Spectroscopic Diagnosis of Propagating disturbances in coronal loops: Waves or flows?

TL;DR

This study uses spectroscopic analysis to distinguish between wave and flow interpretations of propagating disturbances in coronal loops, finding evidence that supports wave behavior over flow explanations.

Contribution

Developed a new spectral analysis method that more accurately estimates velocities, favoring wave interpretation over flow in propagating disturbances.

Findings

LOS velocities are 10-30 km/s, much lower than previous RB analysis estimates.

Results support the interpretation of PDs as slow magnetoacoustic waves.

Method reduces overestimation of flow velocities caused by saturation effects.

Abstract

The analysis of multiwavelength properties of propagating disturbances (PDs) using Hinode/EIS observations is presented. Quasi-periodic PDs were mostly interpreted as slow magnetoacoustic waves in early studies, but recently suggested to be intermittent upflows of the order of 50-150 km/s based on the Red-Blue (RB) asymmetry analysis of spectral line profiles. Using the forward models, velocities of the secondary component derived from the RB analysis are found significantly overestimated due to the saturation effect when its offset velocities are smaller than the Gaussian width. We developed a different method to examine spectral features of the PDs. This method is assuming that the excessive emission of the PD profile against the background (taken as that prior to the PD) is caused by a hypothetic upflow. The derived LOS velocities of the flow are on the order of 10-30 km/s from the warm (1-1.5 MK) coronal lines, much smaller than those inferred from the RB analysis. This result does not support the flow interpretation but favors of the early wave interpretation.