The asymmetries observed in the line profiles of solar flares can provide important diagnostics of the properties and dynamics of the flaring atmosphere. In this paper the evolution of the Hα and Ca ii 8542 Å lines are studied using high spatial, temporal and spectral resolution ground-based observations of an M1.1 flare obtained with the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. The temporal evolution of the Hα line profiles from the flare kernel shows excess emission in the red wing (red asymmetry) before flare maximum, and excess in the blue wing (blue asymmetry) after maximum. However, the Ca ii 8542 Å line does not follow the same pattern, showing only a weak red asymmetry during the flare. RADYN simulations are used to synthesise spectral line profiles for the flaring atmosphere, and good agreement is found with the observations. We show that the red asymmetry observed in Hα is not necessarily associated with plasma downflows, and the blue asymmetry may not be related to plasma upflows. Indeed, we conclude that the steep velocity gradients in the flaring chromosphere modifies the wavelength of the central reversal in the Hα line profile. The shift in the wavelength of maximum opacity to shorter and longer wavelengths generates the red and blue asymmetries, respectively.

Aims. We aim to improve our picture of the low chromosphere in the quiet-Sun internetwork by investigating the intensity, horizontal velocity, size and lifetime variations of small bright points (BPs; diameter smaller than 0.3 arcsec) observed in the Ca ii H 3968 Å passband along with their magnetic field parameters, derived from photospheric magnetograms. Methods. Several high-quality time series of disc-centre, quiet-Sun observations from the Sunrise balloon-borne solar telescope, with spatial resolution of around 100 km on the solar surface, have been analysed to study the dynamics of BPs observed in the Ca ii H passband and their dependence on the photospheric vector magnetogram signal.Results. Parameters such as horizontal velocity, diameter, intensity and lifetime histograms of the isolated internetwork and magnetic Ca ii H BPs were determined. Mean values were found to be 2.2 km s −1 , 0.2 arcsec (≈150 km), 1.48 I Ca and 673 s, respectively. Interestingly, the brightness and the horizontal velocity of BPs are anti-correlated. Large excursions (pulses) in horizontal velocity, up to 15 km s −1 , are present in the trajectories of most BPs. These could excite kink waves travelling into the chromosphere and possibly the corona, which we estimate to carry an energy flux of 310 W m −2 , sufficient to heat the upper layers, although only marginally. Conclusions. The stable observing conditions of Sunrise and our technique for identifying and tracking BPs have allowed us to determine reliable parameters of these features in the internetwork. Thus we find, e.g., that they are considerably longer lived than previously thought. The large velocities are also reliable, and may excite kink waves. Although these wave are (marginally) energetic enough to heat the quiet corona, we expect a large additional contribution from larger magnetic elements populating the network and partly also the internetwork.

Context. The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) started regular observations of the Sun in 2016, first offering receiver Band 3 at wavelengths near 3 mm (100 GHz) and Band 6 at wavelengths around 1.25 mm (239 GHz). Aims. Here we present an initial study of one of the first ALMA Band 3 observations of the Sun. Our aim is to characterise the diagnostic potential of brightness temperatures measured with ALMA on the Sun. Methods. The observation covers a duration of 48 min at a cadence of 2 s targeting a quiet Sun region at disc-centre. Corresponding time series of brightness temperature maps are constructed with the first version of the Solar ALMA Pipeline and compared to simultaneous observations with the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Results. The angular resolution of the observations is set by the synthesised beam, an elliptical Gaussian that is approximately 1.4″ × 2.1″ in size. The ALMA maps exhibit network patches, internetwork regions, and elongated thin features that are connected to large-scale magnetic loops, as confirmed by a comparison with SDO maps. The ALMA Band 3 maps correlate best with the SDO/AIA 171 Å, 131 Å, and 304 Å channels in that they exhibit network features and, although very weak in the ALMA maps, imprints of large-scale loops. A group of compact magnetic loops is very clearly visible in ALMA Band 3. The brightness temperatures in the loop tops reach values of about 8000−9000 K and in extreme moments up to 10 000 K. Conclusions. ALMA Band 3 interferometric observations from early observing cycles already reveal temperature differences in the solar chromosphere. The weak imprint of magnetic loops and the correlation with the 171, 131, and 304 SDO channels suggests, however, that the radiation mapped in ALMA Band 3 might have contributions from a wider range of atmospheric heights than previously assumed, but the exact formation height of Band 3 needs to be investigated in more detail. The absolute brightness temperature scale as set by total power measurements remains less certain and must be improved in the future. Despite these complications and the limited angular resolution, ALMA Band 3 observations have a large potential for quantitative studies of the small-scale structure and dynamics of the solar chromosphere.

Solar observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) provide us with direct measurements of the brightness temperature in the solar chromosphere. We study the temperature distributions obtained with ALMA Band 6 (in four subbands at 1.21, 1.22, 1.29, and 1.3 mm) for various areas at, and in the vicinity of, a sunspot, comprising quasi-quiet and active regions with different amounts of underlying magnetic fields. We compare these temperatures with those obtained at near-and far-ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths (and with the line-core intensities of the optically-thin far-UV spectra), co-observed with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS) explorer. These include the emission peaks and cores of the Mg ii k 279.6 nm and Mg ii h 280.4 nm lines as well as the line cores of C ii 133.4 nm, O i 135.6 nm, and Si iv 139.4 nm, sampling the mid-to-high chromosphere and the low transition region. Splitting the ALMA sub-bands resulted in an slight increase of spatial resolution in individual temperature maps, thus, resolving smaller-scale structures compared to those produced with the standard averaging routines. We find that the radiation temperatures have different, though somewhat overlapping, distributions in different wavelengths and in the various magnetic regions. Comparison of the ALMA temperatures with those of the UV diagnostics should, however, be interpreted with great caution, the former is formed under the local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) conditions, the latter under non-LTE. The mean radiation temperature of the ALMA Band 6 is similar to that extracted from the IRIS C ii line in all areas with exception of the sunspot and pores where the C ii poses higher radiation temperatures. In all magnetic regions, the Mg ii lines associate with the lowest mean radiation temperatures in our sample. These will provide constraints for future numerical models.

The formation of shocks within the solar atmosphere remains one of the few observable signatures of energy dissipation arising from the plethora of magnetohydrodynamic waves generated close to the solar surface. Active region observations offer exceptional views of wave behavior and its impact on the surrounding atmosphere. The stratified plasma gradients present in the lower solar atmosphere allow for the potential formation of many theorized shock phenomena. In this study, using chromospheric Ca II 8542Å line spectropolarimetric data of a large sunspot, we examine fluctuations in the plasma parameters in the aftermath of powerful shock events that demonstrate polarimetric reversals during their evolution. Modern inversion techniques are employed to uncover perturbations in the temperatures, line-of-sight velocities, and vector magnetic fields occurring across a range of optical depths synonymous with the shock formation. Classification of these non-linear signatures is carried out by comparing the observationally-derived slow, fast, and Alfvén shock solutions to the theoretical Rankine-Hugoniot relations. Employing over 200 000 independent measurements, we reveal that the Alfvén (intermediate) shock solution provides the closest match between theory and observations at optical depths of log 10 τ = −4, consistent with a geometric height at the boundary between the upper photosphere and lower chromosphere. This work uncovers first-time evidence of the manifestation of chromospheric intermediate shocks in sunspot umbrae, providing a new method for the potential thermalization of wave energy in a range of magnetic structures, including pores, magnetic flux ropes, and magnetic bright points.

The National Science Foundation’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) will revolutionize our ability to measure, understand, and model the basic physical processes that control the structure and dynamics of the Sun and its atmosphere. The first-light DKIST images, released publicly on 29 January 2020, only hint at the extraordinary capabilities that will accompany full commissioning of the five facility instruments. With this Critical Science Plan (CSP) we attempt to anticipate some of what those capabilities will enable, providing a snapshot of some of the scientific pursuits that the DKIST hopes to engage as start-of-operations nears. The work builds on the combined contributions of the DKIST Science Working Group (SWG) and CSP Community members, who generously shared their experiences, plans, knowledge, and dreams. Discussion is primarily focused on those issues to which DKIST will uniquely contribute.

Sunspots are intense collections of magnetic fields that pierce through the Sun's photosphere, with their signatures extending upwards into the outermost extremities of the solar corona 1. Cutting-edge observations and simulations are providing insights into the underlying wave generation 2 , configuration 3, 4 , and damping 5 mechanisms found in sunspot atmospheres. However, the in-situ amplification of magnetohydrodynamic waves 6 , rising from a few hundreds of m/s in the photosphere to several km/s in the chromosphere 7 , has, until now, proved difficult to explain. Theory predicts that the enhanced umbral wave power found at chromospheric heights may come from the existence of an acoustic resonator 8-10 , which is created due to the substantial temperature gradients experienced at photospheric and transition region heights 11. Here we provide strong observational evidence of a resonance cavity existing above a highly magnetic sunspot. Through a combination of spectropolarimetric inversions and comparisons with high-resolution numerical simulations, we provide a new seismological approach to map the geometry of the inherent temperature stratifications across the diameter of the underlying sunspot, with the upper boundaries of the chromosphere ranging between 1300 ± 200 km and 2300 ± 250 km. Our findings will allow the three-dimensional structure of solar active regions to be conclusively determined from relatively commonplace two-dimensional Fourier power spectra. The techniques presented are also readily suitable for investigating temperature-dependent resonance effects in other areas of astrophysics, in

We characterize waves in small magnetic elements and investigate their propagation in the lower solar atmosphere from observations at high spatial and temporal resolution. We use the wavelet transform to analyze oscillations of both horizontal displacement and intensity in magnetic bright points found in the 300nm and the CaIIH 396.8nm passbands of the filter imager on board the SUNRISE balloon-borne solar observatory. Phase differences between the oscillations at the two atmospheric layers corresponding to the two passbands reveal upward propagating waves at high frequencies (up to 30 mHz). Weak signatures of standing as well as downward propagating waves are also obtained. Both compressible and incompressible (kink) waves are found in the smallscale magnetic features. The two types of waves have different, though overlapping, period distributions. Two independent estimates give a height difference of approximately 450±100km between the two atmospheric layers sampled by the employed spectral bands. This value, together with the determined short travel times of the transverse and longitudinal waves provide us with phase speeds of 29±2km s −1 and 31±2km s −1 , respectively. We speculate that these phase speeds may not reflect the true propagation speeds of the waves. Thus, effects such as the refraction of fast longitudinal waves may contribute to an overestimate of the phase speed.