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    Infrared Dual-Line Hanle Diagnostic of the Coronal Vector Magnetic Field
    (Lausanne : Frontiers Media, 2016) Dima, Gabriel I.; Kuhn, Jeffrey R.; Berdyugina, Svetlana V.
    Measuring the coronal vector magnetic field is still a major challenge in solar physics. This is due to the intrinsic weakness of the field (e.g., ~4G at a height of 0.1R⊙ above an active region) and the large thermal broadening of coronal emission lines. We propose using concurrent linear polarization measurements of near-infrared forbidden and permitted lines together with Hanle effect models to calculate the coronal vector magnetic field. In the unsaturated Hanle regime both the direction and strength of the magnetic field affect the linear polarization, while in the saturated regime the polarization is insensitive to the strength of the field. The relatively long radiative lifetimes of coronal forbidden atomic transitions implies that the emission lines are formed in the saturated Hanle regime and the linear polarization is insensitive to the strength of the field. By combining measurements of both forbidden and permitted lines, the direction and strength of the field can be obtained. For example, the SiX 1.4301 μm line shows strong linear polarization and has been observed in emission over a large field-of-view (out to elongations of 0.5 R⊙). Here we describe an algorithm that combines linear polarization measurements of the SiX 1.4301 μm forbidden line with linear polarization observations of the HeI 1.0830 μm permitted coronal line to obtain the vector magnetic field. To illustrate the concept we assume that the emitting gas for both atomic transitions is located in the plane of the sky. The further development of this method and associated tools will be a critical step toward interpreting the high spectral, spatial and temporal infrared spectro-polarimetric measurements that will be possible when the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) is completed in 2019.
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    The Direct Effect of Toroidal Magnetic Fields on Stellar Oscillations: An Analytical Expression for the General Matrix Element
    (London : Institute of Physics Publ., 2017) Kiefer, René; Schad, Ariane; Roth, Markus
    Where is the solar dynamo located and what is its modus operandi? These are still open questions in solar physics. Helio- and asteroseismology can help answer them by enabling us to study solar and stellar internal structures through global oscillations. The properties of solar and stellar acoustic modes are changing with the level of magnetic activity. However, until now, the inference on subsurface magnetic fields with seismic measures has been very limited. The aim of this paper is to develop a formalism to calculate the effect of large-scale toroidal magnetic fields on solar and stellar global oscillation eigenfunctions and eigenfrequencies. If the Lorentz force is added to the equilibrium equation of motion, stellar eigenmodes can couple. In quasi-degenerate perturbation theory, this coupling, also known as the direct effect, can be quantified by the general matrix element. We present the analytical expression of the matrix element for a superposition of subsurface zonal toroidal magnetic field configurations. The matrix element is important for forward calculations of perturbed solar and stellar eigenfunctions and frequency perturbations. The results presented here will help to ascertain solar and stellar large-scale subsurface magnetic fields, and their geometric configuration, strength, and change over the course of activity cycles.