Related papers: Self-organization of solar magnetic fields
A brief summary of the various observations and constraints that underlie solar dynamo research are presented. The arguments that indicate that the solar dynamo is an alpha-omega dynamo of the Babcock-Leighton type are then shortly…
The correlation between geomagnetic activity and the sunspot number in the 11-year solar cycle exhibits long-term variations due to the varying time lag between the sunspot-related and non-sunspot related geomagnetic activity, and the…
Solar activity can be witnessed in the form of sunspots and active regions, where the magnetic field is enhanced by up to a factor 1000 as compared to that of the quiet Sun. In addition, solar activity manifests itself in terms of flares,…
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,…
Besides their own intrinsic interest, correct interpretation of solar surface magnetic field observations is crucial to our ability to describe the global magnetic structure of the solar atmosphere. Photospheric magnetograms are often used…
Sunspots and the plethora of other phenomena occuring in the course of the 11-year cycle of solar activity are a consequence of the emergence of magnetic flux at the solar surface. The observed orientations of bipolar sunspot groups imply…
The physical processes that heat the solar corona and accelerate the solar wind remain unknown after many years of study. Some have suggested that the wind is driven by waves and turbulence in open magnetic flux tubes, and others have…
Solar active regions are driven dissipative dynamical systems. The turbulent convection zone forces new magnetic flux tubes to rise above the photosphere and shuffles the magnetic fields which are already above the photosphere. The driven…
The Sun's global meridional circulation is evident as a slow poleward flow at its surface. This flow is observed to carry magnetic elements poleward - producing the Sun's polar magnetic fields as a key part of the 11-year sunspot cycle.…
Slow magnetoacoustic waves are routinely observed in astrophysical plasma systems such as the solar corona. As a slow wave propagates through a plasma, it modifies the equilibrium quantities of density, temperature, and magnetic field. In…
The strength and morphology of the Sun's magnetic field evolves significantly during the solar cycle, with the overall polarity of the Sun's magnetic field reversing during the maximum of solar activity. Long-term changes are also observed…
Microflares, one of small-scale solar activities, are believed to be caused by magnetic reconnection. Nevertheless, their three-dimensional (3D) magnetic structures, thermodynamic structures, and physical links to the reconnection have been…
A convection-driven MHD dynamo in a rotating spherical shell, with clearly defined structural elements in the flow and magnetic field, is simulated numerically. Such dynamos can be called deterministic, in contrast to those explicitly…
Rotation of the large scale solar magnetic field has a great importance for the understanding of solar dynamic, for the search of longitidinal structure and for the study of solar-terrestrial relations. 30-year long observations taken at…
Recent findings of helioseismology as well as advances in direct numerical simulations of global dynamics of the Sun have indicated that in each solar hemisphere the meridional circulation forms the two cells along the in the convection…
As a large-scale motion on the Sun, the meridional flow plays an important role in determining magnetic structure and strength and solar cycle. However, the meridional flow near the solar poles is still unclear. The Hinode observations show…
Although it is widely accepted that photospheric motions provide the energy source and that the magnetic field must play a key role in the process, the detailed mechanisms responsible for heating the Sun's corona and accelerating the solar…
Spiral galaxies, including the Milky Way, have large-scale magnetic fields with significant energy densities. The dominant theory attributes these magnetic fields to a large-scale dynamo. We review the current status of dynamo theory and…
The slow solar wind exhibits strong variability on timescales from minutes to days, likely related to magnetic reconnection processes in the extended solar corona. Higginson2017b presented a numerical magnetohydrodynamic simulation which…
Two of the most widely observed and yet most puzzling features of the Sun's magnetic field are coronal loops that are smooth and laminar and prominences/filaments that are strongly sheared. These two features would seem to be quite…