arXiv subjects

R. Y. Zhou

Publications and source records attributed to R. Y. Zhou.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Presence of Solar Neutral Atom Corona and Coronal Heating

By analyzing slit scanning spectral data obtained during 2024 total solar eclipse, presence of neutral atom corona is revealed along with a hidden inner F-corona detected within heights below half a solar radius. The inner F-corona is found to be essentially different from the Fraunhofer corona formed by dust scattering beyond about 2.3 solar radius heights. The two new kinds of the solar corona are deduced from the intensity difference between the spectral line intensity distribution and their adjacent continuum one acquired during the totality. Through analysis of the recorded spectra ranging from 516.0nm to 540.7nm, the relative depths of strong Fraunhofer lines are found to be changed among the neighboring lines from one place to another and from the photospheric lines acquired before the eclipse. Thus the resonant scattering is regarded to be responsible for the changes. Furthermore, shown in the reconstructed maps at selected spectral lines, the detected inner F-corona is found spreading globally and the neutral atom scattering acts as its dominant source. Both of their distribution patterns generally depend on specific lines and show considerably asymmetrical diffusions. The outward neutral fluxes are observed to be mainly hindered in regions of coronal magnetic loops with roughly estimated concentration above $10^{-5}$. Thus it can play a key role in global coronal heating via Cowling dissipation in these widely spread coronal loops, like heating in Tokamak by neutral beam injection(NBI). The Cowling dissipation can give a consistent interpretation of heating from the chromosphere to the corona. Thus the neutral atom corona is not only a new gradient of the solar corona but also the missed factor critical for concatenating together these coronal heating mechanisms.

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2025

Presence of solar inner F-corona and coronal heating

A new source in solar corona scattering photospheric and chromospheric Fraunhofer spectral lines is detected below a height of one solar radius above solar limb, consisting of tenuous and cool neutral atoms and much fewer once ionized ions. It is demonstrated via maps at the sample Fraunhofer lines within the band from 516.38 to 539.89nm, reconstructed from one set of spatially successive raster scanning data. The dataset was obtained from a spectrograph during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, at Oden, Arkansas, USA. It is revealed from these maps that both the scattering and its spatial distribution depend on spectral lines, yielded from different ionization and excitation states of neutral metal atoms and ions. The distributions show asymmetry and feature of diffusion originated from the photosphere and chromosphere. Ratio of the Fraunhofer line depth to the continuum intensity evaluated over the observational band peaks at 0.25$\%$ and has an average of 0.32$\%$. More discrete and weaker diffusion of emission counterparts of some Fraunhofer lines are detected simultaneously. These properties are critically different from those owned by that F-corona yielded via dust grain scattering beyond heights of about two and half solar radii. Hence a term 'inner F-corona' is dubbed for the assembly of scattering by this new particle source. It becomes definite now that the solar corona consists of not only free electrons and ions but also much fewer yet non-negligible neutral atoms. It is emphasized that global distributions of the outward neutral atom fluxes and coronal magnetic loops can make the abnormal Cowling resistance the most primary mechanism responsible for the coronal heating, via collisions of the neutral atoms injected with ions in the coronal loops. This likes the heating process in Tokamak with neutral beam injection(NBI).

astro-ph.SR↗

arXiv2024

Cool matter distribution in inner solar corona from 2023 total solar eclipse observation

Solar corona has been judged to consist of free electrons and highly ionized ions with extremely high temperature as a widely accepted knowledge. This view is changed by our eclipse observations. Distributions of cool matter represented by neutral iron atoms in hot inner solar corona are presented via derived global maps of solar Fraunhofer(F-) and Emission(E-) coronae, compared with those of continuum(Kontinuierlich, K-) corona formed by free electrons. The maps are obtained from simultaneous observations of dual filtering bands centered respectively at 659.4nm and 660.1nm, performed from twin telescopes during the total solar eclipse on April 20, 2023 at Com town of East Timor, assisted for judgement via spectral images obtained by a portable spectrograph. They show respectively presences of these neutral iron atoms yielding 659.3nm and 659.4nm lines in both the quiet sun and active regions. The distribution of the cool matter in form of line depression forms an inner F-corona, different from that of the cool matter in form of line enhancement. Both the distributions show a crucial difference from that of the free electrons represented by the K-corona map. It is also found that intensities of the F-corona and the E-corona induced by these neutral atoms are only small fractions of the K-corona, and the diffusion can be seen clearly in all these maps. They uncover also that the coronal heating resources do not distribute pervasively but likely form a thermodynamic griddle where minor photospheric neutral atoms can escape from the heating into the corona globally.

astro-ph.SR↗