Related papers: Models and Observations of Sunspot Penumbrae
Advances in instrumentation have made it possible to study sunspots with unprecedented detail. New capabilities include imaging observations at a resolution of 0.1" (70 km on the sun), spectroscopy at ~0.2", and simultaneous…
The penumbra of a sunspot is a fascinating phenomenon featuring complex velocity and magnetic fields. It challenges both our understanding of radiative magneto-convection and our means to measure and derive the actual geometry of the…
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,…
Sunspots contain multiple small-scale structures in the umbra and in the penumbra. Despite extensive research on this subject in pre-Hinode era multiple questions concerning fine-scale structures of sunspots, their formation, evolution and…
Mechanisms of the formation and stability of sunspots are among the longest-standing and intriguing puzzles of solar physics and astrophysics. Sunspots are controlled by subsurface dynamics hidden from direct observations. Recently,…
Whereas penumbral models during the last 15 years have been successful in explaining Evershed flows and magnetic field inclination variations in terms of flux tubes, the lack of contact between these models and a convective process needed…
The physics of Sunspots is a fascinating and demanding field of research in solar astronomy. Interaction of magnetic fields and plasma flows takes place in a tangled magnetic geometry and occurs on spatial scales that pose a continuous…
The penumbra is ideally suited to challenge our understanding of magnetohydrodynamics. The energy transport takes place as magnetoconvection in inclined magnetic fields under the effect of strong radiative cooling at the surface. The…
Magnetic field modifies the properties of waves in a complex way. Significant advances has been made recently in our understanding of the physics of waves in solar active regions with the help of analytical theories, numerical simulations,…
For 30 years, cyclical wind variability in OB stars has puzzled the astronomical community. Phenomenological models involving co-rotating bright spots provide a potential explanation for the observed variations, but the underlying physics…
Recent spectro-polarimetric observations of a sunspot showed the formation of bipolar magnetic patches in the mid penumbra and their propagation toward the outer penumbral boundary. The observations were interpreted as being caused by…
Solar activity is controlled by the magnetic field, which also causes the variability of the solar irradiance that in turn is thought to influence the climate on Earth. The magnetic field manifests itself in the form of structures of…
The emergence of the magnetic field through the photosphere has multiple manifestations and sunspots are the most prominent examples of this. One of the most relevant sunspot properties, to study both its structure and evolution, is the…
Penumbrae are known to be area of mainly horizontal magnetic field surrounding umbrae of relatively large and mature sunspots. In this paper, we observationally studied the formation of penumbrae in NOAA10978, where several penumbral…
Sunspot fine structure has been modeled in the past by a combination of idealized magneto-convection simulations and simplified models that prescribe the magnetic field and flow structure to a large degree. Advancement in numerical methods…
A brief sketch is made of the present observational status of neutrino physics, with emphasis on the hints that follow from solar and atmospheric neutrino observations, as well as cosmological data on the amplitude of primordial density…
Sunspot number series are subject to various uncertainties, which are still poorly known. The need for their better understanding was recently highlighted by the major makeover of the international Sunspot Number [Clette et al., Space…
The new generation of ground-based, large-aperture solar telescopes promises to significantly increase our capabilities to understand the many basic phenomena taking place in the Sun at all atmospheric layers and how they relate to each…
The Sun shows a wide range of temporal variations, from a few seconds to decades and even centuries, broadly classified into two classes short-term and Long-term. The solar dynamo mechanism is believed to be responsible for these global…
The conjecture that energy transport in sunspot penumbrae occurs through convection by an interchange of magnetic flux tubes is used in order to construct a magnetostatic model for a deep penumbra which is part of a global sunspot model.…