Related papers: The uncombed penumbra
Sunspots are the longest-known manifestation of solar activity, and their magnetic nature has been known for more than a century. Despite this, the boundary between umbrae and penumbrae, the two fundamental sunspot regions, has hitherto…
We recently presented evidence that stable umbra-penumbra boundaries are characterised by a distinct canonical value of the vertical component of the magnetic field, $B^{\rm stable}_{\rm ver}$. In order to trigger the formation of a…
Results of a 3D MHD simulation of a sunspot with a photospheric size of about 20 Mm are presented. The simulation has been carried out with the MURaM code, which includes a realistic equation of state with partial ionization and radiative…
We report on high angular resolution, high precision spectropolarimetric measurements of a decaying sunspot. The spot gradually lost its penumbra during the course of three days. In the late stages of evolution where the only remnant of the…
We study the presence of reversed polarity magnetic flux in sunspot penumbra. We applied a new regularized method to deconvolve spectropolarimetric data observed with the spectropolarimeter SP onboard Hinode. The new regularization is based…
The generation of magnetic flux in the solar interior and its transport from the convection zone into the photosphere, the chromosphere, and the corona will be in the focus of solar physics research for the next decades. With 4m class…
Realistic 3D radiative MHD simulations reveal the magneto-convective processes underlying the formation of the photospheric fine structure of sunspots, including penumbral filaments and umbral dots. Here we provide results from a…
Three-dimensional magnetic reconnection is a fundamental plasma process crucial for heating the solar corona and generating the solar wind, but resolving and characterizing it on the Sun remains challenging. Using high-quality data from the…
The fluting instability has been suggested as the driver of the subsurface structure of sunspot flux tubes. We conducted a series of numerical experiments where we used flux tubes with different initial curvatures to study the effect of the…
The mysteries of sunspot penumbrae have been under an intense scrutiny for the past 10 years. During this time, some models have been proposed and refuted, while the surviving ones had to be modified, adapted and evolved to explain the…
Continuous observations of sunspot penumbrae with the Solar Optical Telescope aboard \textit{Hinode} clearly show that the outer boundary of the penumbra fluctuates around its averaged position. The penumbral outer boundary moves inward…
We present new high-resolution spectro-polarimetric Ca II 8542 observations of umbral flashes in sunspots. At nearly 0.18", and spanning about one hour of continuous observation, this is the most detailed dataset published thus far. Our…
We present results of numerical 3D MHD simulations with radiative energy transfer of fine structure in a small sunspot of about 4 Mm width. The simulations show the development of filamentary structures and flow patterns that are, except…
aims: We study the recently discovered twisting motion of bright penumbral filaments with the aim of constraining their geometry and the associated magnetic field. methods: A large sunspot located $40\degr$ from disk center was observed at…
Sunspot penumbrae show a fine structure in continuum intensity that displays considerable dynamics. The magnetic field, in contrast, although also highly structured, has appeared to be relatively static. Here we report the discovery of…
It is well-known that the global acoustic oscillations of the Sun's atmosphere can excite resonance modes within large-scale magnetic concentrations. These structures are conduits of energy between the different layers of the solar…
The uncertainty about a possible correlation between strength and inclination of the magnetic field and the continuum intensity of the sunspot penumbral fine-structure has been removed by a detailed analysis of a spatially very high…
The low ionization state in parts of a sunspot may play an important role in its evolution and dynamical state. The cool magnetic interior region of the sunspot develops a substantial neutral atomic and molecular hydrogen osmotic pressure…
It was empirically determined that the umbra-penumbra boundaries of stable sunspots are characterized by a constant value of the vertical magnetic field. We analyzed the evolution of the photospheric magnetic field properties of a decaying…
Solar activity is controlled by the magnetic field, which also causes the variability of the solar irradiance that in turn is thought to influence the climate on Earth. The magnetic field manifests itself in the form of structures of…