Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-q99xh Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T14:13:56.252Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Formation of the Solar 10830 Å Line

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 August 2017

E. H. Avrett
Affiliation:
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.
J. M. Fontenla
Affiliation:
The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, AL 35899, U.S.A.
R. Loeser
Affiliation:
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, U.S.A.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

One-dimensional hydrostatic-equilibrium models are shown here for faint, average, and bright components of the quiet Sun, and for a plage region, describing in each case how the atmosphere is stratified through the photosphere, chromosphere, and transition region up to a temperature of 105 K. The observed coronal line radiation is assumed to be the inward incident radiation at the 105 K boundary. This coronal radiation penetrates into the upper chromosphere causing sufficient helium ionization to populate the lower level of the He I 10830 Å line, producing optically-thin absorption of the photospheric continuum at 10830 Å. The amount of absorption, which is proportional to the optical thickness of the upper chromosphere in the 10830 line, depends on 1) the strength of the coronal lines at wavelengths in the He I 504 Å ionizing continuum, and 2) the density and geometrical thickness of the upper chromosphere. The computed 10830 Å line is shown for the four atmospheric models and for three values of the coronal illumination. The calculated off-limb 10830 intensity distribution shows a minimum in the low chromosphere and a maximum at roughly 2000 km above the photosphere, in general agreement with observations, indicating that this is the predominant height of the transition region over most of the solar surface.

Type
Part 1: Infrared Diagnostics of the Solar Atmosphere and Solar Activity
Copyright
Copyright © Kluwer 1994 

References

Athay, R. G., and Menzel, D. H.: 1956, Astrophys. J. 123, 285.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fleck, B., Deubner, F. -L., Maier, D., and Schmidt, W.: 1993, these proceedings.Google Scholar
Fontenla, J. M., Avrett, E. H., and Loeser, R.: 1990, Astrophys. J. 355, 700.Google Scholar
Fontenla, J. M., Avrett, E. H., and Loeser, R.: 1991, Astrophys. J. 377, 712.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fontenla, J. M., Avrett, E. H., and Loeser, R.: 1992, Astrophys. J. in press.Google Scholar
Gulyaev, R. A.: 1971, Solar Phys. 18, 410.Google Scholar
Gulyaev, R. A.: 1972, Solar Phys. 24, 72,CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Harvey, J., and Livingston, W.: 1993, these proceedings.Google Scholar
Harvey, K.: 1993, these proceedings.Google Scholar
Jones, H. P.: 1993, these proceedings.Google Scholar
Koutchmy, S., and Avrett, E. H.: 1989, unpublished conference manuscript available from the authors.Google Scholar
Lifshits, M. A., Akimov, L. A., Belkina, I. L., and Dyatel, N. P.: 1976, Solar Phys. 49, 315.Google Scholar
Tobiska, W. K.: 1991, J. Atmos. Terr. Phys., 53, 1005.Google Scholar
Vernazza, J. E., Avrett, E. H., and Loeser, R.: 1991, Astrophys. J. Suppl. 45, 635.Google Scholar
White, O. R.: 1963, Astrophys. J. 138, 1316.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zirin, H.: 1975, Astrophys. J. 199, L63.Google Scholar