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Main Authors: Bailey, Zac, Bandyopadhyay, Riddhi, Habbal, Shadia, Druckmüller, Miloslav
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.00676
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author Bailey, Zac
Bandyopadhyay, Riddhi
Habbal, Shadia
Druckmüller, Miloslav
author_facet Bailey, Zac
Bandyopadhyay, Riddhi
Habbal, Shadia
Druckmüller, Miloslav
contents The solar atmosphere displays a sharp temperature gradient, starting from spicules in the chromosphere at $2 \times 10^4$ K, outward into the corona exceeding $10^6$ K. Plasma turbulence produced by the transverse motion of magnetic fields anchored in the photosphere is likely the energy source producing this gradient. However, very little is known about the turbulent structures near the solar surface. Using the highest spatial resolution white-light total solar eclipse image to date, we measure the transverse correlation length at distances ranging from 0.33 to 9 Mm above the solar surface-two orders of magnitude closer than previous estimates. Our results show that the turbulence injection scale in the chromosphere is ~1.5 Mm, which we associate with the size of granules since they are the only structured features of comparable size. Further, the change in perpendicular correlation length with distance from the solar surface exhibits a plateau in the first 4 Mm, followed by a rapid increase until 9 Mm where it becomes shallower thereafter. We associate this radial gradient with the expansion of the magnetic field in the transition region between the chromosphere and the corona.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2501_00676
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Measurement of Turbulence Injection Scale Down to the Chromosphere
Bailey, Zac
Bandyopadhyay, Riddhi
Habbal, Shadia
Druckmüller, Miloslav
Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
The solar atmosphere displays a sharp temperature gradient, starting from spicules in the chromosphere at $2 \times 10^4$ K, outward into the corona exceeding $10^6$ K. Plasma turbulence produced by the transverse motion of magnetic fields anchored in the photosphere is likely the energy source producing this gradient. However, very little is known about the turbulent structures near the solar surface. Using the highest spatial resolution white-light total solar eclipse image to date, we measure the transverse correlation length at distances ranging from 0.33 to 9 Mm above the solar surface-two orders of magnitude closer than previous estimates. Our results show that the turbulence injection scale in the chromosphere is ~1.5 Mm, which we associate with the size of granules since they are the only structured features of comparable size. Further, the change in perpendicular correlation length with distance from the solar surface exhibits a plateau in the first 4 Mm, followed by a rapid increase until 9 Mm where it becomes shallower thereafter. We associate this radial gradient with the expansion of the magnetic field in the transition region between the chromosphere and the corona.
title Measurement of Turbulence Injection Scale Down to the Chromosphere
topic Solar and Stellar Astrophysics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2501.00676