Study of the three-dimensional shape and dynamics of coronal loops observed by Hinode/EIS

Abstract

We study plasma flows along selected coronal loops in NOAA Active Region 10926, observed on 3 December 2006 with Hinode’sEUVImaging Spectrograph (EIS). From the shape of the loops traced on intensity images and the Doppler shifts measured along their length we compute their three-dimensional (3D) shape and plasma flow velocity using a simple geometrical model. This calculation was performed for loops visible in the Fe viii 185 Å, Fe x 184 Å, Fe xii 195 Å, Fe xiii202 Å, and Fe xv 284 Å spectral lines. In most cases the flow is unidirectional from one footpoint to the other but there are also cases of draining motions from the top of the loops to their footpoints. Our results indicate that the same loop may show different flow patterns when observed in different spectral lines, suggesting a dynamically complex rather than a monolithic structure. We have also carried out magnetic extrapolations in the linear force-free field approximation using SOHO/MDI magnetograms, aiming toward a first-order identification of extrapolated magnetic field lines corresponding to the reconstructed loops. In all cases, the best-fit extrapolated lines exhibit left-handed twist (α<0), in agreement with the dominant twist of the region.