Simulated observations of the electron coronal density irregularity$\overline {n^2 } /(\bar n)^2$

Abstract

A technique to derive the coronal density irregularity factor$\overline {n^2 } /(\bar n)^2$, wheren is the electron density, has been proposed by Fineschi and Romoli (1993). This technique will exploit the unique UVCS capability of cotemporal and cospatial measurements of both UV line radiation and K-coronal polarized brightness,pB.

The ratio of the measured H I Lyman β (Ly-β) line intensity to the resonant-scattering dominated H I Lyman α (Ly-α) intensity can be used to extract the collisional component of the Ly-β. This component yields an estimate of$\overline {n^2 }$. The quantity$(\bar n)^2$ is then obtained from the UVCS white-light K-coronal measurements.

We present simulated observations of the UVCS for coronal atmosphere models with different filling factors and electron density profiles, and for different coronal structures (e.g., coronal holes, streamers). These simulations will show how the proposed technique may be used to probe inhomogeneities of the solar corona.