Fine structure of the solar transition region - Observations and interpretation

Abstract

An evaluation is conducted of recent high spatial resolution observations of the solar transition region and temperature minimum, in the form of UV spectra and spectroheliographs from both sounding rockets and the Spacelab 2 flights of the High Resolution Telescope and Spectrograph (HRTS). Attention is given to the solar atmosphere structure implications of the HRST's observational results. The inclusion of fine structure in conjectures concerning the transition region affects the plausibility of 1D average models of the solar atmosphere, as well as the determination of temperature gradients, possible nonradiative-heating mechanisms, and the comparison of transition region structures with corresponding observations of the photosphere and corona.