Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userThe magnetic nature of umbra-penumbra boundary in sunspots
57
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
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 been solely defined by an intensity threshold. Here, we aim at studying the magnetic nature of umbra-penumbra boundaries in sunspots of different sizes, morphologies, evolutionary stages, and phases of the solar cycle. We used a sample of 88 scans of the Hinode/SOT spectropolarimeter to infer the magnetic field properties in at the umbral boundaries. We defined these umbra-penumbra boundaries by an intensity threshold and performed a statistical analysis of the magnetic field properties on these boundaries. We statistically prove that the umbra-penumbra boundary in stable sunspots is characterised by an invariant value of the vertical magnetic field component: the vertical component of the magnetic field strength does not depend on the umbra size, its morphology, and phase of the solar cycle. With the statistical Bayesian inference, we find that the strength of the vertical magnetic field component is, with a likelihood of 99%, in the range of 1849-1885 G with the most probable value of 1867 G. In contrast, the magnetic field strength and inclination averaged along individual boundaries are found to be dependent on the umbral size: the larger the umbra, the stronger and more horizontal the magnetic field at its boundary. The umbra and penumbra of sunspots are separated by a boundary that has hitherto been defined by an intensity threshold. We now unveil the empirical law of the magnetic nature of the umbra-penumbra boundary in stable sunspots: it is an invariant vertical component of the magnetic field.
rate research
Read More
Context. It has been reported that the boundary between the umbra and the penumbra of sunspots occurs at a canonical value of the strength of the vertical magnetic field, independently of the size of the spot. This critical field strength is interpreted as to be the threshold for the onset of magnetoconvection. Aims. Here we investigate the reasons why this criterion, also called the Jurv{c}ak criterion in the literature, does not always identify the boundary between umbra and penumbra. Methods. We perform a statistical analysis of 23 sunspots observed with Hinode/SOT. We compare the properties of the continuum intensity and the vertical magnetic field between filaments and spines and how they vary between spots of different sizes. Results. We find that the inner boundary of the penumbra is not related to a universal value of the vertical magnetic field. The properties of spines and filaments vary between spots of different sizes. Both components are darker in larger spots and the spines exhibit stronger vertical magnetic field. These variations of the properties of filaments and spines with spot size are also the reason for the reported invariance of the averaged vertical magnetic field at 50% of the mean continuum intensity. Conclusions. The formation of filaments and the onset of magnetoconvection are not related to a canonical value of the strength of the vertical magnetic field. Such a seemingly unique magnetic field strength is rather an effect of the filling factor of spines and penumbral filaments.
The analyses of sunspot observations revealed a fundamental magnetic property of the umbral boundary, the invariance of the vertical component of the magnetic field. We aim to analyse the magnetic properties of the umbra-penumbra boundary in simulated sunspots and thus assess their similarity to observed sunspots. Also, we aim to investigate the role of plasma $beta$ and the ratio of kinetic to magnetic energy in simulated sunspots on the convective motions. We use a set of non-grey simulation runs of sunspots with the MURaM code. These data are used to synthesise the Stokes profiles that are then degraded to the Hinode spectropolarimeter-like observations. Then, the data are treated like real Hinode observations of a sunspot and magnetic properties at the umbral boundaries are determined. Simulations with potential field extrapolation produce a realistic magnetic field configuration on their umbral boundaries. Two simulations with potential field upper boundary, but different subsurface magnetic field structures, differ significantly in the extent of their penumbrae. Increasing the penumbra width by forcing more horizontal magnetic fields at the upper boundary results in magnetic properties that are not consistent with observations. This implies that the size of the penumbra is given by the subsurface structure of the magnetic field. None of the sunspot simulations is consistent with observed properties of the magnetic field and direction of the Evershed flow at the same time. Strong outward directed Evershed flows are only found in setups with artificially enhanced horizontal component of the magnetic field at the top boundary that are not consistent with the observed magnetic field properties at the UP boundary. We want to stress out that the `photospheric boundary of simulated sunspots is defined by a magnetic field strength of equipartition field value.
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 penumbra, large inclinations in the magnetic field are necessary. In sunspots, the penumbra develops and establishes by colonising both umbral areas and granulation, that is, penumbral magneto-convection takes over in umbral regions with $B_{rm ver} < B^{rm stable}_{rm ver}$, as well as in granular convective areas. Eventually, a stable umbra-penumbra boundary settles at $B^{rm stable}_{rm ver}$. Here, we aim to study the development of a penumbra initiated at the boundary of a pore, where the penumbra colonises the entire pore ultimately. We have used Hinode/SOT G-band images to study the evolution of the penumbra. Hinode/SOT spectropolarimetric data were used to infer the magnetic field properties in the studied region. The penumbra forms at the boundary of a pore located close to the polarity inversion line of NOAA,10960. As the penumbral bright grains protrude into the pore, the magnetic flux in the forming penumbra increases at the expense of the pore magnetic flux. Consequently, the pore disappears completely giving rise to an orphan penumbra. At all times, the vertical component of the magnetic field in the pore is smaller than $B^{rm stable}_{rm ver} approx 1.8$~kG. Our findings are in an agreement with the need of $B^{rm stable}_{rm ver}$ for establishing a stable umbra-penumbra boundary: while $B_{rm ver}$ in the pore is smaller than $B^{rm stable}_{rm ver}$, the protrusion of penumbral grains into the pore area is not blocked, a stable pore-penumbra boundary does not establish, and the pore is fully overtaken by the penumbral magneto-convective mode. This scenario could also be one of the mechanisms giving rise to orphan penumbrae.
We investigate the vertical gradient of the magnetic field of sunspots in the photospheric layer. Independent observations were obtained with the SOT/SP onboard the Hinode spacecraft and with the TIP-2 mounted at the VTT. We apply state-of-the-art inversion techniques to both data sets to retrieve the magnetic field and the corresponding vertical gradient. In the sunspot penumbrae we detected patches of negative vertical gradients of the magnetic field strength, i.e.,the magnetic field strength decreases with optical depth in the photosphere. The negative gradient patches are located in the inner and partly in the middle penumbrae in both data sets. From the SOT/SP observations, we found that the negative gradient patches are restricted mainly to the deep photospheric layers and are concentrated near the edges of the penumbral filaments. MHD simulations also show negative gradients in the inner penumbrae, also at the locations of filaments. Both in the observations and simulation negative gradients of the magnetic field vs. optical depth dominate at some radial distances in the penumbra. The negative gradient with respect to optical depth in the inner penumbrae persists even after averaging in the azimuthal direction, both in the observations and, to a lesser extent, also in MHD simulations. We interpret the observed localized presence of the negative vertical gradient of the magnetic field strength in the observations as a consequence of stronger field from spines expanding with height and closing above the weaker field inter-spines. The presence of the negative gradients with respect to optical depth after azimuthal averaging can be explained by two different mechanisms: the high corrugation of equal optical depth surfaces and the cancellation of polarized signal due to the presence of unresolved opposite polarity patches in the deeper layers of the penumbra.
The rotation of sunspots of 2 yr in two different solar cycles is studied with the data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager on board the it Solar Dynamics Observatory rm and the Michelson Doppler Imager instrument on board the it Solar and Heliospheric Observataory.rm We choose the $alpha$ sunspot groups and the relatively large and stable sunspots of complex active regions in our sample. In the year of 2003, the $alpha$ sunspot groups and the preceding sunspots tend to rotate counterclockwise and have positive magnetic polarity in the northern hemisphere. In the southern hemisphere, the magnetic polarity and rotational tendency of the $alpha$ sunspot groups and the preceding sunspots are opposite to the northern hemisphere. The average rotational speed of these sunspots in 2003 is about $0^{circ}.65 rm hr^{-1}$. From 2014 January to 2015 February, the $alpha$ sunspot groups and the preceding sunspots tend to rotate clockwise and have negative magnetic polarity in the northern hemisphere. The patterns of rotation and magnetic polarity of the southern hemisphere are also opposite to those of the northern hemisphere. The average rotational speed of these sunspots in 2014/2015 is about $1^{circ}.49 rm hr^{-1}$. The rotation of the relatively large and stable preceding sunspots and that of the $alpha$ sunspot groups located in the same hemisphere have opposite rotational direction in 2003 and 2014/2015.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
