Related papers: On the Moat-Penumbra Relation
Recent numerical simulations of sunspots suggest that overturning convection is responsible for the existence of penumbral filaments and the Evershed flow, but there is little observational evidence of this process. Here we carry out a…
The Solar Optical Telescope onboard Hinode revealed the fine-scale structure of the Evershed flow and its relation to the filamentary structures of the sunspot penumbra. The Evershed flow is confined in narrow channels with nearly…
The increased amount of information provided by ongoing missions such as the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) represents a great challenge for the understanding of basic questions such as the internal structure of sunspots and how they…
Photospheric waves in sunspots moving radially outwards at speeds faster than the characteristic wave velocities have been recently detected. It has been suggested that they are the visual pattern of $p-$modes excited around 5 Mm beneath…
We use the magnetic butterfly diagram to determine the speed of the magnetic flux transport on the solar surface towards the poles. The manifestation of the flux transport is clearly visible as elongated structures extended from the sunspot…
Moving magnetic features (MMFs) are small-size magnetic elements that are seen to stream out from sunspots, generally during their decay phase. Several observational results presented in the literature suggest them to be closely related to…
The 3D structure of sunspots has been extensively studied for the last two decades. A recent advancement of the Stokes inversion technique prompts us to revisit the problem. We investigate the global depth-dependent thermal, velocity and…
We have employed a penumbral model, that includes the Evershed flow and convective motions inside penumbral filaments, to reproduce the azimuthal variation of the net circular polarization (NCP) in sunspot penumbrae at different…
Extreme UV (EUV) and X-ray loops in the solar corona connect regions of enhanced magnetic activity, but they are not usually rooted in the dark umbrae of sunspots because the strong magnetic field found there suppresses convection. This…
Quasi-periodic disturbances have been observed in the outer solar atmosphere for many years now. Although first interpreted as upflows (Schrijver et al. (1999)), they have been widely regarded as slow magnetoacoustic waves, due to observed…
A new Stokes inversion technique that greatly reduces the effect of the spatial point spread function of the telescope is used to constrain the physical properties of umbral dots (UDs). The depth-dependent inversion of the Stokes parameters…
Advances in instrumentation have made it possible to study sunspots with unprecedented detail. New capabilities include imaging observations at a resolution of 0.1" (70 km on the sun), spectroscopy at ~0.2", and simultaneous…
Umbral dots (UDs) are transient, bright features observed in the umbral region of a sunspot. We study the physical properties of UDs observed in sunspots of different sizes. The aim of our study is to relate the physical properties of…
We compare the zonal flow pattern in subsurface layers of the Sun with the distribution of surface magnetic features like sunspots and polar faculae. We demonstrate that in the activity belt, the butterfly pattern of sunspots coincides with…
Context. Local helioseismology has detected spatially extended converging surface flows into solar active regions. These play an important role in flux-transport models of the solar dynamo. Aims. We aim to validate the existence of the…
Context: Sunspot penumbrae harbor highly structured magnetic fields and flows. The moving flux tube model offers an explanation for several observed phenomena, e.g. the Evershed effect and bright penumbral grains. Aims: A wealth of…
Plasma loops or plumes rooted in sunspot umbrae often harbor downflows with speeds of 100 km/s. These downflows are supersonic at transition region temperatures of 0.1 MK. The source of these flows is not well understood. We aim to…
Solar magnetic fields are generated in the solar interior and pop up at the solar surface to form active regions. As the magnetic field appears on the surface, it forms various structures like small magnetic elements, pores, and sunspots.…
Delta ($\delta$)-spots are active regions (ARs) in which positive and negative umbrae share a penumbra. They are known to be the source of strong flares. We introduce a new quantity, the degree of $\delta$ (Do$\delta$), to measure the…
Sunspots harboring umbrae of both magnetic polarities within a common penumbra (delta-spots) are often but not always related to flares. We present first near-infrared (NIR) observations (Fe I 1078.3 nm and Si I 1078.6 nm spectra) obtained…