Observation and modeling of soft X-ray bright points. II. Determination of temperature and energy balance

The Multispectral Solar Telescope Array was launched on 1991 May 13, in order to obtain narrowband images of the solar corona and transition region. Calibrated EUV and H Lyman-alpha images are used to constrain a simple loop model of the energy balance in 23 X-ray bright points (XBPs). The results are consistent with substantial back heating of the lower transition region by thermal conduction from the corona. Statistical analysis shows that length and temperature are uncorrelated for XBP loops; implications of this finding for coronal heating are discussed. Some evidence is found for a systematic imbalance between radiative and conductive losses. Inferences of effective loop cross section by modeling suggest that the coronal filling factor is nearly unity.