Velocity and Temperature Response Functions of 77 Near-Infrared (800 - 1400 nm) Photospheric Lines - I

Abstract We present a new list of solar photospheric lines in the near-infrared (NIR) region obtained by synthesis under local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) approximation. We give novel velocity and temperature response functions (RFs) for 77 lines over the spectral range 800 - 1400 nm. Using these RFs, we are able to obtain for each line the core formation height and the range of atmospheric layers where thermodynamic perturbations are dominant. Moreover, by using the depth-integrated RFs, we give an indication of the dependence on the wavelength of the RFs and quantify their sensitivity to thermodynamic variations. The NIR region represents a significant source of interest for spectroscopic and polarimetric studies. Indeed, at these wavelengths we explore the deeper photospheric layers, and the Zeeman splitting is larger than in the visible range. Several research fields in solar astrophysics ( e.g., photospheric and chromospheric dynamics, magnetoconvection in active regions, and interaction between solar plasma and magnetic field) should benefit from using this new line list. Moreover, various new NIR instruments are planned for future space missions or next generation ground-based solar telescopes, such as the European Solar Telescope (EST) or the Advanced Technology Solar Telescope (ATST).