Related papers: The Sun as a Laboratory for Plasma Physics
Magnetic waves are a relevant component in the dynamics of the solar atmosphere. Their significance has increased because of their potential as a remote diagnostic tool and their presumed contribution to plasma heating processes. We discuss…
Hinode observations have provided a new view of outflows from the Sun. These have been focussed in particular on flows emanating from the edges of active regions. These flows are long lasting and seem to exist to some extent in every active…
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…
The atmosphere of the Sun is highly structured and dynamic in nature. From the photosphere and chromosphere into the transition region and the corona plasma-$\beta$ changes from above to below one, i.e. while in the lower atmosphere the…
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…
Solar transients and eruptive phenomena which are ubiquitous in the solar atmosphere, can shed new light to the understanding of the outstanding problems like coronal heating and the solar wind acceleration. Observations in the entire…
The solar surface dynamo has become an active area of research in an attempt to understand the origin of a variety of magnetic field structures on the sun. The major modification that needs to be incorporated in the standard dynamo process…
Active regions (AR) appearing on the surface of the Sun are classified into $\alpha$, $\beta$, $\gamma$, and $\delta$ by the rules of the Mount Wilson Observatory, California on the basis of their topological complexity. Amongst these, the…
The magnetic field plays a crucial role in heating the solar corona, but the exact energy release mechanism(s) is(are) still unknown. Here, we investigate in detail, the process of magnetic energy release in a situation where two initially…
The outer solar atmosphere, the corona, contains plasma at temperatures of more than a million K, more than 100 times hotter that solar surface. How this gas is heated is a fundamental question tightly interwoven with the structure of the…
In the quiet Sun, magnetic fields are usually observed as small-scale magnetic elements, `salt and pepper', covering the entire solar surface. By using 3D radiative MHD numerical simulations we demonstrate that these fields are a result of…
The life of a solar active prominence, one of the most remarkable objects on the Sun, is full of dynamics; after first appearing on the Sun the prominence continuously evolves with various internal motions and eventually produces a global…
The magnetic field in the Sun's corona stores energy that can be released to heat the coronal plasma and drive solar eruptions. Measurements of the global coronal magnetic field have been limited to a few snapshots. We present observations…
Direct observations over the past four centuries show that the number of sunspots observed on the Sun's surface vary periodically, going through successive maxima and minima. Following sunspot cycle 23, the Sun went into a prolonged minimum…
Magnetic fields are usually observed in the quiet Sun as small-scale elements that cover the entire solar surface (the `salt and pepper' patterns in line-of-sight magnetograms). By using 3D radiative MHD numerical simulations we find that…
Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves and/or the braiding of magnetic field lines are largely thought to be responsible for heating the solar corona, both being mechanisms which are driven by the Sun's photospheric magnetic field. Recent…
Generation and diffusion of the magnetic field on the Sun is a key mechanism responsible for solar activity on all spatial and temporal scales - from the solar cycle down to the evolution of small-scale magnetic elements in the quiet Sun.…
We present a three-dimensional numerical model for the generation and evolution of the magnetic field in the solar convection zone, in which sunspots are produced and contribute to the cyclic reversal of the large-scale magnetic field. We…
A theory of cosmic ray production within the solar system (not extra-galactic) is presented. The sun's time variable magnetic flux linkage makes the sun (as well, perhaps, as Jupiter) a natural, all-purpose, betatron storage ring, with…
In the following short review we will outline some of the possible interaction processes of lower solar atmospheric plasma with the embedded small-scale solar magnetic fields. After introducing the topic, important types of small-scale…