Alessandro BemporadNational Institute of Astrophysics | INAF · Astronomical Observatory of Pino Torinese - Turin
Alessandro Bemporad
Researcher (permanent staff)
About
212
Publications
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Introduction
Solar Physics: XUV Spectroscopy of the Solar Corona and Solar Wind; determination of physical parameters of Coronal Streamers and Coronal Mass Ejections; Earth – Sun connections and Space Weather; XUV Spectroscopy of Sungrazing Comets; experience on SOHO/UVCS, /LASCO, STEREO/COR1, Hinode/EIT, /XRT data reduction and analysis with IDL and the Solar Software (SSW).
Additional affiliations
Education
September 2006 - May 2007
January 2003 - December 2005
September 1995 - September 2002
Publications
Publications (212)
Context. Between 24 and 25 December 2021 a sungrazing comet (SOHO-4341) approached the Sun, being observed by “classical” visible light (VL) coronagraphs on board the SOHO and STEREO missions, and also by the innovative Metis coronagraph on board the ESA-NASA Solar Orbiter mission in the VL and ultraviolet (UV H I Lyman- α ) band.
Aims. We show how...
Solar wind switchbacks are polarity reversals of the magnetic field, recently frequently measured by Parker Solar Probe inside 0.2 AU. In this Letter we show that magnetic switchbacks, similar to those observed by PSP, are reproduced by injecting a time-limited collimated high-speed stream in the Parker spiral. We performed a 2D magnetohydrodynamic...
Context. A few days before the first perihelion of the Solar Orbiter nominal mission, which occurred on 2022 March 26, the Metis coronagraph on board Solar Orbiter detected a coronal mass ejection (CME) that was moving away from the far side of the Sun (with respect to Solar Orbiter) at high northern latitudes. The eruption was also seen by other s...
Type U radio bursts are impulsive coherent radio emissions produced by the Sun that indicate the presence of subrelativistic electron beams propagating along magnetic loops in the solar corona. In this work, we present the analysis of a type U radio burst that was exceptionally imaged on 2011 March 22 by the Nan\c{c}ay Radioheliograph (NRH) at thre...
Type U radio bursts are impulsive coherent radio emissions produced by the Sun that indicate the presence of subrelativistic electron beams propagating along magnetic loops in the solar corona. In this work, we present the analysis of a type U radio burst that was exceptionally imaged on 2011 March 22 by the Nançay Radioheliograph (NRH) at three di...
As a key feature, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe (PSP) and ESA-NASA’s Solar Orbiter (SO) missions cooperate to trace solar windand transients from their sources on the Sun to the inner interplanetary space. The goal of this work is to accurately reconstructthe interplanetary Parker spiral and the connection between coronal features observed remotely by...
The Solar Orbiter/Metis coronagraph records full-Sun visible-light polarized brightness (\(pB\)-) images of the solar corona. This work investigates the utility of a synoptic observational program of Metis for tomographic reconstruction of the three-dimensional (3D) distribution of the electron density of the global solar corona. During its lifetim...
Context. On 2021 February 12, two subsequent eruptions occurred above the western limb of the Sun, as seen along the Sun-Earth line. The first event was a typical slow coronal mass ejection (CME), followed ∼7 h later by a smaller and collimated prominence eruption, originating south of the CME, followed by a plasma blob. These events were observed...
In this work we performed a polarimetric study of a fast and wide coronal mass ejection (CME) observed on 12 July 2012 by the COR1 and COR2 instruments onboard the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) mission. The CME source region was an X1.4 flare located at approximately S15W01 on the solar disk, as observed from the Earth’s perspect...
In this work we performed a polarimetric study of a fast and wide coronal mass ejection (CME) observed on 12 July 2012 by the COR1 and COR2 instruments onboard Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO) mission. The CME source region was an X1.4 flare located at approximately S15W01 on the solar disk as observed from the Earth's perspective....
The Metis coronagraph of the Solar Orbiter (SolO) mission records full-Sun images of the solar corona in Lyman-α ultraviolet (UV) radiation and in visible light polarized brightness (pB). This work investigates the utility of a synoptic observational program of Metis in terms of using its pB-images for tomographic reconstruction of the three-dimens...
Due to the scarcity of UV–EUV observations of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) far from the Sun (i.e., at heliocentric distances larger than 1.5 Rsun) our understanding of the thermodynamic evolution of these solar phenomena is still very limited. This work focuses on the analysis of a slow CME observed at the same time and in the same coronal locatio...
On February 12, 2021 two subsequent eruptions occurred above the West limb, as seen along the Sun-Earth line. The first event was a typical slow Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), followed $\sim 7$ hours later by a smaller and collimated prominence eruption, originating Southward with respect to the CME, followed by a plasma blob. These events were obser...
Ultraviolet spectra of Comet 96/P Machholz were obtained during its 2002 perihelion with the UltraViolet Coronagraph Spectrometer instrument on board the SOHO satellite. Emission from H i , C ii , C iii , and O i is detected near the nucleus. The outgassing rate is in line with the value extrapolated from rates at larger distances from the Sun, and...
On 2013 June 21, a solar prominence eruption was observed, accompanied by an M2.9 class flare, a fast coronal mass ejection, and a type II radio burst. The concomitant emission of solar energetic particles (SEPs) produced a significant proton flux increase, in the energy range 4–100 MeV, measured by the Low and High Energy Telescopes on board the S...
Ultraviolet spectra of Comet 96/P Machholz were obtained during its 2002 perihelion with the UVCS instrument aboard the SOHO satellite. Emission from H I, C II, C III, and O I, is detected near the nucleus. The outgassing rate is in line with the value extrapolated from rates at larger distances from the Sun, and abundances of C and O are estimated...
Context. The Metis coronagraph on board Solar Orbiter offers a new view of coronal mass ejections (CMEs), observing them for the first time with simultaneous images acquired with a broad-band filter in the visible-light interval and with a narrow-band filter around the H I Ly- α line at 121.567 nm, the so-called Metis UV channel.
Aims. We show the...
This Letter addresses the first Solar Orbiter (SO) -- Parker Solar Probe (PSP) quadrature, occurring on January 18, 2021, to investigate the evolution of solar wind from the extended corona to the inner heliosphere. Assuming ballistic propagation, the same plasma volume observed remotely in corona at altitudes between 3.5 and 6.3 solar radii above...
This Letter addresses the first Solar Orbiter (SO)–Parker Solar Probe (PSP) quadrature, occurring on 2021 January 18 to investigate the evolution of solar wind from the extended corona to the inner heliosphere. Assuming ballistic propagation, the same plasma volume observed remotely in the corona at altitudes between 3.5 and 6.3 solar radii above t...
The determination of the chemical composition of interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) plasma is an open issue. More specifically, it is not yet fully understood how remote sensing observations of the solar corona plasma during solar disturbances evolve into plasma properties measured in situ away from the Sun. The ambient conditions of the b...
Context. The availability of multi-channel coronagraphic images in different wavelength intervals acquired from the space will provide a new view of the solar corona, allowing us to investigate the 2D distribution and time evolution of many plasma physical parameters, such as plasma density, temperature, and outflow speed.
Aims. This work focuses o...
This Letter addresses the first Solar Orbiter (SO)–Parker Solar Probe (PSP) quadrature, occurring on 2021 January 18 to investigate the evolution of solar wind from the extended corona to the inner heliosphere. Assuming ballistic propagation, the same plasma volume observed remotely in the corona at altitudes between 3.5 and 6.3 solar radii above t...
The determination of solar wind outflow velocity is fundamental in order to probe the mechanisms of wind acceleration in the corona. We aim to study, via the Doppler dimming technique, the effects that the chromospheric Lyα line profile shape causes on the determination of the outflow speed of coronal HI atoms. The Doppler dimming technique takes i...
The magnetic activity of the Sun directly impacts the Earth and human life. Likewise, other stars will have an impact on the habitability of planets orbiting these host stars. Although the magnetic field at the surface of the Sun is reasonably well characterised by observations, the information on the magnetic field in the higher atmospheric layers...
This work focuses on the combination of White Light (WL) and UV (Ly-alpha) coronagraphic images to demonstrate the capability to measure the solar wind speed in the inner corona directly with the ratio between these two images (a technique called "quick inversion method"), thus avoiding to account for the line-of-sight (LOS) integration effects in...
We report the first unambiguous observational evidence in the radio range of the reflection of a coronal shock wave at the boundary of a coronal hole. The event occurred above an active region located at the northwest limb of the Sun and was characterized by an eruptive prominence and an extreme-ultraviolet wave steepening into a shock. The EUV obs...
We report the first unambiguous observational evidence in the radio range of the reflection of a coronal shock wave at the boundary of a coronal hole. The event occurred above an active region located at the northwest limb of the Sun and was characterized by an eruptive prominence and an extreme-ultraviolet (EUV) wave steepening into a shock. The E...
The investigation of the wind in the solar corona initiated with the observations of the resonantly scattered UV emission of the coronal plasma obtained with UVCS-SOHO, designed to measure the wind outflow speed by applying the Doppler dimming diagnostics. Metis on Solar Orbiter complements the UVCS spectroscopic observations, performed during sola...
Context. The determination of solar wind H I outflow velocity is fundamental to shedding light on the mechanisms of wind acceleration occurring in the corona. Moreover, it has implications in various astrophysical contexts, such as in the heliosphere and in cometary and planetary atmospheres.
Aims. We aim to study the effects of the chromospheric L...
The solar corona produces a continuous outflow of plasma influencing the entire solar system and beyond to over a hundred of astronomical units. Due to the Sun's proximity the source regions of that wind can be observed remotely with great precision and the escaping plasma can be measured directly in situ. Space missions launched over the past six...
The Metis coronagraph is one of the remote sensing instruments hosted on board the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter mission. Metis is devoted to carry out the first simultaneous imaging of the solar corona in both visible light (VL) and ultraviolet (UV). High-energy particles penetrate spacecraft materials and may limit the performance of on-board instrument...
After the launch of STEREO twin spacecraft, and most recently of Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe spacecraft, the next mission that will explore Sun-Earth interactions and how the Sun modulates the Heliosphere will be the “Lagrange” mission, which will consist of two satellites placed in orbit around L1 and L5 Sun-Earth Lagrangian points. Despi...
SWELTO -- Space WEather Laboratory in Turin Observatory is a conceptual framework where new ideas for the analysis of space-based and ground-based data are developed and tested. The input data are (but not limited to) remote sensing observations (EUV images of the solar disk, Visible Light coronagraphic images, radio dynamic spectra, etc...), in si...
SWELTO-Space WEather Laboratory in Turin Observatory is a conceptual framework where new ideas for the analysis of space-based and ground-based data are developed and tested. The input data are (but not limited to) remote sensing observations (EUV images of the solar disk, Visible Light coronagraphic images, radio dynamic spectra, etc...), in situ...
The magnetic activity of the Sun directly impacts the Earth and human life. Likewise, other stars will have an impact on the habitability of planets orbiting these host stars. The lack of information on the magnetic field in the higher atmospheric layers hampers our progress in understanding solar magnetic activity. Overcoming this limitation would...
The total solar eclipse of 2017 August 21 was observed with a digital single lens reflex (DSLR) camera equipped with a linear polarizing filter. A method was developed to combine images acquired with 15 different exposure times (from 1/4000 s to 4 s), identifying in each pixel the best interval of detector linearity. The resulting mosaic image of t...
The reconstruction of plasma parameters in the interplanetary medium is very important to understand the interplanetary propagation of solar eruptions and for Space Weather application purposes. Because only a few spacecraft are measuring in situ these parameters, reconstructions are currently performed by running complex numerical Magneto-hydrodyn...
The total solar eclipse of August 21st, 2017 was observed with a Digital Single Lens Reflex (DSLR) camera equipped with a linear polarizing filter. A method was developed to combine images acquired with 15 different exposure times (from 1/4000 sec to 4 sec), identifying in each pixel the best interval of detector linearity. The resulting mosaic ima...
Solar Orbiter is the first space mission observing the solar plasma both in situ and remotely, from a close distance, in and out of the ecliptic. The ultimate goal is to understand how the Sun produces and controls the heliosphere, filling the Solar System and driving the planetary environments. With six remote-sensing and four in-situ instrument s...
Solar Orbiter is the first space mission observing the solar plasma both in situ and remotely, from a close distance, in and out of the ecliptic. The ultimate goal is to understand how the Sun produces and controls the heliosphere, filling the Solar System and driving the planetary environments. With six remote-sensing and four in-situ instrument s...
In this work, we analyze the evolution of an EUV wave front associated with a solar eruption that occurred on 30 October 2014, with the aim of investigating, through differential emission measure (DEM) analysis, the physical properties of the plasma compressed and heated by the accompanying shock wave. The EUV wave was observed by the Atmospheric I...
Metis, the space coronagraph on board the Solar Orbiter, offers us new capabilities for studying eruptive prominences and coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Its two spectral channels, hydrogen L α and visible light (VL), will provide for the first time coaligned and cotemporal images to study dynamics and plasma properties of CMEs. Moreover, with the V...
Solar Orbiter is the first space mission observing the solar plasma both in situ and remotely, from a close distance, in and out of the ecliptic. The ultimate goal is to understand how the Sun produces and controls the heliosphere, filling the Solar System and driving the planetary environments. With six remote-sensing and four in-situ instrument s...
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) often show different features in different bandpasses. By combining data in white-light (WL) and ultraviolet (UV) bands, we have applied different techniques to derive plasma temperatures, electron density, internal radial speed, and so on, within a fast CME. They serve as extensive tests of the diagnostic capabilities...
PROBA-3 is an ESA mission aimed at the demonstration of formation flying performance of two satellites that will form a giant coronagraph in space. The first spacecraft will host a telescope imaging the solar corona in visible light, while the second, the external occulter, will produce an artificial eclipse. This instrument is named ASPIICS (Assoc...
Space coronagraph Metis on board of the Solar Orbiter offers us new capabilities for studying eruptive prominences and coronal mass ejections (CME). Its two spectral channels, hydrogen L$\alpha$ and visible-light (VL) will provide, for the first time, co-aligned and co-temporal images to study dynamics and plasma properties of CMEs. Moreover, with...
Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) often show different features in different band-passes. By combining data in white-light (WL) and ultraviolet (UV) bands, we have applied different techniques to derive plasma temperatures, electron density, internal radial speed, etc, within a fast CME. They serve as extensive tests of the diagnostic capabilities, dev...
PROBA-3 is a space mission of the European Space Agency that will test, and validate metrology and control systems for autonomous formation flying of two independent satellites. PROBA-3 will operate in a High Elliptic Orbit and when approaching the apogee at 6⋅10⁴ Km, the two spacecraft will align to realize a giant externally occulted coronagraph...
Context. A new generation of coronagraphs used to study solar wind and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are being developed and launched. These coronagraphs will heavily rely on multi-channel observations where visible light (VL) and UV-EUV (ultraviolet-extreme ultraviolet) observations provide new plasma diagnostics. One of these instruments, Metis o...
A new generation of coronagraphs to study the solar wind and CMEs are being developed and launched. These coronagraphs will heavily rely on multi-channel observations where visible light (VL) and UV-EUV observations provide new plasma diagnostics. One of these instruments, Metis on board ESA-Solar Orbiter, will simultaneously observe VL and the UV...
Context. To meet the scientific objectives of the mission, the Solar Orbiter spacecraft carries a suite of in-situ (IS) and remote sensing (RS) instruments designed for joint operations with inter-instrument communication capabilities. Indeed, previous missions have shown that the Sun (imaged by the RS instruments) and the heliosphere (mainly sampl...
Italian teams have been involved many times in Space Weather observational campaigns from space and from the ground, contributing in the advancing of our knowledge on the properties and evolution of the related phenomena. Numerous Space Weather forecasting and nowcasting modeling efforts have been a remarkable add-on to the overall progress in the...