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Title: The temperature of quiescent streamers during solar cycles 23 and 24

Abstract

Recent in-situ determinations of the temporal evolution of the charge state distribution in the fast and slow solar wind have shown a general decrease in the degree of ionization of all the elements in the solar wind along solar cycles 23 and 24. Such a decrease has been interpreted as a cooling of the solar corona which occurred during the decline and minimum phase of solar cycle 23 from 2000 to 2010. In the present work, we investigate whether spectroscopic determinations of the temperature of the quiescent streamers show signatures of coronal plasma cooling during cycles 23 and 24. We measure the coronal electron density and thermal structure at the base of 60 quiescent streamers observed from 1996 to 2013 by SOHO/SUMER and Hinode/EIS and find that both quantities do now show any significant dependence on the solar cycle. We argue that if the slow solar wind is accelerated from the solar photosphere or chromosphere, the measured decrease in the in-situ wind charge state distribution might be due to an increased efficiency in the wind acceleration mechanism at low altitudes. If the slow wind originates from the corona, a combination of density and wind acceleration changes may be responsible formore » the in-situ results.« less

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
  1. Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)
  2. Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22356862
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Astrophysical Journal
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 787; Journal Issue: 1; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0004-637X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
79 ASTROPHYSICS, COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY; ACCELERATION; CHARGE STATES; CHROMOSPHERE; COOLING; DENSITY; EFFICIENCY; ELECTRON DENSITY; PHOTOSPHERE; PLASMA; SOLAR CORONA; SOLAR CYCLE; SOLAR WIND; SUN

Citation Formats

Landi, E., and Testa, P. The temperature of quiescent streamers during solar cycles 23 and 24. United States: N. p., 2014. Web. doi:10.1088/0004-637X/787/1/33.
Landi, E., & Testa, P. The temperature of quiescent streamers during solar cycles 23 and 24. United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/787/1/33
Landi, E., and Testa, P. 2014. "The temperature of quiescent streamers during solar cycles 23 and 24". United States. https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/787/1/33.
@article{osti_22356862,
title = {The temperature of quiescent streamers during solar cycles 23 and 24},
author = {Landi, E. and Testa, P.},
abstractNote = {Recent in-situ determinations of the temporal evolution of the charge state distribution in the fast and slow solar wind have shown a general decrease in the degree of ionization of all the elements in the solar wind along solar cycles 23 and 24. Such a decrease has been interpreted as a cooling of the solar corona which occurred during the decline and minimum phase of solar cycle 23 from 2000 to 2010. In the present work, we investigate whether spectroscopic determinations of the temperature of the quiescent streamers show signatures of coronal plasma cooling during cycles 23 and 24. We measure the coronal electron density and thermal structure at the base of 60 quiescent streamers observed from 1996 to 2013 by SOHO/SUMER and Hinode/EIS and find that both quantities do now show any significant dependence on the solar cycle. We argue that if the slow solar wind is accelerated from the solar photosphere or chromosphere, the measured decrease in the in-situ wind charge state distribution might be due to an increased efficiency in the wind acceleration mechanism at low altitudes. If the slow wind originates from the corona, a combination of density and wind acceleration changes may be responsible for the in-situ results.},
doi = {10.1088/0004-637X/787/1/33},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22356862}, journal = {Astrophysical Journal},
issn = {0004-637X},
number = 1,
volume = 787,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue May 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014},
month = {Tue May 20 00:00:00 EDT 2014}
}