Prominence Plasma Parameters Maps Inferred From Lyman $\beta$ and Lyman $\gamma$ Observations and Non-LTE Modelling

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel method to create physical parameter maps of solar prominences by combining off-limb spectral observations with non-LTE radiative transfer modeling, enabling detailed prominence analysis.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach using contribution functions to optimize temperature and pressure profiles, improving the physical consistency of prominence models.

Findings

Successfully generated parameter maps of temperature, pressure, and column mass.

Achieved a physically constrained match to observed Lyman line intensities.

Demonstrated the method's potential for detailed prominence diagnostics.

Abstract

The first dedicated observation of an off-limb prominence by the Spectral Imaging of the Coronal Environment (SPICE) instrument took place on April 15, 2023. We aim to create parameter maps on the prominence region, including temperature, pressure, and column mass, by studying the integrated intensity of the Lyman $\beta$ and Lyman $\gamma$ lines from SPICE data. After constraining the altitude and radial velocity in the prominence, we use a 1D non-LTE radiative transfer code to generate 1000 random models and compute the Lyman $\beta$ and Lyman $\gamma$ line profiles. The computed intensities are compared with observed integrated intensities from SPICE. Then, we create models which simultaneously give a reasonable match with the observed intensities in both lines. Unlike previous approaches, our method uses contribution functions to guide the optimisation of temperature and pressure profiles. Our approach enables a physically constrained and consistent match to both spectral lines. The method in this paper enables us to generate models from pixels on the prominence region and use this information to generate parameter maps. The results obtained have potential for future research.