2011/12/31 by P. G. Judge, Philip G. Judge, Bart De Pontieu +4
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Astrobiology #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Chromosphere #Corona (planetary geology) #Coronal mass ejection #Doppler effect #Geology #Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies #Geometry #Ion #Ionization #Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics #Line (geometry) #Magnetic field #Nanoflares #Paleontology #Physics #Plasma #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #Solar prominence #Solar wind #Spectral line #Spicule #Sponge spicule #astro-ph.SR
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/746/2/158
Astrophysical Journal, in press
arxiv created 2012/01/03 · openalex publication_date 2012/02/02 · arxiv updated 2015/06/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
We examine the hypothesis that plasma associated with "Type II" spicules is heated to coronal temperatures, and that the upward moving hot plasma constitutes a significant mass supply to the solar corona. One-dimensional hydrodynamical models including time-dependent ionization are brought to bear on the problem. These calculations indicate that heating of field-aligned spicule flows should produce significant differential Doppler shifts between emission lines formed in the chromosphere, transition region, and corona. At present, observational evidence for the computed 60–90 km s −1 differential shifts is weak, but the data are limited by difficulties in comparing the proper motion of Type II spicules with spectral and kinematic properties of an associated transition region and coronal emission lines. Future observations with the upcoming infrared interferometer spectrometer instrument should clarify if Doppler shifts are consistent with the dynamics modeled here.