Related papers: Sunspot Structure
Context. Fully fledged penumbrae have been widely studied both observationally and theoretically. Yet the relatively fast process of penumbra formation has not been studied closely with high spatial resolution. Aims. We investigate 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…
To investigate the penumbral plasma flow on a small scale, spectropolari- metric data of sunspots recorded by HINODE was used. Maps of Doppler velocities were created by evaluating the bisector in the line-wing, thereby visualizing the flow…
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…
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…
High-resolution imaging observations from the Hinode spacecraft in the CaII H line are employed to study the dynamics of the chromosphere above a sunspot. We find that umbral flashes and other brightenings produced by the oscillation are…
Observations of a large solar flare of December 13, 2006, using Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) on Hinode spacecraft revealed high-frequency oscillations excited by the flare in the sunspot chromosphere. These oscillations are observed in the…
Recent progress in theoretical modeling of a sunspot is reviewed. The observed properties of umbral dots are well reproduced by realistic simulations of magnetoconvection in a vertical, monolithic magnetic field. To understand the penumbra,…
The satellite Hinode has recently revealed penumbral structures with a magnetic polarity opposite to the main sunspot polarity. They may be a direct confirmation of magnetic field lines and mass flows returning to the solar interior…
Various theoretical and observational results have been reported regarding the presence/absence of net electric currents in the sunspots. The limited spatial resolution of the earlier observations perhaps obscured the conclusions. We have…
Umbral dots (UDs) are transient, bright features observed in the umbral region of a sunspot. We study the physical properties of UDs observed in sunspots of different sizes. The aim of our study is to relate the physical properties of…
The subsurface structure of a solar sunspot is important in the stability of the sunspots and the energy transport therein. Two subsurface structure models have been proposed, the monolithic and cluster models, but no clear observational…
Sunspots are of basic interest in the study of the Sun. Their relevance ranges from them being an activity indicator of magnetic fields to being the place where coronal mass ejections and flares erupt. They are therefore also an important…
High-resolution time series of sunspots have been obtained with the Swedish 1m Solar Telescope between 2003 and 2006 at different locations on the solar disc. Proper motions in seven different active regions have been studied. The analysis…
We report on high angular resolution, high precision spectropolarimetric measurements of a decaying sunspot. The spot gradually lost its penumbra during the course of three days. In the late stages of evolution where the only remnant of the…
On-orbit performance of the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) aboard Hinode is described with some attentions on its unpredicted aspects. In general, SOT revealed an excellent performance and has been providing outstanding data. Some unexpected…
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…
Daily records of sunspot group areas compiled by the Royal Observatory, Greenwich, from May of 1874 through 1976 indicate a curious history for the penumbral areas of the smaller sunspot groups. On average, the ratio of penumbral area to…
High resolution spectropolarimetric observations by Hinode reveal the existence of supersonic downflows at the umbra-penumbra boundary of 3 sunspots that was recently reported by Louis et al. (2010). These downflows are observed to be…
The emergence of the magnetic field through the photosphere has multiple manifestations and sunspots are the most prominent examples of this. One of the most relevant sunspot properties, to study both its structure and evolution, is the…