An optically thin view of the solar chromosphere from observations of the O I 1355{\AA} spectral line

TL;DR

This study analyzes the optically thin O I 1355{ A} spectral line observed by IRIS to understand chromospheric dynamics, magnetic interactions, and wave phenomena, offering new observational constraints for solar chromosphere models.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of the O I 1355{ A} line's properties and variations, highlighting its relation to magnetic flux and wave activity, which is novel in chromospheric diagnostics.

Findings

Line intensity increases with magnetic flux cancellation.

Non-thermal broadening is modest and varies with limb position.

Line broadening suggests superposition of Alfvén waves.

Abstract

The O I 1355{\AA} spectral line is one of the only optically thin lines that are both routinely observed and thought to be formed in the chromosphere. We present analysis of a variety of observations of this line with the Interface Region Imaging Spectrograph (IRIS), and compare it with other IRIS diagnostics as well as diagnostics of the photospheric magnetic field. We utilize special deep exposure modes on IRIS and provide an overview of the statistical properties of this spectral line for several different regions on the Sun. We analyze the spatio-temporal variations of the line intensity, and find that it is often significantly enhanced when and where magnetic flux of opposite polarities cancel. Significant emission occurs in association with chromospheric spicules. Because of the optically thin nature of the O I line, the non-thermal broadening can provide insight into unresolved small-scale motions. We find that the non-thermal broadening is modest, with typical values of 5-10 km/s, and shows some center-to-limb variation, with a modest increase towards the limb. The dependence with height of the intensity and line broadening off-limb is compatible with the line broadening being dominated by the superposition of Alfv\'en waves on different structures. The non-thermal broadening shows a modest but significant enhancement above locations that are in between photospheric magnetic flux concentrations in plage, i.e., where the magnetic field is likely to be more inclined with respect to the line-of-sight. Our measurements provide strict constraints on future theoretical models of the chromosphere.