Doppler wavelength shifts of transition zone lines measured in SKYLAB solar spectra

Abstract

Wavelengths of lines of the transition-zone ions Si IV, C IV, O IV, N V, and O V are observed to be redshifted relative to the wavelengths of chromospheric lines in XUV spectra obtained from the normal-incidence spectrograph on Skylab. The spectra cover the wavelength range from 1200 to 1565 A and were obtained with the slit positioned over chromospheric network and cell regions, on coronal holes, and above the limb. The network-area and coronal-hole spectra were obtained near the disk center. Only some of the spectra show redshifted transition-zone lines. The observed shifts are between 0.03 and 0.08 A, implying velocities of 15 km/s or less. The amount of wavelength shift does not always appear to be the same for lines of different ions. The shifts imply that descending plasma in the solar atmosphere produces more emission than ascending plasma at temperatures between approximately 70,000 and 200,000 K.