Related papers: On the surface structure of sunspots
We investigate the fine structure of the sunspot penumbra by means of a model that allows for a flux tube in horizontal pressure balance with the magnetic background atmosphere in which it is embedded. We apply this model to…
A small decaying sunspot was observed with the Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) on Tenerife and the Japanese Hinode satellite. We obtained full Stokes scans in several wavelengths covering different heights in the solar atmosphere. Imaging time…
Recent numerical simulations and observations of sunspots show a significant amount of opposite polarity magnetic field within the sunspot penumbra. Most of the opposite polarity field is associated with convective downflows. We present an…
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…
Advanced inversions of high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of the He I triplet at 1083 nm are used to generate unique maps of the chromospheric magnetic field vector across a sunspot and its superpenumbral canopy. The…
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…
We present numerical 2D magnetostatic models for sunspot penumbrae consisting of radially aligned field-free gaps in a potential magnetic field, as proposed by Spruit and Scharmer (2006). The shape of the gaps and the field configurations…
The physical parameters of the sunspot are not fully understood, especially the height dependence of the magnetic field. So far, it is also an open question as to which heights the He I 1083 nm spectral line is formed at. Our aim is to…
We present observations of a precursory signature that would be helpful for understanding the formation process of sunspot penumbrae. The Hinode Solar Optical Telescope successfully captured the entire evolution of a sunspot from the pore…
The realism of current models of the penumbra is assessed by comparing their predictions with the plasma properties of penumbral filaments as retrieved from spectropolarimetric observations. The spectropolarimeter onboard Hinode allows us…
Phase perturbations due to inclined surface magnetic field of active region strength are calculated numerically in quiet Sun and simple sunspot models in order to estimate and compare the direct and indirect (thermal) effects of the fields…
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 analyze in detail the penumbral structure found in a recent radiative MHD simulation. Near tau=1, the simulation produces penumbral fine structure consistent with the observationally inferred interlocking comb structure. Fast outflows…
We study 7530 sunspot umbrae and pores measured by the Hinode Spectropolarimeter (SP) between November 2006 and November 2012. We primarily seek confirmation of the long term secular decrease in the mean magnetic field strength of sunspot…
We use 2D numerical simulations and eikonal approximation, to study properties of MHD waves traveling below the solar surface through the magnetic structure of sunspots. We consider a series of magnetostatic models of sunspots of different…
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…
Realistic 3D radiative MHD simulations reveal the magneto-convective processes underlying the formation of the photospheric fine structure of sunspots, including penumbral filaments and umbral dots. Here we provide results from a…
Solar active regions show a wide variety of oscillatory phenomena. The presence of the magnetic field leads to the appearance of several wave modes, whose behavior is determined by the sunspot thermal and magnetic structure. We aim to study…
One of the puzzling features of solar magnetism is formation of long-living compact magnetic structures; such as sunspots and pores, in the highly turbulent upper layer of the solar convective zone. We use realistic radiative 3D MHD…
Solar pores are active regions with large magnetic field strengths and apparent simple magnetic configurations. Their properties resemble the ones found for the sunspot umbra although pores do not show penumbra. Therefore, solar pores…