Constraints on Solar Wind Plasma Properties Derived from Coordinated Coronal Observations

The goal of the proposed research is to increase the understanding of coronal plasma phenomena by making use of different observational approaches and combine the observations with the necessary theoretical considerations. We continued to study the formation of spectral lines in the corona/transition region under different non-equilibrium conditions. In addition to Mg and Ne we have also studied some cases involving Si ions and spectral lines. Due to the fact that the sun was at the maximum phase of the solar cycle, we spent some time on observing coronal mass ejections. Observations of the H I Lyman-alpha spectral line and the line pair 0 VI 1031.91 AA and 1037.61 AA were carried out with the UVCS instrument in the northern polar region of the sun at position angle 270 deg. The region was monitored at about 2 RS for about 5 hours on March 04, and for about 8 hours on March 05. During that time interval a major Coronal Mass Ejection developed in the northern hemisphere. Density, velocity and temperature maps of the ejected plasma have been obtained from the UVCS data. This event was also seen in the white light Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO) images, and its evolution at lower heights can be followed in Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT). The LASCO images are essential in providing the larger scale context for this event which is unique in the sense that it developed almost due North and had very little interactions with adjacent regions. The combination of UVCS velocity maps and LASCO images which were reduced using advanced image processing techniques, show very clearly how the mass ejection evolved from the solar surface to several solar radii, the twisting of the flux ropes, which are seen in UVCS as blue and red shifted velocities. First results were presented at the AGU Meeting in Boston. To study the quieter side of the coronal plasma, we carried out an experiment during the past eclipse, in June 01. We measured the corona in several iron spectral lines, and polarized white light. The results from that experiment look promising so far.