Solar H(alpha) Oscillations from Intensity and Doppler Observations (Postprint)

Abstract

Chromospheric wave activity around flares and filaments has been a research focus for years, and could provide indirect measurements of local conditions that are not otherwise accessible. One interesting observed phenomenon is oscillations in filaments, activated by distant flares and the large-scale waves they produce. Characteristics of these oscillations, such as periods, amplitudes, and lifetimes, can provide unique information about the filament. We measure oscillation properties in flares and filaments from H chromospheric data using a new method that provides important spatial and frequency content of the dynamics. We apply the method to two flare events where filaments are observed to oscillate and determine their properties. We find strong oscillatory signal in flaring active regions in the chromosphere over a range of frequencies. Two filaments are found to oscillate without any detectable chromospheric wave acting as an activation mechanism. We find that filaments oscillate with periods of tens of minutes, but variations are significant at small spatial scales along the filamentary region. The results suggest that there is a frequency dependence of the oscillation amplitude, as well as a spatial dependence along single filaments that is more difficult to quantify. It also appears that the strength of the oscillations does not necessarily depend on the strength of the trigger, although there are other possible effects that make this conclusion preliminary. Applications of this technique to other events and different data sets will provide important new insights into the local energy densities and magnetic fields associated with dynamic chromospheric structures.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2013
Accession Number
ADA587792

Entities

People

  • Jason Jackiewicz
  • K. S. Balasubramaniam

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Research Laboratories
  • Amplitude
  • Chromosphere
  • Data Sets
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Bands
  • Intensity
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Measurement
  • Observation
  • Oscillation
  • Spacecraft
  • Spectra
  • Spectral Lines
  • Sun
  • Three Dimensional

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics
  • Solar Physics
  • Theoretical Analysis.