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High-Resolution Infrared Measurements of H2O and SiO in Sunspots

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Abstract

Ultra-high-resolution spectroscopic measurements (R ≈ 107) of water vapor and silicon monoxide in sunspots are presented. Observations were performed using the Cologne Tunable Heterodyne Infrared Spectrometer (THIS) at the McMath–Pierce Solar Observatory. Mid-infrared molecular absorption lines around 10 μm were recorded and resolved in full detail. The linewidth and shape can thus be determined with high precision and were used to calculate kinetic temperatures which are much higher than the physical temperatures of the sunspot.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, U.S.A.

    G. Sonnabend

  2. Philips Research Laboratories, Hamburg, Germany

    D. Wirtz

  3. KOSMA, University of Cologne, Köln, Germany

    R. Schieder

  4. Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    P. F. Bernath

Authors
  1. G. Sonnabend
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  2. D. Wirtz
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  3. R. Schieder
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  4. P. F. Bernath
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to G. Sonnabend.

Additional information

Only 15% of the wavelengths between 9 and 12μ can be covered using CO2 and all its isotopologues as laser gases (Kostiuk and Mumma, 1983).

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Sonnabend, G., Wirtz, D., Schieder, R. et al. High-Resolution Infrared Measurements of H2O and SiO in Sunspots. Sol Phys 233, 205–213 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-006-2488-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-006-2488-9

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