Related papers: Formation of Moving Magnetic Features and Penumbra…
We report on new spectro-polarimetric measurements with simultaneous filter imaging observation, revealing the frequent appearance of polarization signals indicating high-speed, probably supersonic, downflows that are associated with at…
Context : Penumbrae are an important characteristic of sunspots, whose formation is intricately related to the nature of sub-photospheric magnetic fields. Aims : We study the formation of a penumbra in a decaying sunspot and compare its…
Sunspots are regions of decreased brightness on the visible surface of the Sun (photosphere) that are associated with strong magnetic fields. They have been found to be locations associated with solar flares, which occur when energy stored…
The presence of fine structures in the sunspot vector magnetic fields has been confirmed from Hinode as well as other earlier observations. We studied 43 sunspots based on the data sets taken from ASP/DLSP, Hinode (SOT/SP) and SVM (USO). In…
High resolution imaging observation of a sunspot umbra was done with Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT). Filtergrams in wavelengths of blue and green continuum were taken during three consecutive days. The umbra consisted of a dark core…
The satellite Hinode has recently revealed penumbral structures with a magnetic polarity opposite to the main sunspot polarity. They may be a direct confirmation of magnetic field lines and mass flows returning to the solar interior…
MHD simulations of sunspots have successfully reproduced many aspects of sunspot fine structure as consequence of magneto convection in inclined magnetic field. We study how global sunspot properties and penumbral fine structure depend on…
The generation of magnetic flux in the solar interior and its transport from the convection zone into the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona will be in the focus of solar physics research for the next decades. With 4m class…
Recently, there have been some reports of unusually strong photospheric magnetic fields (which can reach values of over 7 kG) inferred from Hinode SOT/SP sunspot observations within penumbral regions. These superstrong penumbral fields are…
High resolution and seeing-free spectroscopic observation of a decaying sunspot was done with the Solar Optical Telescope aboard Hinode satellite. The target was NOAA 10944 located in the west side of the solar surface from March 2 to March…
Various theoretical and observational results have been reported regarding the presence/absence of net electric currents in the sunspots. The limited spatial resolution of the earlier observations perhaps obscured the conclusions. We have…
Recent progress in theoretical modeling of a sunspot is reviewed. The observed properties of umbral dots are well reproduced by realistic simulations of magnetoconvection in a vertical, monolithic magnetic field. To understand the penumbra,…
We investigate the evolution of 5 granular-scale magnetic flux cancellations just outside the moat region of a sunspot by using accurate spectropolarimetric measurements and G-band images with the Solar Optical Telescope aboard Hinode. The…
The Hinode satellite opens a new era to the sunspots research, because of its high spatial resolution and temporal stability. Fine scale structures in sunspots, called umbral dots (UDs), have become one of the hottest topics in terms of the…
Context. It is unclear why there is a rather sharp boundary in sunspots between the umbra and the penumbra. Both regions exhibit magnetoconvection, manifesting in penumbral filaments in the penumbra and in umbral dots in the umbra. Aims.…
We present the observations of penumbra like features (PLFs) near a polarity inversion line (PIL) of flaring region. The PIL is located at the moat boundary of active region (NOAA 10960). The PLFs appear similar to sunspot penumbrae in…
Sunspots are concentrations of magnetic field on the visible solar surface that strongly affect the convective energy transport in their interior and surroundings. The filamentary outer regions (penumbrae) of sunspots show systematic radial…
We demonstrate that the radial magnetic-field component at the outer boundary of the sunspot penumbra is about 550 Mx cm$^{-2}$ independent of the sunspot area and the maximum magnetic field in the umbra. The mean magnetic-field intensity…
A sunspot emanates from a growing pore or protospot. In order to trigger the formation of a penumbra, large inclinations at the outskirts of the protospot are necessary. The penumbra develops and establishes by colonising both umbral areas…
Solar flares occur due to the sudden release of energy stored in active-region magnetic fields. To date, the pre-cursors to flaring are still not fully understood, although there is evidence that flaring is related to changes in the…