Chromospheric Plasma Parameters

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Nugget
Number:	133
1st Author:	Stephanie Chow
2nd Author:	Hugh Hudson
Published:	2010 August 9
Next Nugget:	TBD
Previous Nugget:	Harmonic Oscillations
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Contents 1 Introduction 2 Models, Plots & Data 3 Conclusions 4 Documentation

Introduction

Most of the electromagnetic emission of a solar flare appears to originate in the chromosphere, and indeed all of the mass elevated into the corona must come from this layer of the solar atmosphere as well. Thus we really need to understand the plasma physics of this region. Unfortunately our astronomical observations of the chromosphere are fleeting and incomplete - without instrumentation, the chromosphere only appears to the human eye during a total eclipse. So, to understand the plasma physics we must rely upon numerical models. In this Nugget we describe [Web pages] that provide some information about the values of typical plasma-physics parameters in the solar chromosphere.

The definitions of many plasma parameters can be found via Wikipedia or the NRL Plasma Formulary. Our [Web pages] have applied these definitions to a set of model chromospheres derived by [Juan Fontenla]. In this Nugget, we introduce a new webpage that houses various plasma parameters and their respective plots using three of the models tabulated by Fontenla. These models were chosen to represent a range in physical conditions from the quiet sun to the sunspot umbra.

Models, Plots & Data

Conclusions

blurb

Documentation

[1] Chromospheric Plasma Parameters