Height variation of the solar granulation

Citation
J. Krieg et al., Height variation of the solar granulation, ASTRON ASTR, 343(3), 1999, pp. 983-989
Citations number
33
Categorie Soggetti
Space Sciences
Journal title
ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS
ISSN journal
00046361 → ACNP
Volume
343
Issue
3
Year of publication
1999
Pages
983 - 989
Database
ISI
SICI code
0004-6361(199903)343:3<983:HVOTSG>2.0.ZU;2-4
Abstract
We analyze spectral scans of narrow-band images across the Na D-2 line. The y were obtained from disc centre of the Sun with our Fabry-Perot interferom eter (FPI) in the Vacuum Tower Telescope at the Observatorio del Teide. The FPI was set to a bandwidth of 200 m Angstrom FWHM and the spectral stepwid th was 100 m Angstrom. Our aim is to study the variation of the granulation pattern with height in the atmosphere. To achieve high spatial resolution the simultaneously taken broad-band images are restored with speckle method s. With the knowledge of these reconstructed images we were also able to re store the narrowband images. The formation heights are found from temperatu re response functions RFT. In the wings of NaD2, the response functions for different wavelengths exhibit a substantial overlap in atmospheric heights . Therefore we use linear combinations which allow a better height discrimi nation. Applying the same combinations to the D-2 images we can visualize t he height variation of the granular pattern. The granular intensity fluctua tions are a matter of the deep photosphere alone. They disappear at heights of about 100 km (above tau(5000) = 1).