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Probing the Quiet Solar Atmosphere from the Photosphere to the Corona

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Abstract

We investigate the morphology and temporal variability of a quiet-Sun network region in different solar layers. The emission in several extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectral lines through both raster and slot time-series, recorded by the EUV Imaging Spectrometer (EIS) on board the Hinode spacecraft is studied along with \(\mbox{H}\upalpha\) observations and high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of the photospheric magnetic field. The photospheric magnetic field is extrapolated up to the corona, showing a multitude of large- and small-scale structures. We show for the first time that the smallest magnetic structures at both the network and internetwork contribute significantly to the emission in EUV lines, with temperatures ranging from \(8\times 10^{4}~\mbox{K}\) to \(6\times 10^{5}~\mbox{K}\). Two components of transition region emission are present, one associated with small-scale loops that do not reach coronal temperatures, and another component that acts as an interface between coronal and chromospheric plasma. Both components are associated with persistent chromospheric structures. The temporal variability of the EUV intensity at the network region is also associated with chromospheric motions, pointing to a connection between transition region and chromospheric features. Intensity enhancements in the EUV transition region lines are preferentially produced by \(\mbox{H}\upalpha\) upflows. Examination of two individual chromospheric jets shows that their evolution is associated with intensity variations in transition region and coronal temperatures.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the anonymous referee, whose valuable comments greatly improved the manuscript. The observations have been funded by the Optical Infrared Coordination network (OPTICON, http://www.ing.iac.es/opticon ), a major international collaboration supported by the Research Infrastructures Program of the European Commission’s sixth Framework Program. The research was partly funded through the project “SOLAR-4068”, which is implemented under the “ARISTEIA II” Action of the operational program “Education and Lifelong Learning” and is cofunded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and Greek national funds. The DOT was operated at the Spanish Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias. The authors thank P. Sütterlin for the DOT observations and R. Rutten for the data reduction. Hinode is a Japanese mission developed and launched by ISAS/JAXA, collaborating with NAOJ as a domestic partner, and NASA and STFC (UK) as international partners. Scientific operation of the Hinode mission is conducted by the Hinode science team organized at ISAS/JAXA. This team mainly consists of scientists from institutes in the partner countries. Support for the post-launch operation is provided by JAXA and NAOJ (Japan), STFC (UK), NASA, ESA, and NSC (Norway). Hinode SOT/SP Inversions were conducted at NCAR under the framework of the Community Spectro-polarimetric Analysis Center (CSAC; http://www.csac.hao.ucar.edu ). The authors would like to thank S.H. Park for valuable help in the magnetic field extrapolation.

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Kontogiannis, I., Gontikakis, C., Tsiropoula, G. et al. Probing the Quiet Solar Atmosphere from the Photosphere to the Corona. Sol Phys 293, 56 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-018-1275-8

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