A Statistical Inference Method for Interpreting the CLASP Observations

Authors :: Stepan, J.
Bueno, J. Trujillo
Belluzzi, L.
Ramos, A. Asensio
Sainz, R. Manso
Aleman, T. del Pino
Casini, R.
Kano, R.
Winebarger, A.
Auchere, F.
Ishikawa, R.
Narukage, N.
Kobayashi, K.
Bando, T.
Katsukawa, Y.
Kubo, M.
Ishikawa, S.
Giono, G.
Hara, H.
Suematsu, Y.
Shimizu, T.
Sakao, T.
Tsuneta, S.
Ichimoto, K.
Cirtain, J.
Champey, P.
De Pontieu, B.
Carlsson, M.
Publication Year :: 2018
Abstract: On 3rd September 2015, the Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha SpectroPolarimeter (CLASP) successfully measured the linear polarization produced by scattering processes in the hydrogen Lyman-$\alpha$ line of the solar disk radiation, revealing conspicuous spatial variations in the $Q/I$ and $U/I$ signals. Via the Hanle effect the line-center $Q/I$ and $U/I$ amplitudes encode information on the magnetic field of the chromosphere-corona transition region (TR), but they are also sensitive to the three-dimensional structure of this corrugated interface region. With the help of a simple line formation model, here we propose a statistical inference method for interpreting the Lyman-$\alpha$ line-center polarization observed by CLASP.<br />Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal