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Map** the magnetic field in the solar corona through magnetoseismology

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Abstract

Magnetoseismology, a technique of magnetic field diagnostics based on observations of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves, has been widely used to estimate the field strengths of oscillating structures in the solar corona. However, previously magnetoseismology was mostly applied to occasionally occurring oscillation events, providing an estimate of only the average field strength or one-dimensional distribution of field strength along an oscillating structure. This restriction could be eliminated if we apply magnetoseismology to the pervasive propagating transverse MHD waves discovered with the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP). Using several CoMP observations of the Fe xiii 1074.7 nm and 1079.8 nm spectral lines, we obtained maps of the plasma density and wave phase speed in the corona, which allow us to map both the strength and direction of the coronal magnetic field in the plane of sky. We also examined distributions of the electron density and magnetic field strength, and compared their variations with height in the quiet Sun and active regions. Such measurements could provide critical information to advance our understanding of the Sun’s magnetism and the magnetic coupling of the whole solar atmosphere.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Bei**g, 100871, China

    ZiHao Yang, Hui Tian & YaJie Chen

  2. Key Laboratory of Solar Activity, National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100012, China

    Hui Tian & **anYong Bai

  3. High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, CO, 80307, USA

    Steven Tomczyk

  4. Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Northumbria University, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE1 8ST, UK

    Richard Morton

  5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, 22030, USA

    Tanmoy Samanta

  6. Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD, 20723, USA

    Tanmoy Samanta

  7. Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, 37077, Göttingen, Germany

    YaJie Chen

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  1. ZiHao Yang
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  2. Hui Tian
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  3. Steven Tomczyk
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Correspondence to Hui Tian.

Additional information

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11825301, 11790304(11790300)), the Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS (Grant No. XDA17040507), and Grant No. 1916321TS00103201. This material is based upon work supported by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, which is a major facility sponsored by the National Science Foundation under Cooperative Agreement (Grant No. 1852977). CoMP is an instrument operated by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. AIA is an instrument on SDO, a mission of NASAs Living With a Star Program.

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Yang, Z., Tian, H., Tomczyk, S. et al. Map** the magnetic field in the solar corona through magnetoseismology. Sci. China Technol. Sci. 63, 2357–2368 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11431-020-1706-9

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