Solar minimum streamer densities and temperatures using Whole Sun Month coordinated data sets

Abstract

We model electron densities of the simplest, most symmetric solar minimum streamer structure observed during the Whole Sun Month (WSM) campaign, using coronal observations of both visible white light and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) emission. Using white light data from the SOHO/LASCO/C2 and HAO/Mauna Loa Mark 3 coronagraphs, we determine electron densities by way of a Van de Hülst inversion. We compare the white light densities to those determined from the density sensitive EUV line ratios of Si IX 350/342 Å observed by the SOHO/coronal diagnostic spectrometer (CDS). Moreover, from the white light density profiles we calculate hydrostatic temperature profiles and compare to temperatures derived from the Si XII/Mg X line ratio. We find the white light and spectral analysis produce consistent density and temperature information.