Aims: A thorough multiwavelength, multiheight study of the vector magnetic field in a compact active region filament (NOAA 10781) on 2005 July 3 and 5 is presented. We suggest an evolutionary scenario for this filament. Methods: Two different inversion codes were used to analyze the full Stokes vectors acquired with the Tenerife Infrared

The transit of Venus in 2004 offered the rare possibility to remotely sense a well-known planetary atmosphere using ground-based absorption spectroscopy. Transmission spectra of Venus' atmosphere were obtained in the near infrared using the Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) in Tenerife. Since the instrument was designed to measure the very bright

The aim of this work is the determination of the twist, writhe, and self-magnetic helicity of penumbral filaments located in an inner sunspot penumbra. For this purpose, we inverted data taken with the spectropolarimeter on board Hinode with the SIR (Stokes Inversion based on Response function) code. For the construction of a three-dimensional

We use two-dimensional numerical simulations and eikonal approximation to study properties of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves traveling below the solar surface through the magnetic structure of sunspots. We consider a series of magnetostatic models of sunspots of different magnetic field strengths, from 10 Mm below the photosphere to the low

We determine the entire electrical current density vector in a geometrical three-dimensional volume of the inner penumbra of a sunspot from an inversion of spectropolarimetric data obtained with Hinode/SP. Significant currents are seen to wrap around the hotter, more elevated regions with lower and more horizontal magnetic fields that harbor strong

We report on the discovery of mostly horizontal field channels just outside sunspot penumbrae (in the so-called "moat" region) that are seen to sustain supersonic flows (line-of-sight component of 6 km s-1). The spectral signature of these supersonic flows corresponds to circular polarization profiles with an additional, satellite, third lobe of

Aims: We suggest an explanation for the high-frequency power excess surrounding active regions known as seismic halos. Methods: We use numerical simulations of magneto-acoustic wave propagation in a magnetostatic sunspot model. Results: We propose that seismic halos can be caused by the additional energy injected by high-frequency fast mode waves

This investigation aims to study the correlation of the solar background with atmosphere. We used high resolution observations of the NaDl spectral line. In fact the large span in formation heights of this spectral line allowed us to infer the signal from photosphere to chromosphere. We analyzed the data by applying the SIR code (Stokes Inversion

We present results of nonlinear, two-dimensional, numerical simulations of magneto-acoustic wave propagation in the photosphere and chromosphere of small-scale flux tubes with internal structure. Waves with realistic periods of three to five minutes are studied, after horizontal and vertical oscillatory perturbations are applied to the equilibrium

In order to understand the influence of magnetic fields on the propagation properties of waves, as derived from different local helioseismology techniques, forward modeling of waves is required. Such calculations need a model in magnetohydrostatic equilibrium as an initial atmosphere through which to propagate oscillations. We provide a method to

We aim at reproducing the height dependence of sunspot wave signatures obtained from spectropolarimetric observations through three-dimensional MHD numerical simulations. A magnetostatic sunspot model based on the properties of the observed sunspot is constructed and perturbed at the photosphere, introducing the fluctuations measured with the Si I

Waves observed in the photosphere and chromosphere of sunspots show complex dynamics and spatial patterns. The interpretation of high-resolution sunspot wave observations requires modeling of three-dimensional (3D) nonlinear wave propagation and mode transformation in the sunspot upper layers in realistic spot model atmospheres. Here, we present

In this paper, we study the heating of the magnetized solar chromosphere induced by the large fraction of neutral atoms present in this layer. The presence of neutrals, together with the decrease with height of the collisional coupling, leads to deviations from the classical magnetohydrodynamic behavior of the chromospheric plasma. A relative net

Context: Observations at 0.1 arcsec have revealed the existence of dark cores in the bright filaments of sunspot penumbrae. Expectations are high that such dark-cored filaments are the basic building blocks of the penumbra, but their nature remains unknown. Aims: We investigate the origin of dark cores in penumbral filaments and the surplus

The integration and verification phase of the GREGOR telescope reached an important milestone with the installation of the interim 1 m SolarLite primary mirror. This was the first time that the entire light path had seen sunlight. Since then extensive testing of the telescope and its subsystems has been carried out. The integration and verification

In this paper, the present status of the development of the design of the European Solar Telescope is described. The telescope is devised to have the best possible angular resolution and polarimetric performance, maximizing the throughput of the whole system. To that aim, adaptive optics and multi-conjugate adaptive optics are integrated in the

Inversions of spectropolarimetric observations of penumbral filaments deliver the stratification of different physical quantities in an optical depth scale. However, without establishing a geometrical height scale, their three-dimensional geometrical structure cannot be derived. This is crucial in understanding the correct spatial variation of

Velocity oscillations "measured" simultaneously at the photosphere and the chromosphere—from time series of spectropolarimetric data in the 10830 Å region—of different solar magnetic features allow us to study the properties of wave propagation as a function of the magnetic flux of the structure (i.e., two different-sized sunspots, a tiny pore, and

Two of the most attractive spectral windows for spectropolarimetric investigations of the physical properties of the plasma structures in the solar chromosphere and corona are the ones provided by the spectral lines of the He I 10830 and 5876 Å (or D3) multiplets, whose polarization signals are sensitive to the Hanle and Zeeman effects. However, in

The magnetic field plays a pivotal role in many fields of Astrophysics. This is especially true for the physics of the solar atmosphere. Measuring the magnetic field in the upper solar atmosphere is crucial to understand the nature of the underlying physical processes that drive the violent dynamics of the solar corona—that can also affect life on