Microwave, EUV, and X-ray observations of active region loops - Evidence for gyroresonance absorption in the corona

Abstract

The combined data from 3.7 and 11 cm radio maps, EUV spectroheliograms, and X-ray photographs of an active region (McMath 12379) are analyzed. The near equality of the radio brightness temperatures and the electron temperature determined from the EUV and X-ray data implies that the radio emission is thermal. Since the free-free absorption is inadequate to account for this, the large optical depth must be produced by gyroresonance absorption. It is inferred that the magnetic scale height must be of the same order as the observed width of the coronal loops (one-billion cm). The scale of emission in the radio, and hence the scale of the absorbing region transverse to the line of sight, is also of this order.