Bibcode
Lagg, A.; Solanki, S. K.; Riethmüller, T. L.; Martínez-Pillet, V.; Schüssler, M.; Hirzberger, J.; Feller, A.; Borrero, J. M.; Schmidt, W.; del Toro Iniesta, J. C.; Bonet, J. A.; Barthol, P.; Berkefeld, T.; Domingo, V.; Gandorfer, A.; Knölker, M.; Title, A. M.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal Letters, Volume 723, Issue 2, pp. L164-L168 (2010).
Advertised on:
11
2010
Citations
102
Refereed citations
90
Description
Until today, the small size of magnetic elements in quiet-Sun areas has
required the application of indirect methods, such as the line-ratio
technique or multi-component inversions, to infer their physical
properties. A consistent match to the observed Stokes profiles could
only be obtained by introducing a magnetic filling factor that specifies
the fraction of the observed pixel filled with magnetic field. Here, we
investigate the properties of a small magnetic patch in the quiet Sun
observed with the IMaX magnetograph on board the balloon-borne telescope
SUNRISE with unprecedented spatial resolution and low instrumental stray
light. We apply an inversion technique based on the numerical solution
of the radiative transfer equation to retrieve the temperature
stratification and the field strength in the magnetic patch. The
observations can be well reproduced with a one-component, fully
magnetized atmosphere with a field strength exceeding 1 kG and a
significantly enhanced temperature in the mid to upper photosphere with
respect to its surroundings, consistent with semi-empirical flux tube
models for plage regions. We therefore conclude that, within the
framework of a simple atmospheric model, the IMaX measurements resolve
the observed quiet-Sun flux tube.
Related projects
Solar and Stellar Magnetism
Magnetic fields are at the base of star formation and stellar structure and evolution. When stars are born, magnetic fields brake the rotation during the collapse of the mollecular cloud. In the end of the life of a star, magnetic fields can play a key role in the form of the strong winds that lead to the last stages of stellar evolution. During
Tobías
Felipe García