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P.C.H. Martens, J.W. Cirtain (Montana State University), J.T. Schmelz (University of Memphis)
There are two main problems in the determination of plasma emissions within a coronal loop. First, the line of sight adds the ambient background to the measurement. Second, scattering elevates the intensity for pixels close to a structure (i.e. a loop) by counting photons that actually are emitted from that structure. Here we have a possible solution for these two problems. We show that the intensities for the spectral lines are shown to have scale height dependence when the plasma is not confined to a structure. Accordingly, at any distance greater than its scale height, the ion will not have a statistically significant contribution to the measure of intensity. Additionally, an isolated coronal structure will have a maximum intensity value along an exposure and within a range of pixels that effectively slice a leg of the loop. The maximum is the location of the pixel that is most likely the one containing the loop. All other pixels are considered scatter until the point spread function can deconvolve the true value for intensity per pixel. The resulting values for intensity have then been reduced to approximate the value for intensity for the plasma within the loop. Now the intensity has been reduced to the intensity of the ion within the loop and the analysis of an accurate DEM is now possible. This research was funded in part by the NASA/TRACE MODA grant for Montana State University. Solar physics research at the University of Memphis is supported by NASA grant NAG5-9783.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: jcirtain@solar.physics.montana.edu
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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.