetic bubbles from the solar photosphere through the chromosphere into the transition region and above, for the first time. Such events occurred in a flux emerging region in NOAA 11850 on September 25, 2013. During that time, the first co-observing campaign between the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope and the IRIS spacecraft was carried out. Simultaneous observations of the chromospheric H$α$ 656.28 nm and \ion{Ca}{2} 854.2 nm lines, plus the photospheric \ion{Fe}{1} 630.25 nm line, were made with the CRISP spectropolarimeter at the SST reaching a spatial resolution of 0."14. At the same time, IRIS was performing a four-step dense raster of the said emerging flux region, taking slit-jaw images at 133 (C~{\sc ii}, transition region), 140 (\ion{Si}{4}, transition region), 279.6 (\ion{Mg}{2} k, core, upper chromosphere), and 283.2 nm (\ion{Mg}{2} k, wing, photosphere). Spectroscopy of several lines was performed by the IRIS spectrograph in the far and near ultraviolet, of which we have used the \ion{Si}{4} 140.3 and the \ion{Mg}{2} k 279.6 nm lines. Coronal images from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly of the Solar Dynamics Observatory were used to investigate the possible coronal signatures of the flux emergence events. The photospheric and chromospheric properties of small-scale emerging magnetic bubbles have been described in detail in Ortiz et al. (2014). Here we are able to follow such structures up to the transition region. We describe the properties, including temporal delays, of the observed flux emergence in all layers. We believe this may be an important mechanism of transporting energy and magnetic flux from subsurface layers to the transition region and corona.

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