Spectroscopic Diagnostics of Polar Coronal Plumes

Abstract

Polar coronal plumes seen during solar eclipses can now be studied with space-borne telescopes and spectrometers. We briefly discuss such observations from space with a view to understanding their plasma characteristics. Using these observations, especially from SUMER/SOHO, but also from EUVI/STEREO, we deduce densities, temperatures, and abundance anomalies in plumes and inter-plume regions, and discuss their implications for better understanding of these structures in the Sun's atmosphere.

5 pages, 3 figures; To appear in "Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and the Atmosphere of the Sun", eds. S.S. Hasan and R.J. Rutten, Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin, 2009