Comparing Spatial Distributions of Solar Prominence Mass Derived from Coronal Absorption

Abstract

In a previous study, Gilbert et al. derived the column density and total mass of solar prominences using a new technique, which measures how much coronal radiation in the Fe XII (195 Å) spectral band is absorbed by prominence material, while considering the effects of both foreground and background radiation. In the present work, we apply this method to a sample of prominence observations in three different wavelength regimes: one in which only H⁰ is ionized (504 Å < λ < 911 Å), a second where both H⁰ and He⁰ are ionized (228 Å < λ < 504 Å), and finally at wavelengths where H⁰, He⁰, and He⁺ are all ionized (λ < 228 Å). This approach, first suggested by Kucera et al., permits the separation of the contributions of neutral hydrogen and helium to the total column density in prominences. Additionally, an enhancement of the technique allowed the calculation of the two-dimensional (2D) spatial distribution of the column density from the continuum absorption in each extreme-ultraviolet observation. We find the total prominence mass is consistently lower in the 625 Å observations compared to lines in the other wavelength regimes. There is a significant difference in total mass between the 625 Å and 195 Å lines, indicating the much higher opacity at 625 Å is causing a saturation of the continuum absorption and thus, a potentially large underestimation of mass.