Measuring the Velocities of Coronal Loops

Abstract

The Sun’s core is heated to temperature over fifteen million degrees Kelvin via nuclear fusion. As
energy flows out to the surface, photosphere, the gasses cool down to 5000 degrees Kelvin. However,
above the photosphere the gas heats up again to over a million degrees. The science question is how that
happens. Near the surface, the gas begins to convect, which creates strong magnetic fields. These
magnetic fields create Sunspots and magnetic loops in the Corona. These loops are known to cause
Coronal Mass Ejections, a process where large amounts of the Sun’s magnetic matter is shot out from the
Corona at very high temperatures, often millions of degrees Kelvin. These loops get ejected frequently
and can cause problems for our technology on earth. The loops are responsible for sights like the Aurora
Borealis but also have been known to mess with computer memory and even change what is stored on it.
This research aims to collect data to more properly understand the magnetic loops and what causes
them to be so much hotter than the surface. It is also unknown why the Coronal Mass Ejections occur and
why they happen where they do. To answer these questions, scientists use a combination of basic physics
equations and computers. Collecting real data helps to validate or invalidate already existing computer
models to determine which is the best. The data that we’ve measured comes from Python analysis of
images from the spectrometer aboard the Hinode Satellite. We measured the wavelength shift of
spectral lines at different temperatures and our code utilized the Doppler effect to calculate the
velocities. The results of our measurements will be presented.