SearcharxivSearch

arXiv subjects

S. Parenti

Publications and source records attributed to S. Parenti.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

White paper on the relevance of the European Solar Telescope (EST) for the French heliophysics

The project of the European Solar Telescope aims to provide a state-of-the art infrastructure to study the Sun and its interactions with Earth and the heliosphere. This 4.2m aperture telescope will be equipped with multi conjugate adaptive optics, light-polarisation analyser, imaging spectrograph and integral field unit spectrographs. It will provide unprecedented observations of the solar photosphere and chromosphere and of the dynamical events and features that pertains to the low solar atmosphere. The EST project is presently in a phase of crystallisation, aiming at the creation of an European Research Infrastructure Consortium. While the French community has continuously been associated with the development of the EST project, some specific scientific aspects are more particularly relevant for the French astrophysics and heliophysics communities. The present review highlights the scientific research axes of high interest from the French community that shall strongly benefit from EST. The later will not only advance numerous topics of solar physics, as well as solar adaptive optics developments, but will also provide unrivaled datasets of high interest in the framework of space weather. This review also aims to highlight the space weather use that can be done with future EST observations, that will be particularly relevant for French heliophysicists.

astro-ph.IM

Sungrazer comets as analogs of star-planet magnetic interactions

Star-planet magnetic interactions (SPMIs) can transfer energy from an exoplanet to its host star via Alfv\'en waves when the planet orbits within a sub-Alfv\'enic stellar wind. Similar conditions were encountered by the sungrazing comet Lovejoy as it passed through the solar corona in December 2011. The possibility that comets could trigger solar activity via magnetic interactions has never been investigated. The aim of this paper is to quantify the energetics of such interaction and to assess if enough energy could be deposited to either form a hotspot or trigger eruptions on the Sun. We used the magnetohydrodynamic WindPredict-AW model to reconstruct the coronal magnetic field and solar wind conditions along the comet's orbit, and determined the magnetic footpoints that connected the comet to the solar surface. By estimating the travel time of hypothetical Alfv\'en waves, we identified a brightening event observed by EUVI aboard STEREO-A that is spatially and temporally consistent with comet Lovejoy's passage. We then computed the SPMI power for all magnetic field lines anchored within 5 degrees of the brightening using SPMI power scaling laws. The resulting power distribution spans approximately 10$^{14}$-10$^{16}$ W. In comparison, the estimated radiative power of the brightening event in the STEREO-A/EUVI 195$\r{A}$ channel is approximately 10$^{17}$ W. We find that comet Lovejoy does not generate sufficient SPMI power to be the energy source of the observed brightening intensity. However, it may still act as a perturbation to existing magnetic structures, and lead to the triggering of solar flares. Confirming this hypothesis would require additional observations that do not exist for this event, which make future passages of sungrazing comets valuable opportunities to study SPMI processes within our solar system.

astro-ph.SR

Prominence Plasma Parameters Maps Inferred From Lyman $\beta$ and Lyman $\gamma$ Observations and Non-LTE Modelling

The first dedicated observation of an off-limb prominence by the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument took place on April 15, 2023. We aim to create parameter maps on the prominence region, including temperature, pressure, and column mass, by studying the integrated intensity of the Lyman $\beta$ and Lyman $\gamma$ lines from SPICE data. After constraining the altitude and radial velocity in the prominence, we use a 1D non-LTE radiative transfer code to generate 1000 random models and compute the Lyman $\beta$ and Lyman $\gamma$ line profiles. The computed intensities are compared with observed integrated intensities from SPICE. Then, we create models which simultaneously give a reasonable match with the observed intensities in both lines. Unlike previous approaches, our method uses contribution functions to guide the optimisation of temperature and pressure profiles. Our approach enables a physically constrained and consistent match to both spectral lines. The method in this paper enables us to generate models from pixels on the prominence region and use this information to generate parameter maps. The results obtained have potential for future research.

astro-ph.SR

Velocity field of an Active Region filament from GRIS IR He I and IRIS UV observations

Plasma flow measurements in solar active region filaments are rare, particularly in the infrared and ultraviolet ranges that probe the chromosphere and transition region. In addition, previous studies generally focused on prominences and filaments near the solar limb. This study presents a multi-wavelength, multi-instrument analysis of an active region filament observed on the solar disk on November 9 and 10, 2020. Our goal is to characterize the plasma flows in the filament using spectroscopic measurements in both the infrared and ultraviolet spectral ranges. This is important for understanding the mechanisms for filament support, mass loading, and energy balance. Furthermore, this also offers observational benchmarks for filament modeling and simulations. Spectra from the IRIS satellite, including the Mg II k, C II and Si IV lines were analyzed alongside ground-based observations from the GREGOR Infrared Spectrograph and High-resolution Fast Imager instruments whose observed spectral ranges include the chromospheric He I and H{\alpha} lines. Persistent blueshifts were measured within the filament structure in both spectral ranges. These can be interpreted as upflow velocities ranging from 0.5 to 15 km s^-1, with the Si IV showing the highest values. Red shifted emission in the He I and Mg II k3 at the footpoints of a newly formed dark bundle suggest chromospheric downflows, likely due to spatial overlap between an arch filament system close to the filament footpoints. The weak redshifted signal in the Si IV emission may suggest confinement to lower atmospheric layers. The observed velocity patterns provide, for the first time, a comprehensive and coherent view of the plasma dynamics from the chromosphere to the transition region, illustrating that the filament emission is consistently blueshifted in all the spectral windows, and thus in different temperature regimes.

astro-ph.SR

Solar limb faculae: intensity contrast from two vantage points

Small-scale magnetic flux concentrations contribute significantly to the brightness variations of the Sun, yet observing them - particularly their magnetic field - near the solar limb remains challenging. Solar Orbiter offers an unprecedented second vantage point for observing the Sun. When combined with observations from the perspective of Earth, this enables simultaneous dual-viewpoint measurements of these magnetic structures, thereby helping to mitigate observational limitations. Using such a dual-viewpoint geometry, we characterise the brightness contrast of faculae near the limb as a function of both their associated magnetic field strength and the observation angle. We analyse data from Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager on board Solar Orbiter (SO/PHI), obtained during an observation program conducted in near-quadrature configuration with Earth, in combination with data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO/HMI). The High Resolution Telescope of SO/PHI observed a facular region located near disc centre as seen from its vantage point, while the same region was simultaneously observed near the solar limb by SDO/HMI. We identify faculae and determine their magnetic field strength from the disc-centre observations, and combine these with continuum intensity measurements at the limb to derive dual-viewpoint contrast curves. We then compare these with contrast curves derived from SDO/HMI alone. Using two viewpoints, we consistently find higher facular contrast near the limb than from a single-viewpoint.

astro-ph.SR

The nature of small scale EUV solar brightenings investigated as impulsive heating of short loops in 1D hydrododynamics simulations

Small (400 to 4000 km) and short lived (10 to 200 km) extreme ultraviolet (EUV) brightenings, detected by the High Resolution Imager EUV (HRIEUV), have been found to be ubiquitous in the Quiet Sun (QS). Their contribution to coronal heating as well as their physical origin are currently being investigated. We wish to determine whether models of short loops and impulsive heating are compatible with the results from observations. In particular, we used two models of loops with distinct thermal properties: cool (T below 1E5 K) and hot loops (T above 1E5 K). We simulated the evolution of impulsively heated short loops, using the 1D hydrodynamics (HD) code HYDRAD. We computed the synthetic light curves of HRIEUV, four EUV channels of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA), and five emission lines measured by the SPectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE). We then compared the results from the synthetic light curves with observations. The aim was to reproduce the short delays observed between the intensity peaks of the light curves. Cool loops subjected to impulsive heating are good candidates to explain the physical origin of the EUV brightenings. On the other hand, hot loops are not consistent with observations, except when they are subjected to especially strong impulsive heating.

astro-ph.SR

Spatial distributions of EUV brightenings in the quiet-Sun

The identification of large numbers of localised transient EUV brightenings, with small spatial scales, in the quiet-Sun corona has been one of the key early results from Solar Orbiter. However, much is still unknown about these events. Here, we aim to better understand EUV brightenings by investigating their spatial distributions, specifically whether they occur co-spatial with specific line-of-sight magnetic field topologies in the photospheric network. EUV brightenings are detected using an automated algorithm applied to a high-cadence (3 s) dataset sampled over ~30 min on 8 March 2022 by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager's 17.4 nm EUV High Resolution Imager. Data from the Solar Dynamics Observatory's Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager and Atmospheric Imaging Assembly are used to provide context about the line-of-sight magnetic field and for alignment purposes. We found a total of 5064 EUV brightenings within this dataset that are directly comparable to events reported previously in the literature. These events occurred within around 0.015-0.020 % of pixels for any given frame. We compared eight different thresholds to split the EUV brightenings into four different categories related to the line-of-sight magnetic field. Using our preferred threshold, we found that 627 EUV brightenings (12.4 %) occurred co-spatial with Strong Bipolar configurations and 967 EUV brightenings (19.1 %) occurred in Weak Field regions. Fewer than 10 % of EUV brightenings occurred co-spatial with Unipolar line-of-sight magnetic field no matter what threshold was used. Of the 627 Strong Bipolar EUV Brightenings, 54 were found to occur co-spatial with cancellation whilst 57 occurred co-spatial with emergence. EUV brightenings preferentially occur co-spatial with the strong line-of-sight magnetic field in the photospheric network. They do not, though, predominantly occur co-spatial with (cancelling) bi-poles.

astro-ph.SR

Spectroscopic evidence of cool plasma in quiet Sun HRIEUV small scale brightenings

Context: A large number of the small and the short-lived EUV brightenings have been detected in the quiet Sun (QS) over the past three years, by the High Resolution Imager of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (HRIEUV) on board Solar Orbiter. It is still uncertain whether these events reach coronal temperatures, and thus if they directly participate to coronal heating. Aims: In this work, we evaluate the maximum temperature of 11 EUV brightenings in the QS, through plasma diagnostics involving UV/EUV spectroscopy and imaging. Methods: We use three QS observations coordinated between HRIEUV, the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE/Solar Orbiter), the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS/Hinode), and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA/SDO). We detected events in HRIEUV, ranging from 0.8 to 6.2 Mm in length. We then identified nine of them in SPICE and AIA, as well as three in EIS. We investigated their temporal evolution using their light curves, and applied temperature diagnostics, such as the LOCI Emission Measure (EM) and the differential EM (DEM). We also estimated the electron density of one event identified in EIS. Results: These events are dominated by emission of plasma at chromospheric and TR temperatures, and they barely reach temperatures above 1 MK. As such, we concluded that their contribution to coronal heating is not dominant. The estimated density of one of the event is n$_e$ = (1.8 $\pm$ 1.3) $\times$ $10^{10}$ cm$^{-3}$.

astro-ph.SR

Observations of Fan-Spine Topology by Solar Orbiter/EUI: Rotational Motions and Indications of Alfv\'en Waves

Torsional Alfv\'en waves do not produce any intensity variation and are, therefore, challenging to observe with imaging instruments. Previously, Alfv\'en wave observations were reported throughout all the layers of the solar atmosphere using spectral imaging. We present an observation of a torsional Alfv\'en wave detected in an inverted y-shape structure observed with the HRIEUV telescope of the EUI instrument onboard Solar Orbiter in its 174 \r{A} channel. The feature consists of two footpoints connected through short loops and a spine with a length of 30 Mm originating from one of the footpoints. In the current work, we also make use of the simultaneous observations from two other instruments onboard Solar Orbiter. The first one is PHI that is used to derive the magnetic configuration of the observed feature. The second one is SPICE that provided observations of intensity maps in different lines including Ne VIII and C III lines. We also address the issues of the SPICE point spread function and its influence on the Doppler maps via performed forward modeling analysis. The difference movie shows clear signatures of propagating rotational motions in the spine. Doppler maps obtained with SPICE show strong signal in the spine region. Under the assumption that the recovered point spread function is mostly correct, synthesized raster images confirm that this signal is predominantly physical. We conclude that the presented observations are compatible with an interpretation of either propagating torsional Alfv\'en waves in a low coronal structure or untwisting of a flux rope. This is the first time we see signatures of propagating torsional motion in corona as observed by the three instruments onboard Solar Orbiter.

astro-ph.SR

Coronal voids and their magnetic nature

Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) observations of the quiet solar atmosphere reveal extended regions of weak emission compared to the ambient quiescent corona. The magnetic nature of these coronal features is not well understood. We study the magnetic properties of the weakly emitting extended regions, which we name coronal voids. In particular, we aim to understand whether these voids result from a reduced heat input into the corona or if they are associated with mainly unipolar and possibly open magnetic fields, similar to coronal holes. We defined the coronal voids via an intensity threshold of 75% of the mean quiet-Sun (QS) EUV intensity observed by the high-resolution EUV channel (HRIEUV) of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on Solar Orbiter. The line-of-sight magnetograms of the same solar region recorded by the High Resolution Telescope of the Polarimetric and Helioseismic Imager allowed us to compare the photospheric magnetic field beneath the coronal voids with that in other parts of the QS. The coronal voids studied here range in size from a few granules to a few supergranules and on average exhibit a reduced intensity of 67% of the mean value of the entire field of view. The magnetic flux density in the photosphere below the voids is 76% (or more) lower than in the surrounding QS. Specifically, the coronal voids show much weaker or no network structures. The detected flux imbalances fall in the range of imbalances found in QS areas of the same size. Conclusions. We conclude that coronal voids form because of locally reduced heating of the corona due to reduced magnetic flux density in the photosphere. This makes them a distinct class of (dark) structure, different from coronal holes.

astro-ph.SR

Picoflare jets power the solar wind emerging from a coronal hole on the Sun

Coronal holes are areas on the Sun with open magnetic field lines. They are a source region of the solar wind, but how the wind emerges from coronal holes is not known. We observed a coronal hole using the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on the Solar Orbiter spacecraft. We identified jets on scales of a few hundred kilometers, which last 20 to 100 seconds and reach speeds of ~100 kilometers per second. The jets are powered by magnetic reconnection and have kinetic energy in the picoflare range. They are intermittent but widespread within the observed coronal hole. We suggest that such picoflare jets could produce enough high-temperature plasma to sustain the solar wind and that the wind emerges from coronal holes as a highly intermittent outflow at small scales.

astro-ph.SR

SPICE Connection Mosaics to link the Sun's surface and the heliosphere

We present an analysis of the first connection mosaic made by the SPICE instrument on board of the ESA / NASA Solar Orbiter mission on March 2nd, 2022. The data will be used to map coronal composition that will be compared with in-situ measurements taken by SWA/HIS to establish the coronal origin of the solar wind plasma observed at Solar Orbiter. The SPICE spectral lines were chosen to have varying sensitivity to the First Ionization Potential (FIP) effect, and therefore the radiances of the spectral lines will vary significantly depending on whether the elemental composition is coronal or photospheric. We investigate the link between the behavior of sulfur with the hypothesis that Alfv\'en waves drive FIP fractionation above the chromosphere. We perform temperature diagnostics using line ratios and Emission Measure (EM) loci, and compute relative FIP biases using three different approaches (two line ratio (2LR), ratios of linear combinations of spectral lines (LCR), and differential emission measure (DEM) inversion) to perform composition diagnostics in the corona. We then compare the SPICE composition analysis and EUI data of the potential solar wind source regions to the SWA / HIS data products. Radiance maps are extracted from SPICE spectral data cubes, with values matching previous observations. We find isothermal plasma of around LogT = 5.8 for the active region loops targeted, and that higher FIP-bias values are present at the footpoints of the coronal loops associated with two active regions. Comparing the results with the SWA/HIS data products encourages us to think that Solar Orbiter was connected to a source of slow solar wind during this observation campaign. We demonstrate FIP fractionation in observations of the upper chromosphere and transition region, emphasized by the behavior of the intermediate-FIP element sulfur.

astro-ph.SR

Stereoscopic disambiguation of vector magnetograms: first applications to SO/PHI-HRT data

Spectropolarimetric reconstructions of the photospheric vector magnetic field are intrinsically limited by the 180$^\circ$-ambiguity in the orientation of the transverse component. So far, the removal of such an ambiguity has required assumptions about the properties of the photospheric field, which makes disambiguation methods model-dependent. The basic idea is that the unambiguous line-of-sight component of the field measured from one vantage point will generally have a non-zero projection on the ambiguous transverse component measured by the second telescope, thereby determining the ``true'' orientation of the transverse field. Such an idea was developed and implemented in the Stereoscopic Disambiguation Method (SDM), which was recently tested using numerical simulations. In this work we present a first application of the SDM to data obtained by the High Resolution Telescope (HRT) onboard Solar Orbiter during the March 2022 campaign, when the angle with Earth was 27 degrees. The method is successfully applied to remove the ambiguity in the transverse component of the vector magnetogram solely using observations (from HRT and from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager), for the first time. The SDM is proven to provide observation-only disambiguated vector magnetograms that are spatially homogeneous and consistent. A discussion about the sources of error that may limit the accuracy of the method, and of the strategies to remove them in future applications, is also presented.

astro-ph.SR

A multiple spacecraft detection of the 2 April 2022 M-class flare and filament eruption during the first close Solar Orbiter perihelion

The Solar Orbiter mission completed its first remote-sensing observation windows in the spring of 2022. On 2/4/2022, an M-class flare followed by a filament eruption was seen both by the instruments on board the mission and from several observatories in Earth's orbit. The complexity of the observed features is compared with the predictions given by the standard flare model in 3D. We use the observations from a multi-view dataset, which includes EUV imaging to spectroscopy and magnetic field measurements. These data come from IRIS, SDO, Hinode, as well as several instruments on Solar Orbiter. Information given by SDO/HMI and Solar Orbiter PHI/HRT shows that a parasitic polarity emerging underneath the filament is responsible for bringing the flux rope to an unstable state. As the flux rope erupts, Hinode/EIS captures blue-shifted emission in the transition region and coronal lines in the northern leg of the flux rope prior to the flare peak. Solar Orbiter SPICE captures the whole region, complementing the Doppler diagnostics of the filament eruption. Analyses of the formation and evolution of a complex set of flare ribbons and loops show that the parasitic emerging bipole plays an important role in the evolution of the flaring region. While the analysed data are overall consistent with the standard flare model, the present particular magnetic configuration shows that surrounding magnetic activity such as nearby emergence needs to be taken into account to fully understand the processes at work. This filament eruption is the first to be covered from different angles by spectroscopic instruments, and provides an unprecedented diagnostic of the multi-thermal structures present before and during the flare. This dataset of an eruptive event showcases the capabilities of coordinated observations with the Solar Orbiter mission.

astro-ph.SR

EUV brightenings in the quiet-Sun: Signatures in spectral and imaging data from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph

Localised transient EUV brightenings, sometimes named `campfires', occur throughout the quiet-Sun. However, there are still many open questions about such events, in particular regarding their temperature range and dynamics. In this article, we aim to determine whether any transition region response can be detected for small-scale EUV brightenings and, if so, to identify whether the measured spectra correspond to any previously reported bursts in the transition region, such as Explosive Events (EEs). EUV brightenings were detected in a ~29.4 minute dataset sampled by Solar Orbiter's Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on 8 March 2022 using an automated detection algorithm. Any potential transition region response was inferred through analysis of imaging and spectral data sampled through coordinated observations conducted by the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS). EUV brightenings display a range of responses in IRIS slit-jaw imager (SJI) data. Some events have clear signatures in the Mg II and Si IV SJI filters, whilst others have no discernible counterpart. Both extended and more complex EUV brightenings are found to, sometimes, have responses in IRIS SJI data. Examples of EUI intensities peaking before, during, and after their IRIS counterparts were found in lightcurves constructed co-spatial to EUV brightenings. Importantly, therefore, it is likely that not all EUV brightenings are driven in the same way, with some seemingly being magnetic reconnection driven and others not. A single EUV brightening occurred co-spatial to the IRIS slit, with its spectra matching the properties of EEs. EUV brightenings is a term used to describe a range of small-scale event in the solar corona. The physics responsible for all EUV brightenings is likely not the same and, therefore, more research is required to assess their importance towards global questions in the field, such as coronal heating.

astro-ph.SR

EUV fine structure and variability associated with coronal rain revealed by Solar Orbiter/EUI HRIEUV and SPICE

Coronal rain is the most dramatic cooling phenomenon of the solar corona and an essential diagnostic tool for the coronal heating properties. A puzzling feature of the solar corona, besides the heating, is its EUV filamentary structure and variability. We aim to identify observable features of the TNE-TI scenario underlying coronal rain at small and large spatial scales, to understand the role it plays in the solar corona. We use EUV datasets at unprecedented spatial resolution of ~240 km from EUI/HRIEUV and SPICE of Solar Orbiter from the spring 2022 perihelion. EUV absorption features produced by coronal rain are detected at scales as small as 260 km. As the rain falls, heating and compression is produced immediately downstream, leading to a small EUV brightening accompanying the fall and producing a "fireball" phenomenon. Just prior to impact, a flash-like EUV brightening downstream of the rain, lasting a few minutes is observed for the fastest events. For the first time, we detect the atmospheric response to the rain's impact on the chromosphere and consists of upward propagating rebound shocks and flows partly reheating the loop. The observed widths of the rain clumps are 500 +- 200 km. They exhibit a broad velocity distribution of 10 - 150 km s^-1, peaking below 50 km s^-1. Coronal strands of similar widths are observed along the same loops co-spatial with cool filamentary structure, which we interpret as the CCTR. Matching with the expected cooling, prior to the rain appearance sequential loop brightenings are detected in gradually cooler lines from corona to chromospheric temperatures. Despite the large rain showers, most cannot be detected in AIA 171 in quadrature, indicating that LOS effects play a major role in coronal rain visibility. Still, AIA 304 and SPICE observations reveal that only a small fraction of the rain can be captured by HRIEUV.

astro-ph.SR

Ultra-high-resolution Observations of Persistent Null-point Reconnection in the Solar Corona

Magnetic reconnection is a key mechanism involved in solar eruptions and is also a prime possibility to heat the low corona to millions of degrees. Here, we present ultra-high-resolution extreme ultraviolet observations of persistent null-point reconnection in the corona at a scale of about 390 km over one hour observations of the Extreme-Ultraviolet Imager on board Solar Orbiter spacecraft. The observations show formation of a null-point configuration above a minor positive polarity embedded within a region of dominant negative polarity near a sunspot. The gentle phase of the persistent null-point reconnection is evidenced by sustained point-like high-temperature plasma (about 10 MK) near the null-point and constant outflow blobs not only along the outer spine but also along the fan surface. The blobs appear at a higher frequency than previously observed with an average velocity of about 80 km/s and life-times of about 40 s. The null-point reconnection also occurs explosively but only for 4 minutes, its coupling with a mini-filament eruption generates a spiral jet. These results suggest that magnetic reconnection, at previously unresolved scales, proceeds continually in a gentle and/or explosive way to persistently transfer mass and energy to the overlying corona.

astro-ph.SR

Evidence of external reconnection between an erupting mini-filament and ambient loops observed by Solar Orbiter/EUI

Mini-filament eruptions are one of the most common small-scale transients in the solar atmosphere. However, their eruption mechanisms are still not understood thoroughly. Here, with a combination of 174 A images of high spatio-temporal resolution taken by the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager on board Solar Orbiter and images of the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board Solar Dynamics Observatory, we investigate in detail an erupting mini-filament over a weak magnetic field region on 2022 March 4. Two bright ribbons clearly appeared underneath the erupting mini-filament as it quickly ascended, and subsequently, some dark materials blew out when the erupting mini-filament interacted with the outer ambient loops, thus forming a blowout jet characterized by a widening spire. At the same time, multiple small bright blobs of 1-2 Mm appeared at the interaction region and propagated along the post-eruption loops toward the footpoints of the erupting fluxes at a speed of ~ 100 km/s. They also caused a semi-circular brightening structure. Based on these features, we suggest that the mini-filament eruption first experiences internal and then external reconnection, the latter of which mainly transfers mass and magnetic flux of the erupting mini-filament to the ambient corona.

astro-ph.SR