Coronal Magnetic Fields Derived from Simultaneous Microwave and EUV Observations and Comparison with the Potential Field Model

Abstract

We estimated the accuracy of coronal magnetic fields derived from radio observations by comparing them to potential field calculations and the DEM measurements using EUV observations. We derived line of sight component of the coronal magnetic field from polarization observations of the thermal bremsstrahlung in the NOAA active region 11150, observed around 3:00 UT on February 3, 2011 using the Nobeyama Radioheliograph at 17 GHz. Because the thermal bremsstrahlung intensity at 17 GHz includes both chromospheric and coronal components, we extracted only the coronal component by measuring the coronal emission measure in EUV observations. In addition, we derived only the radio polarization component of the corona by selecting the region of coronal loops and weak magnetic field strength in the chromosphere along the line of sight. The upper limit of the coronal longitudinal magnetic fields were determined as 100 - 210 G. We also calculated the coronal longitudinal magnetic fields from the potential field extrapolation using the photospheric magnetic field obtained from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI). However, the calculated potential fields were certainly smaller than the observed coronal longitudinal magnetic field. This discrepancy between the potential and the observed magnetic field strengths can be explained consistently by two reasons; (a) the underestimation of the coronal emission measure resulting from the limitation of the temperature range of the EUV observations, (b) the underestimation of the coronal magnetic field resulting from the potential field assumption.