Radiating properties of solar plasmas

The authors compare the total power radiated by a hot plasma to the power radiated in a number of individual spectrum lines, to determine the extent to which an individual line intensity may be used as an estimator of the total radiated power. Computations were carried out for a series of 14 empirical emission measure distributions taken form the literature, and for a number of spectral lines observed by the SMM and P78-1 instruments. The models considered represented solar conditions ranging from the quiet chromosphere of the gradual phase of a moderately sized flare. The results indicate that a single line can serve to estimate the total radiated power (excluding that radiated by hydrogen) to within about ±40%, at least for the range of models considered.