Related papers: Waves as the source of apparent twisting motions i…
We present an analysis of twisting motions in penumbral filaments in sunspots located at heliocentric angles from $30^\circ$ to $48^\circ$ using three time series of blue continuum images obtained by the Broadband Filter Imager (BFI)…
Observations with the 1-m Swedish Solar Telescope of the flows seen in penumbral filaments are presented. Time sequences of bright filaments show overturning motions strikingly similar to those seen along the walls of small isolated…
aims: We study the recently discovered twisting motion of bright penumbral filaments with the aim of constraining their geometry and the associated magnetic field. methods: A large sunspot located $40\degr$ from disk center was observed at…
We interpret penumbral filaments as due to convection in field-free, radially aligned gaps just below the visible surface of the penumbra, intruding into a nearly potential field above. This solves the classical discrepancy between the…
Numerical simulations indicate that the filamentation of sunspot penumbrae and the associated systematic outflow (the Evershed effect) are due to convectively driven fluid motions constrained by the inclined magnetic field. We investigate…
The sunspot penumbra comprises numerous thin, radially elongated filaments that are central for heat transport within the penumbra, but whose structure is still not clear. To investigate the fine-scale structure of these filaments, we…
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 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…
High-resolution observations of horizontal motions in the penumbra are needed to complement the concept of penumbrae obtained from spectropolarimetry. Time series of intensity images of a large sunspot in AR 10634 acquired with the Swedish…
We study the velocity structure of penumbral filaments in the deep photosphere to obtain direct evidence for the convective nature of sunspot penumbrae. A sunspot was observed at high spatial resolution with the 1-m Swedish Solar Telescope…
Continuous observations of sunspot penumbrae with the Solar Optical Telescope aboard \textit{Hinode} clearly show that the outer boundary of the penumbra fluctuates around its averaged position. The penumbral outer boundary moves inward…
Context: Observations at 0.1" have revealed the existence of dark cores in the bright filaments of sunspot penumbrae. Expectations are high that such dark-cored filaments are the basic building blocks of the penumbra, but their nature…
Recent numerical simulations of sunspots suggest that overturning convection is responsible for the existence of penumbral filaments and the Evershed flow, but there is little observational evidence of this process. Here we carry out a…
We describe a scenario for the sunspot magnetic field topology that may account for recent observations of upflows and downflows in penumbrae. According to our conjecture, short narrow magnetic loops fill the penumbral volume. Flows along…
Assuming that the interchange convection of magnetic flux elements is the physical cause for the existence of filamentary penumbrae in sunspots, we investigate the behavior of an individual fibril embedded in the deep penumbra. The fibril…
We study the structure and evolution of the horizontal proper motions in a regular sunspot penumbra, very close to the solar disc center, in active region NOAA 11092 using a 48 min time sequences of blue continuum images recorded by…
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…
High-resolution observations of sunspots have revealed the existence of dark cores inside the bright filaments of the penumbra. Here we present the stationary solution of the heat transfer equation in a stratified penumbra consisting of…
We investigate the thermal and kinematic configuration of a sunspot penumbra using very high spectral and spatial resolution intensity profiles of the non-magnetic Fe I 557.6 nm line. The dataset was acquired with the 2D solar spectrometer…
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…