European Solar Physics Online Seminar Archive

The Mg I b2 line at 5173 Å forms over a large range of heights but itscore, which forms under conditions of non-local thermodynamicequilibrium, is most sensitive to heights near the temperature minimum,a region of the solar atmosphere that has not been sufficientlyexplored. The next-generation solar observatories will have access tothis spectral line and will allow for multi-line observations to studythe different layers of the solar atmosphere simultaneously and withunprecedented polarimetric sensitivity. We will present a morphologicalclassification of the intensity and circular polarization profiles ofthis spectral line at high-spatial-resolution, using observations fromthe Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. We will also discuss the results of theweak field approximation applied to the Mg I b2 line, and theircomparison with inversion results of the Fe I 6173 Å line to understandhow the magnetic field changes with height in the solar atmosphere. [more]

The Mg I b2 line at 5173 Å forms over a large range of heights but itscore, which forms under conditions of non-local thermodynamicequilibrium, is most sensitive to heights near the temperature minimum,a region of the solar atmosphere that has not been sufficientlyexplored. The next-generation solar observatories will have access tothis spectral line and will allow for multi-line observations to studythe different layers of the solar atmosphere simultaneously and withunprecedented polarimetric sensitivity. We will present a morphologicalclassification of the intensity and circular polarization profiles ofthis spectral line at high-spatial-resolution, using observations fromthe Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. We will also discuss the results of theweak field approximation applied to the Mg I b2 line, and theircomparison with inversion results of the Fe I 6173 Å line to understandhow the magnetic field changes with height in the solar atmosphere. [more]