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.