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Coronal Cavity Magnetic Fields Inferred by DKIST/CryoNIRSP

  • National Center for Atmospheric Research
  • Alabama A and M University
  • National Solar Observatory
  • University of Wrocław
  • Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian
  • George Mason University

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Coronal cavities are low-density regions in the solar corona surrounding prominences that often erupt into coronal mass ejections. Therefore, understanding the magnetic field in these preeruptive structures is important for understanding the process of magnetic energy storage and release in the solar corona, with implications for space weather modeling and predictions. The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope/CryoNIRSP instrument acquired spectropolarimetric observations of the Fe xiii 10747 Å forbidden emission line in two coronal cavities, one on the northwest limb on 2025 August 8 and the other on the southwest limb on 2025 October 5. For the first time, we detect the circularly polarized emission in the Stokes V parameter in the coronal cavities and their embedded structures, which could be resolved such that the line-of-sight (LOS) magnetic field intensity could be estimated using the weak-field approximation. It is found that the inferred LOS magnetic field strength varies from ∼5 to 20 G in the cavity, with the strongest field strength above the prominence in the hornlike substructure of the cavity.

Original languageEnglish
Article numberL8
JournalAstrophysical Journal Letters
Volume1005
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2026
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Quiescent solar prominence (1321)
  • Solar magnetic fields (1503)
  • Spectropolarimetry (1973)

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