000509EISPDR_SciInvGIs.1
EIS Science Goals: The First Three Months….
Louise Harra
Mullard Space Science Laboratory
University College London
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
SCIENCE GOALS
• Coronal heating - to determine the physical mechanisms responsible for coronal heating in the quiet Sun and active regions (e.g. detect magnetic reconnection, wave heating).
• Transient Phenomena - to determine the physical mechanisms responsible for transient phenomena, such as solar flares, coronal mass ejections, jets, network brightenings (e.g. determine energy transport and mass motions during transient events).
• Energy Transfer from the photosphere to the corona -to investigate the causal relationship between dynamics in the photosphere and coronal phenomena.
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Extreme-Ultraviolet Imaging Spectrometer (EIS)
• EIS Records Solar Extreme-Ultraviolet (EUV) Spectra That Contain Information on the Dynamics, Velocity, Temperature, and Density of the Emitting Plasma
• Spectra Are Obtained With High Spatial Resolution
– Spectra at Many Locations Within an Entire Solar Structure Can Be Recorded
• Spectra Are Obtained With Sufficient Time Resolution to Determine the Dynamics As a Function of Position Within Solar Flare and Active Region Loops
• EIS Is the First EUV Solar Spectrometer Capable of Obtaining High Spectral Resolution Data With Both High Spatial and Temporal Resolution
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
EIS Science Planning Guide
• We are developing this on our web site www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/espg.html
• Includes an EIS study form in order to ‘play’ with your own personal observing plans.
• Includes a list of EIS studies produced by the EIS team• Includes line lists and intensities in different regions of
activity• Includes a set of science data products• Includes an initial science plan for the first 3 months
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
The first 3 months….
• Flare trigger and dynamics: the first spatial the first spatial determination of evaporation and turbulence in a flaredetermination of evaporation and turbulence in a flare
• Active region heating:the first spatial determination of the first spatial determination of the velocity field in active region loopsthe velocity field in active region loops
• Coronal Mass Ejection Onset:first spatial velocity and first spatial velocity and dimming measurement at high temporal resolutiondimming measurement at high temporal resolution
• Coronal Hole Boundaries:the first measurement of the first measurement of intensity and velocity field at the coronal hole boundaryintensity and velocity field at the coronal hole boundary
• Quiet Sun Brightenings:first determination of the first determination of the relationship between different categories of quiet Sun relationship between different categories of quiet Sun events.events.
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Flare Trigger/Dynamics
Evaporation - We know it’s happening, but where from and what size?
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Flare Trigger/Dynamics
Inflow: we’ve seen it once!But is it happening all the time?
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Flare Trigger/Dynamics
What causes a flare? We have many tantalizinghints - EIS will provide spatial resolved preflareVnt & flow measurements.
TRACE 195 + RHESSI 6-12keV
TRACE 1600+CDS OV
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Active Region Heating
What causes loop heating anddynamics?Accurate line width and Dopplervelocity measurements overa range of velocities will providecritical information.
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Coronal Mass Ejection Onset
We need to know thevelocity and dimmingprofiles over a range oftemperatures to begin tounderstand the CME onset(see Harra & Sterling, 2001)
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Coronal Mass Ejection Onset
Coronal waves are oftenseen related to CMEs -what are the physicalcharacteristics of these waves?
CDS data is showing some tantalizing hints….See Harra & Sterling 2003
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Coronal Hole Boundaries
The CH boundaries arenot well understood - wewill be able to determinethe velocity field at thisimportant region.
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
OV
45,0
00km
7,500 km
Quiet Sun Events
Are explosive events andblinkers the same phenomena?We will be able to measurevelocities at good spatial resolution….
The 4th Solar B Science Meeting 3-5 Jan 2003
Conclusions
• I have concentrated on what EIS can do for us in the first few months - combining these observations with SOT and XRT will provide new and exciting science.
• We intend to track targets for long periods of time (at least a day on each target).
• If there is an active region we will track it. If not we will carry out the CME onset on filaments, QS and CH studies.