2026/07/30 by Iñigo Juanikorena Berasategi, Ernest Alsina Ballester, Javier Trujillo Bueno +31
Physics and Astronomy · #astro-ph.SR
9 pages, 4 figures, 4 appendices. Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Letters; Sunrise III focus issue
arxiv created 2026/07/30 · arxiv updated 2026/07/31
We investigate the height variation of the line-of-sight (LOS) magnetic field in solar active-region (AR) plage from the upper photosphere to the upper chromosphere using co-spatial ultraviolet (UV) and infrared (IR) spectropolarimetric observations from the Sunrise III stratospheric balloon flight. The Ca II K and Ca II 8542 Å lines provide complementary chromospheric diagnostics, while nearby Fe I lines sample photospheric layers. The LOS magnetic field is inferred from the intensity and circular polarization profiles, applying the weak field approximation for the Ca II lines and the center-of-gravity method for the Fe I lines. The photospheric Fe I lines reveal strong, finely structured magnetic fields of the order of a kG. In contrast, the chromospheric Ca II diagnostics yield systematically weaker fields, typically in the ∼ 100-400 G range, with a more diffuse spatial distribution. Magnetic field maps inferred from the Ca II K line, formed higher in the chromosphere, are smoother and more extended than those derived from the Ca II 8542 Å line, which samples lower heights. We find that the magnetized area increases by a factor of ∼ 2 from the photosphere to the chromosphere. These results provide direct quantitative evidence that magnetic fields in AR plage weaken and expand with height, evolving from compact kG photospheric concentrations into weaker and more spatially extended structures in the upper chromosphere.