Related papers: A new look at sunspot formation using theory and o…
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,…
While sunspots are easily observed at the solar surface, determining their subsurface structure is not trivial. There are two main hypotheses for the subsurface structure of sunspots: the monolithic model and the cluster model. Local…
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…
Observations of cool stars reveal dark spot-like features on their surfaces. Compared to sunspots, starspots can be bigger or cover a larger fraction of the stellar surface. While sunspots appear only at low latitudes, starspots are also…
It is generally believed that sunspots are the emergent part of magnetic flux tubes in the solar interior. These tubes are created at the base of the convection zone and rise to the surface due to their magnetic buoyancy. The motion of…
The rise of flux-tubes with intense magnetic fields from the base of the convection zone to the solar surface has been substantiated as a probable mechanism for sunspot formation. The origin of flux-tubes of sufficient strength (~10^5 G) is…
The goal of helioseismology is to provide accurate information about the Sun's interior from the observations of the wave field at its surface. In the last three decades, both global and local helioseismology studies have made significant…
In this review we give an overview about the current state-of-knowledge of the magnetic field in sunspots from an observational point of view. We start by offering a brief description of tools that are most commonly employed to infer the…
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…
Sunspots are regions of decreased brightness on the visible surface of the Sun (photosphere) that are associated with strong magnetic fields. They have been found to be locations associated with solar flares, which occur when energy stored…
Wave propagation through sunspots involves conversion between waves of acoustic and magnetic character. In addition, the thermal structure of sunspots is very different than that of the quiet Sun. As a consequence, the interpretation of…
In the presence of strong density stratification, hydromagnetic turbulence attains qualitatively new properties: the formation of magnetic flux concentrations. We review here the theoretical foundations of this mechanism in terms of what is…
One goal of helioseismology is to determine the subsurface structure of sunspots. In order to do so, it is important to understand first the near-surface effects of sunspots on solar waves, which are dominant. Here we construct simplified,…
The formation of sunspots requires the concentration of magnetic flux near the surface. The negative magnetic pressure instability (NEMPI) might be a possible mechanism for accomplishing this, but it has mainly been studied in simple…
Previous helioseismology of sunspots has been sensitive to both the structural and magnetic aspects of sunspot structure. We aim to develop a technique that is insensitive to the magnetic component so the two aspects can be more readily…
Sunspots are concentrations of magnetic field on the visible solar surface that strongly affect the convective energy transport in their interior and surroundings. The filamentary outer regions (penumbrae) of sunspots show systematic radial…
The stability of sunspots is one of the long-standing unsolved puzzles in the field of solar magnetism. We study the effects that destabilise and stabilise the flux tube of a simulated sunspot in the upper convection zone. The depth-varying…
Magnetic fields emerging from the Sun's interior carry information about physical processes of magnetic field generation and transport in the convection zone. Soon after appearance on the solar surface the magnetic flux gets concentrated in…
Sunspots are dark spots on the solar surface associated with strong magnetic fields. The number, area, and brightness of sunspots are supposed to reflect the intensity of the solar magnetic fields and are often used as proxies for their…
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…