Fredagskollokvium: Chromosphere and Transition Region response to Quiet Sun Ellerman Bombs

Aditi Bhatnagar, PhD student at Rosseland Centre for Solar Physics, Institute of Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Oslo.

bildet av en ung kvinne stående foran sjøen
Aditi Bhatnagar is a PhD fellow at the Rosseland Centre for Solar Physics (RoCS), University of Oslo. Photo: private.

Quiet Sun Ellerman Bombs (QSEBs) serve as a key indicator of small-scale photospheric magnetic reconnection events and are distinctly identified by their pronounced enhancement in the wings of the hydrogen Balmer (Hβ) line and by the subsequent emission in the line core. Recent research has established their ubiquitous presence in the lower solar atmosphere. We analyse high-resolution Hβ observations from the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope and utilise k-means clustering to detect QSEBs. We further use coordinated and co-aligned observations from the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) to search for corresponding signatures in both slit-jaw images and spectra. For the spectral data, we focus on the Si IV, Mg h and k, and Mg triplet lines in relation to the detected QSEBs. Our investigation yields a few cases where enhanced emission in the Si IV spectral data is both spatially and temporally coincident. Moreover, we identify numerous instances of QSEBs showing brightenings in the Si IV slit jaw data. These findings suggest the possibility that QSEBs, despite originating as reconnection events in the lower solar atmosphere, may attain temperatures comparable to the transition region.

observation of the solar surface
Active region observed with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope in the H-beta line wing. The Ellerman Bomb flames stand out clearly towards the limb. Credit: Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope.
Emneord: fredagskollokvium, institute seminar, solar physics, Observations, Solar Chromosphere
Publisert 19. okt. 2023 15:57 - Sist endret 19. okt. 2023 15:57