Related papers: Solar Interior
The solar cycle is a complex phenomenon, a comprehensive understanding of which requires the study of various tracers. Here, we consider the solar cycle as manifested in the harmonics of the solar large-scale surface magnetic field,…
Helioseismology has produced unprecedented measurements of the Sun's internal structure and dynamics over the past 25 years. Much of this work has been based on global helioseismology. Now local helioseismology too is showing its great…
After summarizing the relevant observational data, we discuss how a study of flux tube dynamics in the solar convection zone helps us to understand the formation of sunspots. Then we introduce the flux transport dynamo model and assess its…
We describe the defining observations of the solar cycle that provide constraints for the dynamo processes operating within the Sun. Specifically, we report on the following topics: historical sunspot numbers and revisions; active region…
This review provides an introduction to the generation and evolution of the Sun's magnetic field, summarising both observational evidence and theoretical models. The eleven year solar cycle, which is well known from a variety of observed…
Identifying the two physical mechanisms behind the production and sustenance of the quiescent solar corona and solar wind poses two of the outstanding problems in solar physics today. We present analysis of spectroscopic observations from…
The X-ray emission from the Sun reveals a very dynamic hot atmosphere, the corona, which is characterized by a complex morphology and broad range of timescales of variability and spatial structuring. The solar magnetic fields play a…
The magnetic field of the Sun is the underlying cause of the many diverse phenomena combined under the heading of solar activity. Here we describe the magnetic field as it threads its way from the bottom of the convection zone, where it is…
The solar interior is filled with turbulent thermal convection, which plays a key role in the energy and momentum transport and the generation of the magnetic field. The turbulent flows in the solar interior cannot be optically detected due…
Stellar magnetic fields are produced by a magnetohydrodynamic dynamo mechanism working in their interior -- which relies on the interaction between plasma flows and magnetic fields. The Sun, being a well-observed star, offers an unique…
The magnetic field of the Sun is generated by internal dynamo process with a cyclic period of 11 years or a 22 year magnetic cycle. The signatures of the Sun's magnetic cycle are observed in the different layers of its atmosphere and in its…
During the last 50 years we have been witness of an extraordinary revolution in the knowledge and understanding of our star thanks to the development of Helioseismology, the study of solar oscillations. Similar to what happens on the Earth…
A number of observational and theoretical aspects of solar magnetoconvection are considered in this review. We discuss recent developments in our understanding of the small-scale structure of the magnetic field on the solar surface and its…
Convection is the mechanism by which energy is transported through the outermost 30% of the Sun. Solar turbulent convection is notoriously difficult to model across the entire convection zone where the density spans many orders of…
Spectroscopic observations at extreme and far ultraviolet wavelengths have revealed systematic upflows in the solar transition region and corona. These upflows are best seen in the network structures of the quiet Sun and coronal holes,…
For more than thirty years, the dynamical maintenance of the thin solar tachocline has remained one of the central outstanding problems of stellar astrophysics. Three main theories have been developed to explain the tachocline's thinness,…
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…
The magnetic fields and dynamical processes in the solar polar regions play a crucial role in the solar magnetic cycle and in supplying mass and energy to the fast solar wind, ultimately being vital in controlling solar activities and…
Torsional oscillations represent bands of fast and slow zonal flows around the Sun, which extend deep into the convection zone and migrate during solar cycles towards the equator following the sunspot butterfly diagram. Analysis of…
We live near a magnetic star whose cycles of activity are driven by dynamo action beneath the surface. In the solar convection zone, rotation couples with plasma motions to build highly organized magnetic fields that erupt at the surface…