Related papers: Structure and Dynamics of Sunspots
We present new high-resolution spectro-polarimetric Ca II 8542 observations of umbral flashes in sunspots. At nearly 0.18", and spanning about one hour of continuous observation, this is the most detailed dataset published thus far. Our…
We investigate sharply outlined features recorded in solar magnetic field tracers. It is shown that the magnetic boundaries of a sunspot do not coincide with the photometric ones. Moreover, there is no clear magnetic boundary around…
We study the formation of a sunspot penumbra in the active region NOAA11024. We simultaneously observed the Stokes parameters of the photospheric iron lines at 1089.6 nm with the TIP and 617.3 nm with the GFPI spectropolarimeters along with…
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…
The uncombed penumbral model explains the structure of the sunspot penumbra in terms of thick magnetic fibrils embedded in a magnetic surrounding atmosphere. This model has been successfully applied to explain the polarization signals…
Relying on the assumption that the interchange convection of magnetic flux tubes is the physical cause for the existence of sunspot penumbrae, we propose a model in which the dynamical evolution of a thin magnetic flux tube reproduces the…
Sunspots are the longest-known manifestation of solar activity, and their magnetic nature has been known for more than a century. Despite this, the boundary between umbrae and penumbrae, the two fundamental sunspot regions, has hitherto…
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,…
The sunspot penumbra is a transition zone between the strong vertical magnetic field area (sunspot umbra) and the quiet Sun. The penumbra has a fine filamentary structure that is characterized by magnetic field lines inclined toward the…
A light bridge is a prominent structure commonly observed within a sunspot. Its presence usually triggers a wealth of dynamics in a sunspot, and has a lasting impact on sunspot evolution. However, the fundamental structure of light bridges…
The equilibrium structure of sunspots depends critically on its magnetic topology and is dominated by magnetic forces. Tension force is one component of the Lorentz force which balances the gradient of magnetic pressure in force-free…
The motion of an individual magnetic flux tube inside the penumbra of a sunspot is studied numerically. Here, we present preliminary results. The thin flux tube approximation together with a simplified radiative heat exchange with the…
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…
Comparison of photographic observations and vector-magnetograph measurements demonstrate, that the outer boundary of the sunspot penumbra --even in complex sunspot groups-- closely follows the 0.075T isogauss line of the total value of the…
Solar magnetic fields are generated in the solar interior and pop up at the solar surface to form active regions. As the magnetic field appears on the surface, it forms various structures like small magnetic elements, pores, and sunspots.…
Context. The bright heads of penumbral filaments, penumbral grains (PGs), are manifestations of hot plasma flows rising to the surface. They are observed to move horizontally toward the sunspot umbra or away from it. Recent analyses of…
Context: Sunspot penumbrae harbor highly structured magnetic fields and flows. The moving flux tube model offers an explanation for several observed phenomena, e.g. the Evershed effect and bright penumbral grains. Aims: A wealth of…
The sunspot penumbra is usually observed in the photosphere and it is of particular interest for its magneto-convection which seems to transport the heat from the top of the convection zone into the solar atmosphere. It is well known that…
In the past two decades, the complex nature of sunspots has been disclosed with high-resolution observations. One of the most important findings is the "uncombed" penumbral structure, where a more horizontal magnetic component carrying most…
Many previous studies have shown that magnetic fields as well as sunspot structures present rapid and irreversible changes associated with solar flares. In this paper we first use five X-class flares observed by SDO/HMI to show that not…