Spectroscopic observations of propagating disturbances in a polar coronal hole: evidence of slow magneto-acoustic waves

Abstract

Aims. We focus on detecting and studying quasi-periodic propagating features that have been interpreted in terms of both slow magneto-acoustic waves and of high-speed upflows. Methods. We analyzed long-duration spectroscopic observations of the on-disk part of the south polar coronal hole taken on 1997 February 25 by the SUMER spectrometer onboard SOHO. We calibrated the velocity with respect to the off-limb region and obtained time-distance maps in intensity, Doppler velocity, and line width. We also performed a cross-correlation analysis on different time series curves at different latitudes. We studied average spectral line profiles at the roots of propagating disturbances and along the propagating ridges, and performed a red-blue asymmetry analysis. Results. We clearly find propagating disturbances in intensity and Doppler velocity with a projected propagation speed of about 60 ± 4.8 km s-1 and a periodicity of ≈14.5 min. To our knowledge, this is the first simultaneous detection of propagating disturbances in intensity as well as in Doppler velocity in a coronal hole. During the propagation, an intensity enhancement is associated with a blueshifted Doppler velocity. These disturbances are clearly seen in intensity also at higher latitudes (i.e., closer to the limb), while disturbances in Doppler velocity become faint there. The spectral line profiles averaged along the propagating ridges are found to be symmetric, to be well fitted by a single Gaussian, and have no noticeable red-blue asymmetry. Conclusions. Based on our analysis, we interpret these disturbances in terms of propagating slow magneto-acoustic waves.