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Register a new userUltraviolet emission lines of Si II in cool star and solar spectra
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Recent atomic physics calculations for Si II are employed within the Cloudy modelling code to analyse Hubble Space Telescope (HST) STIS ultraviolet spectra of three cool stars, Beta-Geminorum, Alpha-Centauri A and B, as well as previously published HST/GHRS observations of Alpha-Tau, plus solar quiet Sun data from the High Resolution Telescope and Spectrograph. Discrepancies found previously between theory and observation for line intensity ratios involving the 3s$^{2}$3p $^{2}$P$_{J}$--3s3p$^{2}$ $^{4}$P$_{J^{prime}}$ intercombination multiplet of Si II at 2335 Angs are significantly reduced, as are those for ratios containing the 3s$^{2}$3p $^{2}$P$_{J}$--3s3p$^{2}$ $^{2}$D$_{J^{prime}}$ transitions at 1816 Angs. This is primarily due to the effect of the new Si II transition probabilities. However, these atomic data are not only very different from previous calculations, but also show large disagreements with measurements, specifically those of Calamai et. al. (1993) for the intercombination lines. New measurements of transition probabilities for Si II are hence urgently required to confirm (or otherwise) the accuracy of the recently calculated values. If the new calculations are confirmed, then a long-standing discrepancy between theory and observation will have finally been resolved. However, if the older measurements are found to be correct, then the agreement between theory and observation is simply a coincidence and the existing discrepancies remain.
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The observed line intensity ratios of the Si II 1263 and 1307 AA multiplets to that of Si II 1814,AA in the broad line region of quasars are both an order of magnitude larger than the theoretical values. This was first pointed out by Baldwin et al. (1996), who termed it the Si II disaster, and it has remained unresolved. We investigate the problem in the light of newly-published atomic data for Si II. Specifically, we perform broad line region calculations using several different atomic datasets within the CLOUDY modeling code under optically thick quasar cloud conditions. In addition, we test for selective pumping by the source photons or intrinsic galactic reddening as possible causes for the discrepancy, and also consider blending with other species. However, we find that none of the options investigated resolves the Si II disaster, with the potential exception of microturbulent velocity broadening and line blending. We find that a larger microturbulent velocity ($sim 500 rm , kms^{-1}$) may solve the Si II disaster through continuum pumping and other effects. The CLOUDY models indicate strong blending of the Si II 1307 AA multiplet with emission lines of O I, although the predicted degree of blending is incompatible with the observed 1263/1307 intensity ratios. Clearly, more work is required on the quasar modelling of not just the Si II lines but also nearby transitions (in particular those of O I) to fully investigate if blending may be responsible for the Si II disaster.
Opacity is a property of many plasmas, and it is normally expected that if an emission line in a plasma becomes optically thick, its intensity ratio to that of another transition that remains optically thin should decrease. However, radiative transfer calculations undertaken both by ourselves and others predict that under certain conditions the intensity ratio of an optically thick to thin line can show an increase over the optically thin value, indicating an enhancement in the former. These conditions include the geometry of the emitting plasma and its orientation to the observer. A similar effect can take place between lines of differing optical depth. Previous observational studies have focused on stellar point sources, and here we investigate the spatially-resolved solar atmosphere using measurements of the I(1032 A)/I(1038 A) intensity ratio of O VI in several regions obtained with the Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO) satellite. We find several I(1032 A)/I(1038 A) ratios observed on the disk to be significantly larger than the optically thin value of 2.0, providing the first detection (to our knowledge) of intensity enhancement in the ratio arising from opacity effects in the solar atmosphere. Agreement between observation and theory is excellent, and confirms that the O VI emission originates from a slab-like geometry in the solar atmosphere, rather than from cylindrical structures.
Observations of the Mg II h and k lines in solar prominences with IRIS reveal a wide range of line shapes from simple non-reversed profiles to typical double-peaked reversed profiles with many other complex line shapes possible. The physical conditions responsible for this variety are not well understood. Our aim is to understand how physical conditions inside a prominence slab influence shapes and properties of emergent Mg II line profiles. We compute the spectrum of Mg II lines using a one-dimensional non-LTE radiative transfer code for two large grids of model atmospheres (isothermal isobaric, and with a transition region). The influence of the plasma parameters on the emergent spectrum is discussed in detail. Our results agree with previous studies. We present several dependencies between observables and prominence parameters which will help with interpretation of observations. A comparison with known limits of observed line parameters suggests that most observed prominences emitting in Mg II h and k lines are cold, low pressure, and optically thick structures. Our results indicate that there are good correlations between the Mg II k line intensities and the intensities of hydrogen lines, as well as the emission measure. One-dimensional non-LTE radiative transfer codes are well-suited to understand the main characteristics of the Mg II h and k line profiles in solar prominences, but more advanced codes will be necessary for detailed comparisons.
Characterizing the atmospheres of planets orbiting M dwarfs requires understanding the spectral energy distributions of M dwarfs over planetary lifetimes. Surveys like MUSCLES, HAZMAT, and FUMES have collected multiwavelength spectra across the spectral types range of Teff and activity, but the extreme ultraviolet flux (EUV, 100 to 912 Angstroms) of most of these stars remains unobserved because of obscuration by the interstellar medium compounded with limited detector sensitivity. While targets with observable EUV flux exist, there is no currently operational facility observing between 150 and 912 Angstroms. Inferring the spectra of exoplanet hosts in this regime is critical to studying the evolution of planetary atmospheres because the EUV heats the top of the thermosphere and drives atmospheric escape. This paper presents our implementation of the differential emission measure technique to reconstruct the EUV spectra of cool dwarfs. We characterize our methods accuracy and precision by applying it to the Sun and AU Mic. We then apply it to three fainter M dwarfs: GJ 832, Barnards Star, and TRAPPIST-1. We demonstrate that with the strongest far ultraviolet (FUV, 912 to 1700 Angstroms) emission lines, observed with Hubble Space Telescope and/or Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer, and a coarse X-ray spectrum from either Chandra X-ray Observatory or XMM-Newton, we can reconstruct the Suns EUV spectrum to within a factor of 1.8, with our models formal uncertainties encompassing the data. We report the integrated EUV flux of our M dwarf sample with uncertainties between a factor of 2 to 7 depending on available data quality.
We describe a global parametric model for the observed power spectra of solar oscillations of intermediate and low degree. A physically motivated parameterization is used as a substitute for a direct description of mode excitation and damping as these mechanisms remain poorly understood. The model is targeted at the accurate fitting of power spectra coming from Doppler velocity measurements and uses an adaptive response function that accounts for both the vertical and horizontal components of the velocity field on the solar surface and for possible instrumental and observational distortions. The model is continuous in frequency, can easily be adapted to intensity measurements and extends naturally to the analysis of high-frequency pseudo modes (interference peaks at frequencies above the atmospheric acoustic cutoff).
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