Model of the all-sky He II 30.4 nm solar flux

• Published in: Advances in space research 2005, Vol.35 (3), p.388-392
• Main Authors: Auchère, F., Cook, J.W., Newmark, J.S., McMullin, D.R., von Steiger, R., Witte, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Sun: flux activity; Sun: UV radiation
• ISSN: 0273-1177; 1879-1948
• DOI: 10.1016/j.asr.2005.02.036

Because of the orbit characteristics of the vast majority of spacecraft, the solar flux has been generally measured at Earth or in the plane of the ecliptic. So far, most published studies did not consider the fact that the extreme ultraviolet (EUV) solar flux is largely anisotropic. Indeed, in the EUV, the distribution of very contrasted bright and dark features at the surface of the Sun produces both the obvious rotational (longitudinal) modulation of the flux, but also a strong latitudinal anisotropy. Although largely ignored up to now, the latitudinal anisotropy affects the physical conditions in the corona and heliosphere. We describe an empirical model of the all-sky He II 30.4 nm flux based on EIT/ SOHO data. The 30.4 nm flux was found to be strongly anisotropic. The anisotropy I pol/ I eq between the fluxes computed for viewpoints located above the solar poles and within the solar equatorial plane ranges from 0.9 at solar minimum to 0.6 at solar maximum. A 20% asymmetry was also discovered between the north and south polar fluxes.