The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) provides multiple simultaneous high-resolution full-disk images of the corona and transition region up to 0.5 R ⊙ above the solar limb with 1.5-arcsec spatial resolution and 12-second temporal resolution. The AIA consists of four telescopes that employ normal-incidence, multilayer-coated optics to provide narrow-band imaging of seven extreme ultraviolet (EUV) band passes centered on specific lines: Fe xviii (94 A), Fe viii, xxi (131 A), Fe ix (171 A), Fe xii, xxiv (193 A), Fe xiv (211 A), He ii (304 A), and Fe xvi (335 A). One telescope observes C iv (near 1600 A) and the nearby continuum (1700 A) and has a filter that observes in the visible to enable coalignment with images from other telescopes. The temperature diagnostics of the EUV emissions cover the range from 6×104 K to 2×107 K. The AIA was launched as a part of NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) mission on 11 February 2010. AIA will advance our understanding of the mechanisms of solar variability and of how the Sun’s energy is stored and released into the heliosphere and geospace.

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The Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)

Solar photospheric and meteoritic CI chondrite abundance determinations for all elements are summarized and the best currently available photospheric abundances are selected. The meteoritic and solar abundances of a few elements (e.g., noble gases, beryllium, boron, phosphorous, sulfur) are discussed in detail. The photospheric abundances give mass fractions of hydrogen (X ¼ 0:7491), helium (Y ¼ 0:2377), and heavy elements (Z ¼ 0:0133), leading to Z=X ¼ 0:0177, which is lower than the widely used Z=X ¼ 0:0245 from previous compilations. Recent results from standard solar models considering helium and heavy-element settling imply that photospheric abundances and mass fractions are not equal to protosolar abundances (representative of solar system abundances). Protosolar elemental and isotopic abundances are derived from photospheric abundances by considering settling effects. Derived protosolar mass fractions are X0 ¼ 0:7110, Y0 ¼ 0:2741, and Z0 ¼ 0:0149. The solar system and photospheric abundance tables are used to compute self-consistent sets of condensation temperatures for all elements. Subject headings: astrochemistry — meteors, meteoroids — solar system: formation — Sun: abundances — Sun: photosphere

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Solar System Abundances and Condensation Temperatures of the Elements

We review the current status of our knowledge of the chemical composition of the Sun, essentially derived from the analysis of the solar photospheric spectrum. The comparison of solar and meteoritic abundances confirms that there is a very good agreement between the two sets of abundances. They are used to construct a Standard Abundance Distribution.

Standard Solar Composition

New X-ray observatories (Chandra and XMM-Newton) are providing a wealth of high-resolution X-ray spectra in which hydrogen- and helium-like ions are usually strong features. We present results from a new collisional-radiative plasma code, the Astrophysical Plasma Emission Code (APEC), which uses atomic data in the companion Astrophysical Plasma Emission Database (APED) to calculate spectral models for hot plasmas. APED contains the requisite atomic data such as collisional and radiative rates, recombination cross sections, dielectronic recombination rates, and satellite line wavelengths. We compare the APEC results to other plasma codes for hydrogen- and helium-like diagnostics and test the sensitivity of our results to the number of levels included in the models. We find that dielectronic recombination with hydrogen-like ions into high (n = 6-10) principal quantum numbers affects some helium-like line ratios from low-lying (n = 2) transitions.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1086/322992/pdf

Collisional Plasma Models with APEC/APED: Emission-Line Diagnostics of Hydrogen-like and Helium-like Ions

Observations of outflow velocities in coronal holes (regions of open coronal magnetic field) have recently been obtained with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) spacecraft. Velocity maps of Ne 7+ from its bright resonance line at 770 angstroms, formed at the base of the corona, show a relationship between outflow velocity and chromospheric magnetic network structure, suggesting that the solar wind is rooted at its base to this structure, emanating from localized regions along boundaries and boundary intersections of magnetic network cells. This apparent relation to the chromospheric magnetic network and the relatively large outflow velocity signatures will improve understanding of the complex structure and dynamics at the base of the corona and the source region of the solar wind.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/sci/283/5403/810.full.pdf

Solar wind outflow and the chromospheric magnetic network

This study focuses on the diagnostic capabilities of the TRACE and SOHO-CDS instruments to describe the physical characteristics of quiescent solar active regions. In particular we concentrate on the 1 MK loops, best seen in the TRACE EUV 173 A passband. These are high-lying structures which can remain stable over timescales of hours to days. We present simultaneous observations of o-limb active region 1 MK loops performed with TRACE (173 A and 195 A bands) and the SOHO-CDS. The CDS spectral capabilities complement the TRACE observations well and allow an in-depth study of the plasma properties. Some important new results are presented here. In terms of cross-field characteristics, we find that these loops are isothermal and much cooler (T ' 0:7 1:1 10 6 K) than the surrounding diuse high-lying active region emission (T' 2 10 6 K). We show that the diuse background-foreground constitutes the bulk of the high-lying quiescent active region emission. We explain some of the discrepancies found by various authors (based on SOHO and TRACE observations) with an overestimation of loop temperatures and densities. This was caused by inaccurate or neglected background subtraction in the data analysis. We studied the leg of a 1 MK loop and found that along its length temperatures and densities have steeper profiles compared to those derived from previous studies based on TRACE observations. The observations are consistent with an element abundance FIP eect of about 4, filling factors close to unity, and a constant density across the loop. We find a remarkable consistency between the CDS and TRACE observations, although we also find severe limitations to the use of TRACE diagnostic techniques.

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Solar active regions: SOHO/CDS and TRACE observations of quiescent coronal loops

Quiet Sun and active region spectra from the Hinode/EIS instrument are presented, and the strongest lines from different temperature regions discussed. A list of emission lines recommended to be included in EIS observation studies is presented based on analysis of blending and diagnostic potential using the CHIANTI atomic database. In addition we identify the most useful density diagnostics from the ions covered by EIS.

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EUV emission lines and diagnostics observed with Hinode/EIS

X-ray and ultraviolet (UV) observations of the outer solar atmosphere have been used for many decades to measure the fundamental parameters of the solar plasma. This review focuses on the optically thin emission from the solar atmosphere, mostly found at UV and X-ray (XUV) wavelengths, and discusses some of the diagnostic methods that have been used to measure electron densities, electron temperatures, differential emission measure (DEM), and relative chemical abundances. We mainly focus on methods and results obtained from high-resolution spectroscopy, rather than broad-band imaging. However, we note that the best results are often obtained by combining imaging and spectroscopic observations. We also mainly focus the review on measurements of electron densities and temperatures obtained from single ion diagnostics, to avoid issues related to the ionisation state of the plasma. We start the review with a short historical introduction on the main XUV high-resolution spectrometers, then review the basics of optically thin emission and the main processes that affect the formation of a spectral line. We mainly discuss plasma in equilibrium, but briefly mention non-equilibrium ionisation and non-thermal electron distributions. We also summarise the status of atomic data, which are an essential part of the diagnostic process. We then review the methods used to measure electron densities, electron temperatures, the DEM, and relative chemical abundances, and the results obtained for the lower solar atmosphere (within a fraction of the solar radii), for coronal holes, the quiet Sun, active regions and flares.

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Helen E. Mason

Papers

Solar wind outflow and the chromospheric magnetic network

Solar active regions: SOHO/CDS and TRACE observations of quiescent coronal loops

EUV emission lines and diagnostics observed with Hinode/EIS

Solar UV and X-ray spectral diagnostics

EUV emission lines and diagnostics observed with Hinode/EIS