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Simultaneous measurements of the polarization in Hα and D3 prominence emissions

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Abstract

Simultaneous observations of the polarization of radiations Hα and D3 have been performed in 1979 at Pic du Midi on 60 solar prominences (300 pairs of measurements). For the essential part of the sample, the degree of polarization p(D3) does not depend strongly upon the intensity E(D3); on the contrary p(Hα) decreases steeply when E(Hα) goes beyond the brightness which corresponds to τ(Hα) = 1 (Figure 4); the deviation of the polarization direction ϑ(Hα) does not show such a strong dependance upon E(Hα) (Figure 6). A crude estimate of the possible role of multiple scattering in an optically thick prominence is in general agreement with observational data but a detailed comparison will be possible only when a complete theory of the Hanle effect in non optically thin layers will be available.

Therefore, Hα polarization measurements are presently useful mainly when τ(Hα) < 1 and, in connexion with D3 measurements (Figure 8), they should make possible to determine the three components of the prominence magnetic vector. Prospects are given for the observation of other lines (Hβ; λ 10 830 Å) which do not suffer heavy self-absorption effects and would be well-suited to this type of study.

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  1. Observatoire du Pic du Midi, 65200, Bagnères de Bigorre, France

    Jean-Louis Leroy

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Leroy, JL. Simultaneous measurements of the polarization in Hα and D3 prominence emissions. Sol Phys 71, 285–297 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00167552

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00167552

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