The quiet solar transition region

Abstract

The results of recent studies (in the UV) of the structure and dynamics of the quiet solar transition region and its role in the mass and energy balance of the outer layers of the solar atmosphere are summarized. The region is one in which temperature increases from 25,000 K to about 1 million K and the matter density, fed by the outward flowing wind and the inward streaming plasma, increases by a factor of 40. The morphology of the region is described, along with the theoretical models being applied to the observed nonthermal line broadening, Doppler wavelength shifts, temporal fluctuations, and fine structure. Deficiencies in existing simple models of the region are discussed.