Related papers: Determining the Magnetization of the Quiet Sun Pho…
A few years before the Hinode space telescope was launched, an investigation based on the Hanle effect in atomic and molecular lines indicated that the bulk of the quiet solar photosphere is significantly magnetized, due to the ubiquitous…
One of the key research problems in stellar physics is to decipher the small-scale magnetic activity of the quiet solar atmosphere. Recent magneto-convection simulations that account for small-scale dynamo action have provided…
The Hanle depolarization signals of Sr 4607 A have been used to estimate the unsigned magnetic flux and magnetic energy existing in the quiet Sun photosphere. However, the Sr 4607 A Hanle signals are not sensitive to the unsigned flux and…
The solar photosphere is filled by a magnetic field which is tangled on scales much smaller than the resolution capability of solar telescopes. This hidden magnetic field can be investigated via the Hanle effect. In 2007 we started a…
Deciphering and understanding the small-scale magnetic activity of the quiet solar photosphere should help to solve many of the key problems of solar and stellar physics, such as the magnetic coupling to the outer atmosphere and the coronal…
The Hanle effect in strong spectral lines is the physical mechanism that should be increasingly exploited for quantitative explorations of the magnetism of the quiet solar chromospheric plasma. Here we show, by means of multilevel radiative…
The Sun is the only star where we can resolve the intricate magnetism that all convective stars harbor. Yet, more than 99% of its visible surface along the solar cycle (the so-called quiet Sun) is filled with a tangled, unresolved…
A particularly interesting line for exploring the physical conditions of the quiet solar chromosphere is H$\alpha$, but its intensity profile is magnetically insensitive and the small circular polarization signatures produced by the…
The chromosphere of the quiet Sun is an important stellar atmospheric region whose thermal and magnetic structure we need to decipher for unlocking new discoveries in solar and stellar physics. To this end, we must identify and exploit…
Analysis of the Hanle effect in solar molecular lines allows us to obtain empirical information on hidden, mixed-polarity magnetic fields at subresolution scales in the (granular) upflowing regions of the `quiet' solar photosphere. Here we…
We present a series of radiative MHD simulations addressing the origin and distribution of mixed polarity magnetic field in the solar photosphere. To this end we consider numerical simulations that cover the uppermost 2-6 Mm of the solar…
An attractive diagnostic tool for investigating the magnetism of the solar chromosphere is the observation and theoretical modeling of the Hanle and Zeeman effects in spicules, as shown in this letter for the first time. Here we report on…
The quiet Sun photospheric plasma has a variety of magnetic field strengths going from zero to 1800 G. The empirical characterization of these field strengths requires a probability density function (PDF), i.e., a function P(B) describing…
Solar magnetic fields alter scattering polarization in spectral lines like Sr I at 4607 {\AA} via the Hanle effect, making it a potential diagnostic for small-scale mixed-polarity photospheric magnetic fields. Recently, observational…
Magnetic fields in turbulent, convective high-$\beta$ plasma naturally develop highly tangled and complex topologies---the solar photosphere being the paradigmatic example. These fields are mostly undetectable by standard diagnostic…
We highlight the main results of a radiative transfer investigation on the magnetic sensitivity of the solar Mg ii k resonance line at 2795.5 angstrom, accounting for the joint action of the Hanle and Zeeman effects as well as partial…
Observations of scattering polarization and the Hanle effect in various spectral lines are increasingly used to complement traditional solar magnetic field determination techniques. One of the strongest scattering polarization signals in…
One of the greatest challenges in solar and stellar physics in coming years will be to observe the Second Solar Spectrum with a spatial resolution significantly better than 1 arcsec. This type of scattering polarization observations would…
We report on a detailed radiative transfer modeling of the observed scattering polarization in the H-alpha line, which allows us to infer quantitative information on the magnetization of the quiet solar chromosphere. Our analysis suggests…
This paper reviews some of the most recent advances in the application of the Hanle effect to solar physics, and how these developments are allowing us to explore the magnetism of the photospheric regions that look ``empty'' in solar…