The heating of the solar chromosphere

The solar atmosphere associated with magnetic fields is brighter in characteristic field emitters than the magnetic field-free portion of the atmosphere. The chromosphere can accordingly be identified with the atmosphere within such magnetic elements as flux tubes. Attention is presently given to bright points associated with the intranetwork magnetic fields, which are heated by large-amplitude compressive waves whose periods approximate the 3-min acoustic cutoff period. Relevant line and continuum radiation observations are studied; it is concluded that energy dissipated by the 3-min waves may suffice to heat the low and middle chromosphere, in the bright points, to the temperatures observed.