Related papers: The uncombed penumbra
We analyze in detail the penumbral structure found in a recent radiative MHD simulation. Near tau=1, the simulation produces penumbral fine structure consistent with the observationally inferred interlocking comb structure. Fast outflows…
Context. It is unclear why there is a rather sharp boundary in sunspots between the umbra and the penumbra. Both regions exhibit magnetoconvection, manifesting in penumbral filaments in the penumbra and in umbral dots in the umbra. Aims.…
We describe a scenario for the topology of the magnetic field in penumbrae that accounts for recent observations showing upflows, downflows, and reverse magnetic polarities. According to our conjecture, short narrow magnetic loops fill the…
The relationship between observed structures in the solar atmosphere and the magnetic fields threading them is known only for the solar photosphere, even then imprecisely. We suggest that some of the fine structure in the more tenuous…
We study the magnetohydrostatic equilibrium of magnetic flux tubes with circular cross sections embedded in a magnetic surrounding atmosphere. We solve the static momentum equation in 2.5D to obtain the thermodynamics that are consistent…
We present numerical 2D magnetostatic models for sunspot penumbrae consisting of radially aligned field-free gaps in a potential magnetic field, as proposed by Spruit and Scharmer (2006). The shape of the gaps and the field configurations…
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…
We investigate the dependence of penumbral microjets inclination on the position within penumbra. The high cadence observations taken on 10 November 2006 with the Hinode satellite through the \ion{Ca}{ii} H and G--band filters were analysed…
The high spatial, temporal and spectral resolution achieved by Hinode instruments give much better understanding of the behavior of some elusive solar features, such as pores and naked sunspots. Their fast evolution and, in some cases,…
We investigate the thermal and kinematic configuration of a sunspot penumbra using very high spectral and spatial resolution intensity profiles of the non-magnetic Fe I 557.6 nm line. The dataset was acquired with the 2D solar spectrometer…
We employ a 3-dimensional magnetohydrostatic model of a horizontal flux tube, embedded in a magnetic surrounding atmosphere, to successfully reproduce the azimuthal and center-to-limb variations of the Net Circular Polarization observed in…
The equilibrium structure of sunspots depends critically on its magnetic topology and is dominated by magnetic forces. Tension force is one component of the Lorentz force which balances the gradient of magnetic pressure in force-free…
The realism of current models of the penumbra is assessed by comparing their predictions with the plasma properties of penumbral filaments as retrieved from spectropolarimetric observations. The spectropolarimeter onboard Hinode allows us…
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…
Orphan penumbrae (OPU) are features resembling sunspot penumbrae, but are not connected to an umbra. Here we compare OPUs and sunspot penumbrae, including their filaments. We also identify and describe the main mechanisms for the formation…
Context. The bright heads of penumbral filaments, penumbral grains (PGs), are manifestations of hot plasma flows rising to the surface. They are observed to move horizontally toward the sunspot umbra or away from it. Recent analyses of…
Penumbral filaments and light bridges are prominent structures inside sunspots and are important for understanding the nature of sunspot magnetic fields and magneto-convection underneath. We investigate an interesting event where several…
The motion of dark striations across bright filaments in a sunspot penumbra has become an important new diagnostic of convective gas flows in penumbral filaments. The nature of these striations has, however, remained unclear. Here we…
Context: Solar pores are small sunspots lacking a penumbra that have a prevailing vertical magnetic field component. They can include light bridges at places with locally reduced magnetic field. Like sunspots, they exhibit a wide range of…
The Evershed flow is a systematic motion of gas that occurs in the penumbra of all sunspots. Discovered in 1909, it still lacks a satisfactory explanation. We know that the flow is magnetized, often supersonic, and that it shows conspicuous…