Multi-Height Spectropolarimetric Signatures of Magnetoacoustic Waves in Solar Plage
Abstract
We analyze high-cadence spectropolarimetric observations of solar plage obtained with the Visible Spectro-Polarimeter (ViSP) on the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) to investigate low-chromospheric waves sampled by the Na I D1 5896 Angstrom and Ca II 8542 Angstrom lines. Observations were taken at an oblique viewing angle, providing sensitivity to transverse motions. Magnetic oscillations within plage elements exhibit significant line-of-sight (LOS) RMS amplitudes of approximately 9 G on average in the Na I D1 line, whereas the corresponding Ca II oscillations are only marginally above the noise level. Adaptive profile tracking provided line-core intensities and Doppler velocities, the weak-field approximation provided LOS magnetic fields, and non-LTE inversions provided mass densities and formation heights. Cross-spectral analysis shows velocity-intensity phase distributions coupled at -90 degrees, consistent with compressive oscillations. The velocity phases in Na I-Ca II indicate upward propagation and the phase speeds are predominantly sub-Alfvenic, consistent with slow magnetoacoustic waves. Although the slit geometry prevents a definitive identification of the tube eigenmode, the differing magnetic phase relationships suggest a height-dependent sausage-like behavior in the coupling between the magnetic and compressive perturbations. Additionally, our inferred wave fluxes are insufficient to heat active-region plage.
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BibTeX
@misc{sitterson2026multiheight,
title = {{Multi-Height Spectropolarimetric Signatures of Magnetoacoustic Waves in Solar Plage}},
author = {Taylor Sitterson and João M. da Silva Santos and Joshua Bentley and Tom Schad and Momchil Molnar and Bart De Pontieu and Juan Martinez-Sykora and Alexander G. M. Pietrow},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.08089},
eprint = {2609.08089},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.08089},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Multi-Height Spectropolarimetric Signatures of Magnetoacoustic Waves in Solar Plage
AU - Taylor Sitterson
AU - João M. da Silva Santos
AU - Joshua Bentley
AU - Tom Schad
AU - Momchil Molnar
AU - Bart De Pontieu
AU - Juan Martinez-Sykora
AU - Alexander G. M. Pietrow
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.08089
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.08089
AB - We analyze high-cadence spectropolarimetric observations of solar plage obtained with the Visible Spectro-Polarimeter (ViSP) on the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) to investigate low-chromospheric waves sampled by the Na I D1 5896 Angstrom and Ca II 8542 Angstrom lines. Observations were taken at an oblique viewing angle, providing sensitivity to transverse motions. Magnetic oscillations within plage elements exhibit significant line-of-sight (LOS) RMS amplitudes of approximately 9 G on average in the Na I D1 line, whereas the corresponding Ca II oscillations are only marginally above the noise level. Adaptive profile tracking provided line-core intensities and Doppler velocities, the weak-field approximation provided LOS magnetic fields, and non-LTE inversions provided mass densities and formation heights. Cross-spectral analysis shows velocity-intensity phase distributions coupled at -90 degrees, consistent with compressive oscillations. The velocity phases in Na I-Ca II indicate upward propagation and the phase speeds are predominantly sub-Alfvenic, consistent with slow magnetoacoustic waves. Although the slit geometry prevents a definitive identification of the tube eigenmode, the differing magnetic phase relationships suggest a height-dependent sausage-like behavior in the coupling between the magnetic and compressive perturbations. Additionally, our inferred wave fluxes are insufficient to heat active-region plage.
ER -