Related papers: Subsurface flows associated with rotating sunspots
The relationship between the decay of sunspots and moving magnetic features (MMFs) plays an important role in understanding the evolution of active regions. We present observations of two adjacent sunspots, the gap between them, and a lot…
Recent observations from Parker Solar Probe have revealed that the solar wind has a highly variable structure. How this complex behaviour is formed in the solar corona is not yet known, since it requires omnipresent fluctuations, which…
The structure of the surface layers of the Sun is changed by magnetic activity which, in turn, changes the eigenfrequencies of the acoustic modes. These frequency shifts have been observed both in low- and high-degree data, and are found to…
The location of the solar dynamo is discussed in the context of new insights into the theory of nonlinear turbulent dynamos. It is argued that, from a dynamo-theoretic point of view, the bottom of the convection zone is not a likely…
The exact location of the solar dynamo remains uncertain--whether it operates primarily in the near-surface shear layer, throughout the entire convection zone, or near the tachocline, a region of sharp transition in the solar rotation,…
We find that the mean meridional motion of the spot groups varies considerably on a time scale of about 5-20 years. The maximum amplitude of the variation is about 10-15 m/s in both the Sun's northern and the southern hemispheres. Variation…
Differential rotation is a key driver of magnetic activity and dynamo processes in the Sun and other stars, especially as the rate differs across the solar layers, but also in active regions. We aim to accurately quantify the velocity at…
The Sun's polar magnetic fields are directly related to solar cycle variability. The strength of the polar fields at the start (minimum) of a cycle determine the subsequent amplitude of that cycle. In addition, the polar field reversals at…
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…
The outer surface layers of the sun show a clear deceleration at low latitudes. This is generally thought to be the result of a strong dominance of vertical turbulent motions associated with strong downdrafts. This strong negative radial…
Emerging active regions are associated with convective flows on the spatial scale and lifetimes of supergranules. To understand how these flows are involved in the formation of active regions, we aim to identify where active regions emerge…
We estimate the temporal change of magnetic flux perpendicular to the solar surface in a decaying active region by using a time series of the spatial distribution of vector magnetic fields in the photosphere. The vector magnetic fields are…
We review (i) observations and numerical simulations of vortical flows in the solar atmosphere and (ii) measurements of the horizontal magnetic field in quiet Sun regions. First, we discuss various manifestations of vortical flows and…
On the Sun, the rotation periods of individual sunspots not only trace the latitude dependence of the surface rotation rate, but also provide clues as to the amount of subsurface fluid shear. In this paper we present the first measurements…
The sunspot solar cycle has been usually explained as the result of a dynamo process operating in the sun. This is a classical problem in Astrophysics that until the present is not fully solved. Here we discuss current problems and…
We study the temporal evolution of downflows observed at the lateral edges of penumbral filaments in a sunspot located very close to the disk center. Our analysis is based on a sequence of nearly diffraction-limited scans of the Fe I 617.3…
Context: The evolution of solar active regions is still not fully understood. The growth and decay of active regions have mostly been studied in case-by-case studies. Aims: Instead of studying the evolution of active regions case by case,…
Meridional flows with velocities of a few meters per second are observed in the uppermost regions of the solar convection zone. The amplitude and pattern of the flows deeper in the solar interior, in particular near the top of the radiative…
In this paper we examine the flow generated by coupled surface and internal small-amplitude water waves in a two-fluid layer model, where we take the upper layer to be rotational (constant vorticity) and the lower layer to be irrotational.…
Spectroscopic observations at extreme and far ultraviolet wavelengths have revealed systematic upflows in the solar transition region and corona. These upflows are best seen in the network structures of the quiet Sun and coronal holes,…