Probable Detection of a Bright Infrared Coronal Emission Line of Siixnear 3.93 Microns
The Astrophysical Journal1999Vol. 521(1), pp. 478–482
Citations Over TimeTop 16% of 1999 papers
J. R. Kuhn, R. M. MacQueen, J. L. Streete, G. Tansey, Ingrid Mann, P. Hillebrand, R. Coulter, H. Lin, D. Edmunds, P. G. Judge
Abstract
We report here the probable detection of an emission line of Si IX that was observed from an open C130 aircraft over the Pacific Ocean during the 1998 total solar eclipse. Although the IR data themselves are inconclusive because of the uncertainty in the precise central wavelengths of the narrowband filters during the eclipse, the consistency of the measured IR limb excess with simultaneous EUV emission measured by SOHO/Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer and the EUV Imager Telescope support our detection claim. This line appears to be the brightest IR coronal line yet observed, and its existence may significantly improve future prospects for obtaining optical coronal magnetic field measurements.