Structure and polarization of active region microwave emission

Abstract

We present observations of active region radio emission at 6.16 cm wavelength, obtained with an angular resolution of 3″ by 10″ arc using the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) during the action interval May 20–27, 1980 of the Solar Maximum Year (SMY). We present maps in both total intensity (I) and circular polarization (V) of three regions (Hale numbers 16850, 16863, and 16864) and provide a detailed comparison of these maps with on- and off-band Hα pictures and with magnetograms. The strongest sources were associated with neutral lines and soft X-ray arcades. We present evidence that these neutral lines were characterized by having their two opposite polarities close to each other, implying a high magnetic field gradient, and by their association with arch filament systems. The sunspot associated radio sources had a relatively simple structure in region 16850; however for the large spots of regions 16864 and 16863 the emission had a patchy appearance with a tendency of the peaks to lie over the penumbra. In the V maps we observed for the first time two ‘islands’, polarized in the sense of the ordinary mode, which were located inside the sunspot associated sources and were associated with intrusions of opposite polarity field into the penumbra. These structures can be accounted for if the electron temperature along the line of sight is not a monotonically increasing function of height, but has a maximum near the second harmonic level. Finally we give a detailed analysis of observations of the inversion of the sense of circular polarization in region 16863. We find that the large scale structure of the magnetic field can be approximated by a dipole with its axis inclined by 11° with respect to the photosphere and with a dipole moment of about 2 × 10³¹ cgs units; the depolarization line is located at a height of 0.16–0.19 R⊙ above the dipole, where the estimated intensity of the magnetic field is 10–20 G.