Open AccessAn intensity/linewidth analysis of opacity: first applications to a solar prominence and He II line profiles
Author(s) -
Kastner S. O.,
Bhatia A. K.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.1998.01694.x
Subject(s) - physics , opacity , laser linewidth , line (geometry) , solar prominence , measure (data warehouse) , astrophysics , consistency (knowledge bases) , resonance (particle physics) , intensity (physics) , optics , computational physics , atomic physics , laser , geometry , mathematics , quantum mechanics , database , magnetic field , computer science
An analysis is described which can derive optical thicknesses and associated quantities from measured intensities and linewidths using convenient expressions for photon escape probabilities and for opacity‐broadened line halfwidths. An associated analysis of the effect of observational errors is provided. The analysis treats intensities and linewidths independently so that internal consistency of results can provide a measure of observational accuracy, which is shown here to be a stringent requirement. As examples, first applications are made to Si II lines in a solar prominence and to some high‐resolution observations of the solar He II 303.78‐Å resonance line.