Height Variation of the vector magnetic field in solar spicules

Variación del vector campo magnético en espículas solares (de izq. a der. intensidad, inclinación y azimut del campo) con la altura sobre el limbo solar, inferido mediante el código HAZEL
Variación del vector campo magnético en espículas solares (de izq. a der. intensidad, inclinación y azimut del campo) con la altura sobre el limbo solar, inferido mediante el código HAZEL
Advertised on
References
2015 ApJ 803 L18

Proving the magnetic configuration of solar spicules has hitherto been difficult due to the lack of spatial resolution and image stability during off-limb ground-based observations.  We report spectropolarimetric observations of spicules taken in the He I 1083 nm spectral region with the Tenerife Infrared Polarimeter II at the German Vacuum Tower Telescope at the Teide Observatory (Tenerife; Canary Islands; Spain). The data provide the variation with geometrical height of the Stokes I, Q, U, and V profiles whose encoded information allows the determination of the magnetic field vector by means of the HAZEL inversion code.  The inferred results show that the average magnetic field strength at the base of solar spicules is about 80 gauss and then it decreases rapidly with height to about 30 gauss at a height of 3000 km above the visible solar surface.  Moreover, the magnetic field vector is close to vertical at the base of the chromosphere and has mid inclinations (about 50 degree) above 2 Mm height.

News type
Research news

It may interest you

  • Research news
    On the magnetic nature of quiet-Sun chromospheric grains
    CaII Kgrains, i.e., intermittent, short-lived (about 1 minute), periodic (2-4 minutes), pointlike chromospheric brightenings, are considered to be the manifestations of acoustic waves propagating upward from the solar surface and developing into shocks in the chromosphere. After the simulations of Carlsson and Stein, we know that hot shocked gas moving upward interacting with the downflowing chromospheric gas (falling down after having been displaced upward by a previous shock) nicely reproduces the spectral features of the CaII K profiles observed in such grains, i.e., a narrowband emission
    Advertised on
  • MaNGA galaxies
    Research news
    Constraints on the in situ and ex situ stellar masses in nearby galaxies obtained with artificial intelligence
    The hierarchical model of galaxy evolution suggests that mergers have a substantial impact on the intricate processes that drive stellar assembly within a galaxy. However, accurately measuring the contribution of accretion to a galaxy's total stellar mass and its balance with in situ star formation poses a persistent challenge, as it is neither directly observable nor easily inferred from observational properties. Using data from MaNGA, we present theory-motivated predictions for the fraction of stellar mass originating from mergers in a statistically significant sample of nearby galaxies
    Advertised on
  • Action space (normalized to the sum of the three actions of motion, Jtot) of Gaia RVS stars
    Research news
    The Metal-Poor Edge of the Milky Way’s Thin Disk
    The formation and evolution of the disk of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, remains an enigma in astronomy. In particular, the relationship between the thick disk and the thin disk —two key components of the Milky Way— is still unclear. Understanding the chemical and dynamical properties of the stars within these disks is crucial, especially in the parameter spaces where their characteristics overlap, such the metallicity regime around [Fe/H] ~ -0.7, which marks the metal-poor end of the thin disk, higher than that of the thick disk. This is often interpreted as an indication that the thin disk
    Advertised on