Related papers: Understanding mechanisms underlying solar cycle pr…
Recent spectro-polarimetric observations of solar-type stars have shown the presence of photospheric magnetic fields with a predominant toroidal component. If the external field is assumed to be current-free it is impossible to explain…
The key elements of the Babcock-Leighton dynamos are the generation of poloidal field through decay and dispersal of tilted bipolar active regions and the generation of toroidal field through the observed differential rotation. These models…
Observations show that faster-rotating stars tend to have stronger magnetic activity and shorter magnetic cycles. The cyclical magnetic activity of the Sun and stars is believed to be driven by the dynamo process. The success of the…
We explore the cause of the solar cycle variabilities using a novel 3D Babcock--Leighton dynamo model. In this model, based on the toroidal flux at the base of the convection zone, bipolar magnetic regions (BMRs) are produced with…
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…
Employing the standard solar interior model as input we construct a dynamically-consistent nonlinear dynamo model that takes into account the detailed description of the \Lambda- effect, turbulent pumping, magnetic helicity balance, and…
Recent results indicate that the Babcock-Leighton mechanism for poloidal field creation plays an important role in the solar cycle. However, modelling this mechanism has not always correctly captured the underlying physics. In particular,…
Polar fields at the minimum of a sunspot cycle -- which are a manifestation of the radial component of the Sun's poloidal field -- are deemed to be the best indicator of the strength of the toroidal component, and hence the amplitude of the…
It is often claimed that there is not only one, but two different types of solar dynamos: the one that is responsible for the appearance of sunspots and the 11-yr cycle, frequently referred to as the "global dynamo", and a statistically…
Observations of the meridional circulation of the Sun, which plays a key role in the operation of the solar dynamo, indicate that its speed varies with the solar cycle, becoming faster during the solar minima and slower during the solar…
Many stars exhibit strong magnetic fields, some of which are thought to be of primordial origin and others a sign of magnetic dynamo processes. We briefly review the results of observational studies of solar-type stars seeking to evaluate…
The dynamo mechanism, responsible for the solar magnetic activity, is still an open problem in astrophysics. Different theories proposed to explain such phenomena have failed in reproducing the observational properties of the solar…
The variable magnetic field of the solar photosphere exhibits periodic reversals as a result of dynamo activity occurring within the solar interior. We decompose the surface field as observed by both the Wilcox Solar Observatory and the…
Mean-field dynamo theory, describing the evolution of large-scale magnetic fields, has been the mainstay of theoretical interpretation of magnetism in astrophysical objects such as the Sun for several decades. More recently,…
Observations with the Hinode spectro-polarimeter have revealed strong horizontal internetwork magnetic fields in the quiet solar photosphere. We aim at interpreting the observations by means of results from numerical simulations. Radiative…
Reliable prediction of the solar cycle is a formidable challenge, yet it is increasingly vital in our technology-dependent society as solar activity drives space weather. Various methods, including precursors, nonlinear curve fitting and…
Various methods (or recipes) have been proposed to predict future solar activity levels - with mixed success. Among these, some precursor methods based upon quantities determined around or a few years before solar minimum have provided…
Magnetic fields generated in the Sun's interior by the solar dynamo mechanism drive solar activity over a range of time-scales. While space-based observations of the Sun's corona exist only for few decades, direct sunspot observations exist…
By modelling the upper layers of the Sun in terms of a two-layer setup where a free-surface exists within the computational domain, we numerically study the interaction between the surface gravity, or the fundamental ($f$) mode, and the…
The inherent stochastic and nonlinear nature of the solar dynamo makes the strength of the solar cycles vary in a wide range, making it difficult to predict the strength of an upcoming solar cycle. Recently, our work has shown that by using…