On polarimetry in solar active regions

✍ Scribed by E. Wiehr

• Book ID: 104645043
• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1970
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 493 KB
• Volume: 11
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0038-0938
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00153075

✦ Synopsis

The usefulness of magnetically sensitive iron lines Fe )`5250.2, 6173.3 and 6302.3 for solar polarimetry is investigated. The line-to-continuum absorption coefficient ~/0 for Fe 25250.2 depends strongly on temperature variations. Thus a photospheric calibration of polarimeter signals cannot be used for the different parts of an active region. This is also true for the Doppler calibration of 'longitudinal magnetographs'.

Fe ).6302.5 is shown to be useful for polarimetry in active regions. A Milne-Eddington approximation is possible so that Unno's formulae are sufficient for the interpretation of polarimetric data.

The ambiguity of the azimuth of the linear polarization prevents the determination of the 'true' field structure with respect to the solar surface. The magnetic flux cannot be determined outside the disc centre without making assumptions for the unknown field structure. This determination is possible only for single stable sunspots; for irregular active regions the field configuration remains ambiguous even at the disc centre.