Abstract
We present CLOUDY calculations for the intensity of coronal hyperfine lines in various environments. We model indirect collisional and radiative transitions, and quantify the collisionally excited line emissivity in the density-temperature phase space. As an observational aid, we also express the emissivity in units of that in the 0.4-0.7 keV band. For most hyperfine lines, knowledge of the X-ray surface brightness and the plasma temperature is sufficient for rough estimates. We find that the radiation fields of both Perseus A and Virgo A can enhance the populations of highly ionized species within 1 kpc. They can also enhance line emissivity within the cluster core. This could have implications for the interpretation of spectra around bright active galactic nuclei. We find the intensity of the 57Fe XXIV λ3.068 mm line to be about two orders of magnitude fainter than previously thought, at ~20 μK. Comparably bright lines may be found in the infrared. Finally, we find the intensity of hyperfine lines in the Extended Orion Nebula to be low, due to the shallow sightline. Observations of coronal hyperfine lines will likely be feasible with the next generation of radio and submillimeter telescopes.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
5-7-2014
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/787/2/96
Funding Information
G.J.F. acknowledges support by NSF (1108928 and 1109061), NASA (10-ATP10-0053, 10-ADAP10-0073, and NNX12AH73G), and STScI (HST-AR-12125.01, HST-AR-13245, GO-12560, and HST-GO-12309).
Related Content
Repository Citation
Chatzikos, Marios; Ferland, Gary J.; Williams, R. J. R.; and Fabian, A. C., "On the Observability of Optically Thin Coronal Hyperfine Structure Lines" (2014). Physics and Astronomy Faculty Publications. 55.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/physastron_facpub/55
Notes/Citation Information
Published in The Astrophysical Journal, v. 787, no. 2, 96, p. 1-15.
© 2014. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.
The copyright holder has granted permission for posting the article here.