The New Sun - Probing Solar Plasmas with the SUMER Instrument on SOHO

Abstract

With the SUMER (Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation) spectrometer on SOHO we observe the solar atmosphere with high spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution in the 400 to 1600 Å wavelength range. Selected observational facts are presented. Among these are points concerning the solar EUV spectrum in general, such as line identification and radiometry, and special applications, such as the redshift problem. As an example of plasma diagnostics, a relative abundance measurement as manifestation of the FIP effect is presented. Some of the recent results have not yet appeared in literature.