太阳活动23周上升阶段质子事件的 预报分析

以２２周太阳活动低年（１９９３－１９９５）质子事件及其对应活动区的综合分析结果为判据,预报２３周太阳活动上升阶段的质子事件．从１９９７年１１月开始到１９９８年１２月,用该方法预报的质子事件共６个,报准３个,不确定一个,虚报１个,漏报１个（太阳背面产生的事件）．本文对用该方法预报的结果进行了分析讨论,并与世界警报中心的预报结果进行了比对,结果表明,该方法对于质子事件的短期预报是有效的．     

23周太阳活动预报方法研究

文中评价了２３ 周以来北京天文台的短期太阳活动预报工作,Ｘ 射线耀斑的报准率为８９ ．６ ％ ,太阳质子事件的报准率为６２ ．５ ％ 。另外,还叙述了第２３ 周峰年北京天文台太阳活动预报工作的选题（ 包括研究课题和实施课题     

太阳活动23周上升阶段质子事件的预报分析

以２２周太阳活动低年（１９９３－１９９５）质子事件及其对应活动区的综合分析结果为判据,预报２３周太阳活动上升阶段的质子事件。从１９９７年１１月开始到１９９８年１２月,用该方法预报的质子事件共６个,报准３个,不确定一个,虚报１个,漏报１个（太阳背面产生的事件）。本对用该方法预报的结果进行了分析讨论,并与世界警报中心的预报结果进行了比对,结果表明,该方法对于质子事件的短期预报是有效的。     

第23太阳活动周不会是强活动周

利用最新的太阳黑子观测资料和线性相关统计模式,对第２３太阳活动周的极大月平滑黑子相对数和黑子数物极大年均值进行预测,预报因子分别是每个太阳周上升相第２６个月的月平滑黑子相对数和第三年的黑子数年均值,预测结果表明,第２３周太阳黑子数的极大值不会高,极大月平滑黑子相对为１１５．４±１４．９,极大年均值为１１８．９±１１．６,平滑黑子数极大不会出现在１９９９年,很可能出现在２０００年。     

第23太阳活动周不会是强活动周

利用最新的太阳黑子观测资料和线性相关统计模式,对第２３太阳活动周的极大月平滑黑子相对数和黑子数的极大年均值进行预测．预报因子分别是每个太阳周上升相第２６个月的月平滑黑子相对数和第三年的黑子数年均值．预测结果表明,第２３周太阳黑子数的极大值不会高,极大月平滑黑子相对数为１１５．４±１４．９,极大年均值为１１８．９±１１．６．平滑黑子数极大不会出现在１９９９年,很可能出现在２０００年．     

第22太阳周活动区M级以上X射线耀斑指数的统计

本文对第２２太阳周（１９８７年１月至１９９２年１２月）中发生过Ｍ级以上的Ｘ射线耀斑（Ｈα耀斑级别≥Ｍ级，并伴有Ｘ射线的耀斑）对应的３９５个活动区资料进行了耀斑指数的统计，得到的结果：１．２２太阳周Ｍ级以上Ｘ射线耀斑级别综合指数表，２．２２太阳周Ｍ级以上Ｘ射线耀斑总指数表，３．第２２太阳周Ｍ级以上Ｘ射线耀斑总指数随时间的变化曲线，４．第２２太阳周Ｍ级以上Ｘ射线濯斑总指数直方图，该图表明第２２太阳周活动的极大年分别是１９８９和１９９１年，为第２３周太阳活动预报提供了可用参数。     

21,22,23太阳活动周上升期太阳黑子资料的分析

本文分析了第２１ 、２２ 、２３ 太阳活动周的上升期２３ 个月（ 月均值） 太阳黑子资料。结果表明：太阳黑子相对数和面积南北不对称。２３ 周的太阳黑子相对数和面积（２３ 个月的平均） 高于２２ 周,但低于２１ 周。我们估计第２３ 周峰年为２０００ 年３ 月或１９９９ 年１２ 月。     

第22太阳周活动区M级以上X射线耀斑指数的设计

本文对第２２太阳周中发生过Ｍ级以上的Ｘ射线耀斑对应的３９５个活动区资料进行了耀斑指数的统计，得到的结果：１．２２太阳周Ｍ级以上Ｘ射线耀斑级别综合指数表，２．２２太阳周Ｍ级以上Ｘ射线耀斑总指数表，３．第２２太阳周Ｍ级以上Ｘ射线耀斑总指数随时间的变化曲线，４．第２２周Ｍ级以上Ｘ射耀斑总指数直方图，该图表明第２２太阳周活动的极大年分别是１９８９和１９９１年，为第２３周太阳活动预报提供了可用参数。     

太阳整体行为研究

黑子相对数与黑子群在日面纬度上分布的蝴蝶图表征着太阳长期活动演化的特征，本文主要对这二者尤其是后者进行了研究。太阳活动在日面上分布表现为不对称，这是近30年太阳物理研究的主要内容之一。本文对这一领域进行了详细调研，发现太阳活动的南北半球分布不对称性的确存在，是否存在东西半球分布不对称目前还没有定论，但在日面经度上的分布肯定是不均匀的。本文还利用太阳22周活动极大时期X射线（Imp≥M1.0）耀斑事件进行了统计分析，给出了不对称演化特征，发现不对称性并不是事件活动剧烈程度的函数。统计分析表现21周太阳活动既不是已往方面中所述的南半球占优，也不是北半球占优。本文总结了以往对太阳长期活动特征研究的结论，也分析了黑子面积描述的活动周期特征，发现可用一个二参数函数来描述太阳活动周，这个结论对太阳长期活动预防是有用的。本文还详细解剖了蝴蝶图，揭示了其所含的物理信息，同时将不对称研究引入到这种解剖工作中，或是定量再现已有的一些定律，一些效应，或是揭示一些新的长期活动特征。本文最后对太阳长期活动预报方法和预报结构进行了总结，21－23周的预报事例说明前兆因子方法比其它方法要好。本文用Moscow中子监测值对23周作了预报，其峰值为151．1（月平均黑子相对数），对23周事例的总结分析表明其峰值为162．3。     

10.7cm射电流量月平均变化的动力行为和可预报性研究

本文用非线性动力系统理论探讨了10.7cm射电流量月平均变化的动力行为和可预报性,计算了该过程的分维数(D=3.1±0.1)和最大Lyapunov指数(λ_1=0.045±0.003 bit/月).结果表明,这是一个具有有限自由度的复杂的浑沌系统,可用有限个参数描述,所需的变量最少是4个,最多为6个.从10.7cm射电流量月平均变化说明了太阳活动的浑沌行为.本文还讨论了10.7cm射电流量月均值的可预报时间尺度,平均可预报时间尺度为8个月,最大可预报时间尺度是22个月,     

第22和23太阳周太阳活动预测

本文首先分析指出第22太阳周前半周的太阳活动所具有的特点:(1)有最高的起始极小值;(2)上升速度快;(3)升段时间最短;(4)峰期长,可能有双峰;(5)个别时段活动水平极高.然后对第22周后半周的活动情况做了预计:在后半周将可能观测到大约2800个活动区,28000个耀斑,210个X级X射线爆发和大约80次太阳质子事件.最后,应用本文给出的太阳周参量关系式.预报第23周太阳黑子数月均平滑值的峰值为119,位于2001.6年.     

Predicting Solar Cycle 24 Using a Geomagnetic Precursor Pair

We describe using Ap and F_10.7 as a geomagnetic-precursor pair to predict the amplitude of Solar Cycle 24. The precursor is created by using F_10.7 to remove the direct solar-activity component of Ap. Four peaks are seen in the precursor function during the decline of Solar Cycle 23. A recurrence index that is generated by a local correlation of Ap is then used to determine which peak is the correct precursor. The earliest peak is the most prominent but coincides with high levels of non-recurrent solar activity associated with the intense solar activity of October and November 2003. The second and third peaks coincide with some recurrent activity on the Sun and show that a weak cycle precursor closely following a period of strong solar activity may be difficult to resolve. A fourth peak, which appears in early 2008 and has recurrent activity similar to precursors of earlier solar cycles, appears to be the “true” precursor peak for Solar Cycle 24 and predicts the smallest amplitude for Solar Cycle 24. To determine the timing of peak activity it is noted that the average time between the precursor peak and the following maximum is ≈?6.4 years. Hence, Solar Cycle 24 would peak during 2014. Several effects contribute to the smaller prediction when compared with other geomagnetic-precursor predictions. During Solar Cycle 23 the correlation between sunspot number and F_10.7 shows that F_10.7 is higher than the equivalent sunspot number over most of the cycle, implying that the sunspot number underestimates the solar-activity component described by F_10.7. During 2003 the correlation between aa and Ap shows that aa is 10 % higher than the value predicted from Ap, leading to an overestimate of the aa precursor for that year. However, the most important difference is the lack of recurrent activity in the first three peaks and the presence of significant recurrent activity in the fourth. While the prediction is for an amplitude of Solar Cycle 24 of 65±20 in smoothed sunspot number, a below-average amplitude for Solar Cycle 24, with maximum at 2014.5±0.5, we conclude that Solar Cycle 24 will be no stronger than average and could be much weaker than average.     

Migration and Extension of Solar Active Longitudinal Zones

Solar active longitudes show a characteristic migration pattern in the Carrington coordinate system if they can be identified at all. By following this migration, the longitudinal activity distribution around the center of the band can be determined. The half-width of the distribution is found to be varying in Cycles 21?–?23, and in some time intervals it was as narrow as 20?–?30 degrees. It was more extended around a maximum but it was also narrow when the activity jumped to the opposite longitude. Flux emergence exhibited a quasi-periodic variation within the active zone with a period of about 1.3 years. The path of the active-longitude migration does not support the view that it might be associated with the 11-year solar cycle. These results were obtained for a limited time interval of a few solar cycles and, bearing in mind uncertainties of the migration-path definition, are only indicative. For the major fraction of the dataset no systematic active longitudes were found. Sporadic migration of active longitudes was identified only for Cycles 21?–?22 in the northern hemisphere and Cycle 23 in the southern hemisphere.     

Magnetic Helicity as a Predictor of the Solar Cycle

It is well known that the polar magnetic field is at its maximum during solar minima, and that the behaviour during this time acts as a strong predictor of the strength of the following solar cycle. This relationship relies on the action of differential rotation (the Omega effect) on the poloidal field, which generates the toroidal flux observed in sunspots and active regions. We measure the helicity flux into both the northern and the southern hemispheres using a model that takes account of the Omega effect, which we apply to data sets covering a total of 60 years. We find that the helicity flux offers a strong prediction of solar activity up to five years in advance of the next solar cycle. We also hazard an early guess as to the strength of Solar Cycle 25, which we believe will be of similar amplitude and strength to Cycle 24.     

Asymmetric behavior of different solar activity features over solar cycles 20–23

This paper presents the study of normalized north–south asymmetry, cumulative normalized north–south asymmetry and cumulative difference indices of sunspot areas, solar active prominences (at total, low (?40°) and high (?50°) latitudes) and Hα solar flares from 1964 to 2008 spanning the solar cycles 20–23. Three different statistical methods are used to obtain the asymmetric behavior of different solar activity features. Hemispherical distribution of activity features shows the dominance of activities in northern hemisphere for solar cycle 20 and in southern hemisphere for solar cycles 21–23 excluding solar active prominences at high latitudes. Cumulative difference index of solar activity features in each solar cycle is observed at the maximum of the respective solar cycle suggesting a cyclic behavior of approximately one solar cycle length. Asymmetric behavior of all activity features except solar active prominences at high latitudes hints at the long term periodic trend of eight solar cycles. North–south asymmetries of SAP (H) express the specific behavior of solar activity at high solar latitudes and its behavior in long-time scale is distinctly opposite to those of other activity features. Our results show that in most cases the asymmetry is statistically highly significant meaning thereby that the asymmetries are real features in the N–S distribution of solar activity features.     

Different Periodicities in the Sunspot Area and the Occurrence of Solar Flares and Coronal Mass Ejections in Solar Cycle 23 – 24

In order to investigate the relationship between magnetic-flux emergence, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections (CMEs), we study the periodicity in the time series of these quantities. It has been known that solar flares, sunspot area, and photospheric magnetic flux have a dominant periodicity of about 155 days, which is confined to a part of the phase of the solar cycle. These periodicities occur at different phases of the solar cycle during successive phases. We present a time-series analysis of sunspot area, flare and CME occurrence during Cycle 23 and the rising phase of Cycle 24 from 1996 to 2011. We find that the flux emergence, represented by sunspot area, has multiple periodicities. Flares and CMEs, however, do not occur with the same period as the flux emergence. Using the results of this study, we discuss the possible activity sources producing emerging flux.     

One Possible Reason for Double-Peaked Maxima in Solar Cycles: Is a Second Maximum of Solar Cycle 24 Expected?

We investigate solar activity by focusing on double maxima in solar cycles and try to estimate the shape of the current solar cycle (Cycle 24) during its maximum. We analyzed data for Solar Cycle 24 by using Learmonth Solar Observatory sunspot-group data collected since 2008. All sunspot groups (SGs) recorded during this time interval were separated into two groups: The first group includes small SGs [A, B, C, and H classes according to the Zurich classification], the second group consists of large SGs [D, E, and F]. We then calculated how many small and large sunspot groups occurred, their sunspot numbers [SSN], and the Zurich numbers [Rz] from their daily mean numbers as observed on the solar disk during a given month. We found that the temporal variations for these three different separations behave similarly. We also analyzed the general shape of solar cycles from Cycle 1 to 23 by using monthly International Sunspot Number [ISSN] data and found that the durations of maxima were about 2.9 years. Finally, we used the ascending time and SSN relationship and found that the maximum of Solar Cycle 24 is expected to occur later than 2011. Thus, we conclude that i) one possible reason for a double maximum in solar cycles is the different behavior of large and small sunspot groups, and ii) a double maximum is expected for Solar Cycle 24.     

Relation of CME Speed and Magnetic Helicity in CME Source Regions on the Sun during the Early Phase of Solar Cycles 23 and 24

To investigate the relations between coronal mass ejection (CME) speed and magnetic field properties measured in the photospheric surface of CME source regions, we selected 22 disk CMEs in the rising and early maximum phases of the current Solar Cycle 24. For the CME speed, we used two-dimensional (2D) projected speed observed by the Large Angle and Spectroscopic Coronagraph onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO/LASCO), as well as a 3D speed calculated from the triangulation method using multi-point observations. Two magnetic parameters of CME source regions were considered: the average of magnetic helicity injection rate and the total unsigned magnetic flux. We then classified the selected CMEs into two groups, showing: i) a monotonically increasing pattern with one sign of helicity (group A: 16 CMEs) and ii) a pattern of significant helicity injection followed by its sign reversal (group B: 6 CMEs). We found that: 1) 3D speed generally shows better correlations with the magnetic parameters than the 2D speed for 22 CME events in Solar Cycle 24; 2) 2D speed and the magnetic parameters of 22 CME events in this solar cycle have lower values than those of 47 CME events in Solar Cycle 23; 3) all events of group B in Solar Cycle 24 occur only after the beginning of the maximum phase, a trend well consistent with that shown in Solar Cycle 23; 4) the 2D speed and the helicity parameter of group B events continue to increase in the declining phase of Solar Cycle 23, while those of group A events abruptly decrease in the same period. Our results indicate that the two CME groups have a different tendency in the solar cycle variations of CME speed and the helicity parameters. Active regions that show a complex helicity evolution pattern tend to appear in the maximum and declining phases, while active regions with a relatively simple helicity evolution pattern appear throughout the whole solar cycle.     

The Sun’s Strange Behavior: Maunder Minimum or Gleissberg Cycle?

During the last few years the Sun and solar wind have shown a behavior that was so unexpected that the phenomena was described as “the strange solar minimum”. It has been speculated that the 23/24 solar cycle minimum may have indicated the onset of a Maunder-Minimum-type Grand Minimum. Here we review what is known from 1500 years of proxy data about Maunder-type Grand Minima and the minima of the cyclic Centennial Gleissberg variations. We generate criteria that distinguish between the two types of event. Applying these criteria to the observed solar terrestrial data we conclude that the unexpected behavior began well before the solar cycle 23/24 minimum. The data do not support the Maunder Minimum conjecture. However, the behavior can be understood as a minimum of the Centennial Gleissberg Cycle that previously minimized in the beginning of the 20th century. We conclude that the Centennial Gleissberg Cycle is a persistent variation that has been present 80% of the time during the last 1500 years and should be explained by solar dynamo theory.     

An Analysis of Solar Global Activity

This article proposes a unified observational model of solar activity based on sunspot number and the solar global activity in the rotation of the structures, both per 11-year cycle. The rotation rates show a variation of a half-century period and the same period is also associated to the sunspot amplitude variation. The global solar rotation interweaves with the observed global organisation of solar activity. An important role for this assembly is played by the Grand Cycle formed by the merging of five sunspot cycles: a forgotten discovery by R. Wolf. On the basis of these elements, the nature of the Dalton Minimum, the Maunder Minimum, the Gleissberg Cycle, and the Grand Minima are presented.