Work

Measurements of the Perpendicular Correlation Length of Coronal Alfvénic Waves with DKIST

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: We have measured the perpendicular correlation length L ⊥ of Alfvénic waves in the corona using data from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) Cryogenic Near Infrared Spectropolarimeter (Cryo-NIRSP) instrument. These data have high spatial resolution and were collected using a raster, enabling us to unambiguously identify the parallel and perpendicular directions with respect to the wave propagation. We find that the measured median L ⊥ ≈ 3.5 Mm, which is about half the value found by previous measurements. We ascribe the smaller value measured here to the improved spatial resolution of DKIST. There is a gradual decrease of L ⊥ as a function of frequency. We also computed the spatial correlation length of the observed static density structures and found that their typical correlation lengths of ≈8.4 Mm were significantly larger than those of the waves.

Source: The Astrophysical Journal

DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ae017f

Authors: Michael Hahn, Stefan J. Hofmeister, Alexandros Koukras, Daniel Wolf Savin

Institution: Columbia University

Language: English

Topic: Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics

Subfield: Astronomy and Astrophysics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $4,499

Funder: National Science Foundation