In the quiet Sun, magnetic fields are usually observed as small-scale magnetic elements, `salt and pepper, covering the entire solar surface. By using 3D radiative MHD numerical simulations we demonstrate that these fields are a result of local dynam
o action in the top layers of the convection zone, where extremely weak `seed magnetic fields can locally grow above the mean equipartition field (e.g., from a $10^{-6}$ G `seed field to more than 1000 G magnetic structures). We find that the local dynamo action takes place only in a shallow, about 500 km deep, subsurface layer, from which the generated field is transported into deeper layers by convection downdrafts. We demonstrate that the observed dominance of vertical magnetic fields at the photosphere and the horizontal fields above the photosphere can be explained by multi-scale magnetic loops produced by the dynamo.
Investigation of the turbulent properties of solar convection is extremely important for understanding the multi-scale dynamics observed on the solar surface. In particular, recent high-resolution observations have revealed ubiquitous vortical struct
ures, and numerical simulations have demonstrated links between vortex tube dynamics and magnetic field organization and have shown the importance of vortex tube interactions in the mechanisms of acoustic wave excitation on the Sun. In this paper we investigate the mechanisms of the formation of vortex tubes in highly-turbulent convective flows near the solar surface by using realistic radiative hydrodynamic LES simulations. Analysis of data from the simulations indicates two basic processes of vortex tube formation: 1) development of small-scale convective instability inside convective granules, and 2) a Kelvin-Helmholtz type instability of shearing flows in intergranular lanes. Our analysis shows that vortex stretching during these processes is a primary source of generation of small-scale vorticity on the Sun.
