Small Scale Structure in the Solar Transition Region

Abstract

We present analysis of a high spatial resolution ( approximately 1&farcs;5) O vi lambda1032 spectroheliogram taken with the Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation (SUMER) spectrometer on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory. This image shows numerous narrow, looplike structures. The widths of the narrowest resolved features are at the spatial resolution of the SUMER spectrometer. In contrast to earlier Skylab observations, however, comparisons with a Michelson Doppler Imager magnetogram reveals that the majority of these looplike structures do not connect network magnetic fields. Instead, they extend from the supergranulation network into the cell-center regions where no magnetic fields are detected in these data. We conjecture that these fine structures are related to spicules and are highly dynamic.