The solar transition region, which spans the temperature range from about 20,000 to 1,000,000 K, separates the chromosphere from the corona. All the energy that heats the corona and powers the solar wind must pass through this part of the solar atmosphere. This book summarizes recent ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet observations of the transition region, the empirical models derived from them, and the physical models that try to explain both the observations and the empirical models. The observational focus is on quiet solar transition region observations made with Skylab and subsequent rocket and satellite experiments. The book also presents a unified discussion of the analysis of ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet spectroscopic data, including the determination of the emission measure and density and temperature diagnostics. This will be useful to astrophysicists who are confronting high-resolution ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet data from astrophysical plasmas for the first time.
• Summarizes recent ultraviolet and extreme ultraviolet observations of the transition region
Contents
1. Introduction; 2. Emission-line spectroscopy; 3. Emission-line intensity observations; 4. Physical conditions; 5. High-resolution spectroscopy; 6. Empirical transition region models; 7. Physical transition region models; 8. The transition region in perspective; References; Index.
Reviews
' … an excellent overview of the new observations … I would strongly recommend this book to the teachers of both solar and stellar physics, but also the researcher active in the field has much to gain from reading this excellent review.' Solar Physics
' … a welcome addition to the literature … a useful introduction to solar observations for graduate students and for those approaching the field of stellar transition regions from a knowledge of X-ray astronomy, rather than UV spectroscopy.' The Observatory
' … well worth a place in the library as a useful introduction to solar observations for graduate students.' The Observatory
' … The book will be valuable for solar physicists and astrophysicists … could be used as supplementary reading for graduate level courses in solar physics.' Europe & Astronomy
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