A Parameter Study for Modeling Mg ii h and k Emission during Solar Flares

Journal Article · Tue Jun 20 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/AA6EAF· OSTI ID:22663497

Rubio da Costa, Fatima ^[1]; Kleint, Lucia ^[2]

---

1. Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305 (United States)
2. University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland, 5210, Windisch (Switzerland)

Solar flares show highly unusual spectra in which the thermodynamic conditions of the solar atmosphere are encoded. Current models are unable to fully reproduce the spectroscopic flare observations, especially the single-peaked spectral profiles of the Mg ii h and k lines. We aim to understand the formation of the chromospheric and optically thick Mg ii h and k lines in flares through radiative transfer calculations. We take a flare atmosphere obtained from a simulation with the radiative hydrodynamic code RADYN as input for a radiative transfer modeling with the RH code. By iteratively changing this model atmosphere and varying thermodynamic parameters such as temperature, electron density, and velocity, we study their effects on the emergent intensity spectra. We reproduce the typical single-peaked Mg ii h and k flare spectral shape and approximate the intensity ratios to the subordinate Mg ii lines by increasing either densities, temperatures, or velocities at the line core formation height range. Additionally, by combining unresolved upflows and downflows up to ∼250 km s{sup −1} within one resolution element, we reproduce the widely broadened line wings. While we cannot unambiguously determine which mechanism dominates in flares, future modeling efforts should investigate unresolved components, additional heat dissipation, larger velocities, and higher densities and combine the analysis of multiple spectral lines.

• OSTI ID: 22663497
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 842, Issue 2; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
APPROXIMATIONS
CHROMOSPHERE
DENSITY
ELECTRON DENSITY
ELECTRON TEMPERATURE
EMISSION
ENERGY LOSSES
HEAT
HYDRODYNAMICS
ITERATIVE METHODS
RADIANT HEAT TRANSFER
RESOLUTION
SIMULATION
SOLAR FLARES
SPECTRA
SUN
THERMAL DIFFUSIVITY
THERMAL EFFLUENTS
THERMODYNAMICS
VELOCITY