Dynamics and Structure of Quiescent Solar Prominences

Prominences are amazing objects of great beauty whose formation, basic structure and eruption represent one of the basic unsolved problems in Solar Physics. It is now 14 years since the last book on prominences appeared (Tandberg-Hanssen, 1974), during which time much progress in our knowledge of the physics of prominences has been made, and so the time is ripe for a new text book which it is hoped will be a helpful summary of the subject for students, postdocs and solar researchers. Indeed, the last few years has seen an upsurge in interest in prominences due to high resolution ground-and space-based observations and advances in theory. For example, an IAU colloquium was held in Oslo (Jensen et al, 1978), a Solar Maximum Mission Workshop took place at Goddard Space Right Center (poland, 1986), an IAU Colloquium is planned in Yugoslavia in September 1989 in prominences and it is expected that the SOHO satellite will be a further stimulus to prominence research. In November 1987 a Workshop on the Dynamics and Structure of Solar Prominences was held in Palma Mallorca at the invitation of Jose Luis Ballester with the aim of bringing observers and theorists together and having plenty of time for in-depth discussions of the basic physics of promi nences.

Zusammenfassung
`This book is a wonderful contribution from the European solar physics community.'
Space Sciences Review 61, 1992
`It certainly belongs in libraries or in the personal collection of a specialist.'
American Scientist, 78

Inhalt
1 Introduction to Quiescent Solar Prominences (E R Priest).- 1.1 Basic Description.- 1.2 Basic Equations of MHD.- 1.3 Prominence Puzzles.- 2 Overall Properties and Steady Flows (B Schmieder).- 2.1 Basic Properties.- 2.2 Physical Characteristics: Density and Temperature.- 2.3 Velocity Field and Mass Flux.- 2.4 Instability.- 2.5 Conclusion.- 3 Prominence Environment (O Engvold).- 3.1 Introduction.- 3.2 Helmet Streamers.- 3.3 Coronal Cavities.- 3.4 Filament Channels.- 3.5 Prominence-Corona Transition Region.- 3.6 Prominences and Environment.- 3.7 Modelling of the Helmet Streamer/Prominence Complex.- 3.8 Conclusions.- 4 Observation of Prominence Magnetic Fields (J L Leroy).- 4.1 Historical Steps.- 4 2 Investigations Based on the Polarimetry of Spectral Lines.- 4.3 Indirect Magnetic Field Determinations.- 4.4 Magnetic Field at the Photospheric Level.- 4.5 Main Features of the Magnetic Field in Quiescent Prominences.- 4.6 Some Important Problems.- 5 The Formation of Solar Prominences (J M Malherbe).- 5.1 Introduction.- 5.2 Overview of Observations.- 5.3 Main MHD Instabilities Involved in Prominence Formation.- 5.4 Steady Reconnection in Current Sheets.- 5.5 Static Models.- 5.6 Dynamic Models: Injection from the Chromosphere into Closed Loops.- 5.7 Dynamic Models: Condensation in Coronal Current Sheets.- 5.8 Unsolved Problems.- 5.9 Conclusion.- 6 Structure and Equilibrium of Prominences (U Anzer).- 6.1 Introduction.- 6.2 Prominence Models.- 6.3 Concluding Remarks.- 7 Stability and Eruption of Prominences (A W Hood).- 7.1 Introduction.- 7.2 Description of MHD Instabilities.- 7.3 Methods of Solution.- 7.4 Effect of the Dense Photosphere.- 7.5 Coronal Arcades.- 7.6 Thermal Stability.- 7.7 Resistive Instabilities Tearing Modes.- 7.8 Simple Model of Prominence Eruption and aCoronal Mass Ejection.- 7.9 Conclusions and Future Work.- References.