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Energy balance in cool quiescent prominences

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Abstract

The energy balance for cool quiescent prominences is examined using a 6000 km, 6000 K isothermal slab model prominence with a density gradient dictated by a modified Kippenhahn-Schlüter model. The model is irradiated from both sides by the coronal, chromospheric, and photospheric radiation fields. The radiative transfer problem is solved in detail for the Lyman continuum and Hα to determine the net radiative energy loss for hydrogen. An estimate of the energy loss for Ca ii H and K indicates that this source of energy loss is unimportant when compared with the hydrogen radiation. The radiative energy loss is easily balanced by the conductive energy gain from the corona.

The only difficulty with our model is that the total hydrogen density must be of the order of 3 × 1012/ cm3 to match the n = 2 population density of 5 × 104/cm3 obtained from observation. To support a prominence of this density and a thickness of 6000 km against gravity requires magnetic fields of the order of 20 G which is much higher than the average magnetic field in quiescent prominences deduced from limb observations. Two possible explanations for this discrepancy are given.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. High Altitude Observatory, National Center for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colo., U.S.A

    A. Poland & U. Anzer

Authors
  1. A. Poland
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  2. U. Anzer
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Currently at the Max-Planck-Institut für Physik und Astrophysik, München, Germany.

The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

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Poland, A., Anzer, U. Energy balance in cool quiescent prominences. Sol Phys 19, 401–413 (1971). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00146067

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00146067

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