Elementary Loop Structures in the Solar Corona Analyzed from TRACE Triple-Filter Images

Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy

Scientific paper

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Sun: Corona, Sun: Uv Radiation

Scientific paper

This study represents the first quantitative analysis of the multithread structure of coronal loops. We analyzed a set of 234 fine loop threads observed with TRACE triple-filter images at wavelengths of 171, 195, and 284 Å. The cross-sectional flux profiles are simultaneously forward fitted in all three filters with the superposition of a cospatial Gaussian and linear background functions. We fit a general multitemperature differential emission measure (DEM) distribution to each cross section, as well as the special case of a single-temperature or isothermal DEM. We perform these forward fits at ~18,000 loop positions and find that this geometric model could be fitted in ~3500 cases (within a χred<=1.5), while all other cases require more complex geometric models of the loop cross section, secondary loops, and background. The major result of this study is that the vast majority (84%) of the acceptable DEM fits are isothermal. Temperatures are measured over the whole sensitivity range of 0.7-2.8 MK, but with a higher probability near the peak sensitivities of the three filters. We conclude that we indeed resolve ``elementary'' or ``monolithic'' loop strands with TRACE, in terms of isothermal homogeneity. Virtually all earlier studies detected ensembles of multiple strands, while our detected loop strands exhibit much smaller widths (w~1.4+/-0.3 Mm) and also smaller signal-to-background ratios (14%+/-10%). We suggest that the temperature homogeneity of coronal loops up to widths of w<~2000 km is related to their magnetic mapping to photospheric granulation (convection) cells.

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