Differential rotation of the sun determined tracing sunspots and oscillations of sunspot tilt angle

The time and spatial characteristics of 324 large sunspots (S50 millionths of the solar hemisphere) selected from the Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory photoheliogram collection (1950–1990) have been studied. The variations of sunspot angular rotation velocity residuals and oscillations of sunspot tilt angle were analyzed. It has been shown that the differential rotation rate of selected sunspots correlates on average with the solar cycle. The deceleration of differential rotation of large sunspots begins on the ascending arm of the activity curve and ends on the descending arm reaching minimum near the epochs of solar activity maxima. This behavior disappears during the 21st cycle. The amplitudes and periods of sunspot tilt-angle oscillations correlate well with the solar activity cycle. Near the epochs of activity maximum there appear sunspots with large amplitudes and periods showing a significant scatter while the scatter near the minimum is rather low. We also found evidence of phase difference between the sunspot angular rotation velocity and the amplitudes and periods of tilt-angle oscillations.     

DETECTION OF SHORT-PERIOD CORONAL OSCILLATIONS DURING THE TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE OF 24 OCTOBER, 1995

An experiment to search for short-period oscillations in the solar corona was conducted during the total solar eclipse of 1995 October 24 at Kalpi, India. The intensity in the continuum, centred around 5500 Å and with a passband having a half-width of 240 Å, was recorded at a counting rate of 20 Hz using a thermoelectric-liquid cooled photomultiplier. The power-spectrum analysis of the data reveals that most of the power is contained in 6 frequencies below 0.2 Hz. A least-square analysis gives the periods of the 6 frequency components to be 56.5, 19.5, 13.5, 8.0, 6.1, and 5.3 s. These oscillations are found to be sinusoidal, and their amplitudes are found to lie in the rangeinebreak 0.2–1.3% of the coronal brightness. Assuming these oscillations to be fast magnetosonic modes, the calculations indicate the availability of enough flux for the heating of the active regions in the solar corona.     

Sunspot Plumes and Flow Channels

It is well known that sunspots are dark. This statement is not correct in the sunspot atmosphere between the chromosphere and the corona, where sunspots often are brighter than their surroundings. The brightest feature in the sunspot transition region is called a sunspot plume. Not all sunspots contain a plume. We find that 20 out of 21 sunspots show a plume when one magnetic polarity dominates the sunspot region out to a distance of 50 from the sunspot. Most sunspots show downflows that exceed 25 km s^–1 in the sunspot plumes at temperatures close to 250000 K. This downflow is not maintained by inflow from the corona, but by gas at transition region temperatures, streaming in flow channels from locations well outside the sunspot. We suggest that this inflow is a necessary requirement for the sunspot plume to occur and present a working hypothesis for the origin of sunspot plumes. This paper is the first thorough spectral analysis of sunspot plumes. It is based on simultaneous observations of ten or six EUV emission lines in 42 sunspot regions with the Coronal Diagnostic Spectrometer – CDS on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory – SOHO. The line profiles are studied in detail with another SOHO instrument, the Solar Ultraviolet Measurements of Emitted Radiation – SUMER.     

Observations of sunspot transition region oscillations

Oscillations with a period of 3 minutes are observed in the transition region of six sunspots with the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory - SOHO joint observing programme for velocity fields in sunspot regions. Observations of the transition region lines Ov 629 and Nv 1238, 1242 with the SUMER instrument show significant differences in the amplitude of the 3-minute oscillations from one sunspot to another, both in intensity and line-of-sight velocity. In four sunspots the central part of the umbra is observed. Two of these sunspots show coincidence between the maxima in peak line intensity and velocity directed towards the observer, as is expected for an upward-propagating acoustic wave. The two other sunspots show large oscillation amplitudes and a difference of 25° between maxima in intensity and blue shift. The possible effect of partial wave reflection on the observed phase relation is discussed. For one sunspot only a part of the umbra, close to the penumbra, was observed and the observations show a difference of 50° between maxima in intensity and blueshift. For the smallest sunspot the observations are found to be contaminated by contributions from an area without oscillations. Observed oscillations in line width are small, but probably significant in two sunspots. The observations of NOAA 8378 allow us to compare simultaneous recordings of the oscillations in the chromospheric Siii 1260 line with the oscillations in the transition region lines. We question the suggestion by Fludra (1999) that the sunspot transition region oscillations are a typical feature of the sunspot plumes.     

On Novel Methods to Determine Areas of Sunspots from Photoheliograms

Two novel methods of measuring umbral and penumbral areas of sunspots and of complex sunspot groups are described. Both methods comprise the digitization of photoheliograms by a frame grabber and the computation of intensity histograms of selected areas of activity. The first method, called cumulative histogram method, in principle determines the intensity boundaries umbra–penumbra and penumbra–photosphere from the intersections of linear fits into the corresponding parts of the cumulative histograms of sunspots. The second method, called maximum gradient method, marks image pixels of a given intensity level ±2 units wide as a white isophote on a display. Interactive variation of this level makes it easy to visually select the contour line fitting the boundary penumbra–photosphere (or umbra–penumbra) best. At the same level usually the width of the contour line is smallest. In both cases the summation of the pixel numbers above the corresponding intensity levels yields the umbral and the total sunspot areas, respectively. Some limitations of the two methods are discussed.     

Dependence of the meridional motions of sunspot groups on life spans and age of the groups,and on the phase of the solar cycle

We have analyzed data on sunspot groups compiled during 1874–1981 and investigated the following: (i) dependence of the `initial' meridional motion (v <sub>ini</sub>()) of sunspot groups on the life span () of the groups in the range 2–12 days, (ii) dependence of the meridional motion (v(t)) of sunspot groups of life spans 10–12 days on the age (t) of the spot groups, and (iii) variations in the mean meridional motion of spot groups of life span 2–12 days during the solar cycle. In each of the latitude intervals 0°–10°, 10°–20° and 20°–30°, the values of both v <sub>ini</sub>() and v(t) often differ significantly from zero. In the latitude interval 20°–30°, the forms of v <sub>ini</sub>() and v(t) are largely systematic and mutually similar in both the north and south hemispheres. The form of v(t) suggests existence of periodic variation in the solar meridional motion with period of 4 days and amplitude 10–20 m s<sup>–1</sup>. Using the anchoring depths of magnetic structures for spot groups of different and testimated earlier, (Javaraiah and Gokhale, 1997), we suggest that the forms of v <sub>ini</sub>() and v(t) may represent radial variation of meridional flow in the Sun's convection zone, rather than temporal variation of the flow. The meridional flows (v <sub>e</sub>(t)) determined from the data during the last few days (i.e., age t: 10–12 days) of spot groups of life spans of 10–12 days are found to have magnitudes (10–20 m s<sup>–1</sup>) and directions (poleward) similar to the those of the surface meridional plasma flows determined from the Dopplergrams and magnetograms. The mean meridional velocity of sunspot groups living 2–12 days seems to vary during the solar cycle. The velocity is not significantly different from zero during the rising phase of the cycle and there is a suggestion of equatorward motion (a few m s<sup>–1</sup>at lower latitudes and 10 m s<sup>–1</sup>at higher latitudes) during the declining phase (last few years) of the cycle. The variation during the odd numbered cycles seems to anticorrelate with the variation during the even numbered cycles, suggesting existence of 22-year periodicity in the solar meridional flow. The amplitude of the anticorrelation seems to be depending on latitude and the cycle phase. In the latitude interval 20°–30° the `surface plasma meridional motion', v _e(t), is found to be poleward during maximum years (v _e(t) 20 m s^–1at 4th year) and equatorward during ending years of the cycle (v _e(t) –17 m s^–1at 10th year).     

Large-scale motions in the sun

Large-scale solar motions comprise differential rotation (with latitudinal, and perhaps radial gradients), axially symmetric meridional motions, and possible asymmetric motions (giant convective cells or Rossby-type waves or both). These motions must be basic in any satisfactory theory of the changing pattern of solar magnetic fields and of the 22-yr cycle. In the present paper available data are discussed and, as far as possible, evaluated and explained.Rotational measurements are based on the changing positions of discrete features such as sunspots, on Doppler shifts, on geophysical changes and on statistical evaluation of the motions of diffuse objects. The first mentioned, comprising faculae, sunspots, K-corona (to latitudes 45°) and filaments, show agreement better than 0.7 %. A new formula for surface rotation _s , based on faculae and sunspot data, is _s = 14.52 – 2.48 sin² b – 2.51 sin⁶ b deg day^–1, where b is latitude, and validity may extend to about 70°. Errors in Doppler shift measurements and statistical treatments are discussed. There is evidence of a much slower coronal rate at high latitudes, and of a slower sub-surface rate at lower latitudes.Ordered meridional motions have been revealed by statistical investigations of the positions of spot groups, of spots and of filaments. All these results seem explicable in terms of an oscillating hydro-magnetic circulation in each hemisphere. These have both 11-yr and 22-yr components, and these periods are provided by a general dipole field of about one gauss, together with a pair of toroidal fields centred at latitudes ±16° and of average strength of order 10 G.Evidence of large-scale (perhaps 3 × 10⁵ km), irregular surface motions is provided by the distribution of surface magnetic flux, the motions of sunspots, and Doppler-shift observations; it is supported by Ward's theory of the equatorial acceleration. The possibility is suggested that these asymmetric motions also drive the oscillatory meridional motions.     

Regularities of variation of the heliospheric current sheet orientation during the solar activity cycle

Evolution of spatial orientation of the heliospheric current sheet (HCS) has been studied in detail using synoptic maps of the HCS configuration over the period 1971–1989. Analysis involves all phases of the sunspot cycle except for two years of maximum solar activity. The helmet-like coronal streamers are confirmed to be structural elements of the HCS. The r.m.s. deviation of a real HCS configuration from a plane does not exceed about 10° during most of the sunspot cycle length. Hence, minimum-type corona should be observed every time the HCS is oriented parallel to the line-of-sight, independent of the cycle phase. Such occasions have been observed apart from the sunspot minimum epochs at the solar eclipses of 31 August, 1932 and 11 July, 1991.Regularities of variation of the two following parameters of the HCS orientation have been revealed: obliquity to the solar equator plane (heel or tilt) and longitudinal orientation (yawing). Behaviour of the above parameters is repeated in different cycles. However, heeling and yawing occur probably not synchronous but rather independent of one another.     

ON THE POSSIBLE CHANGES OF THE SOLAR DIFFERENTIAL ROTATION DURING THE ACTIVITY CYCLE DETERMINED USING MICROWAVE LOW-BRIGHTNESS-TEMPERATURE REGIONS AND Hα FILAMENTS AS TRACERS

The solar rotation rate obtained using the microwave Low-brightness-Temperature Regions (LTRs) as tracers in the heliographic range ± 55° from the years 1979–1980, 1981–1982, 1987–1988, and 1989–1991 varied from 3% to 4% in medium latitudes, and below 1% at the equator. Using H filaments as tracers at higher latitudes from the years 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984, and 1987, the solar rotation rate variation was between 2% and 8%. This represents an upper limit on the rotation rate variation during the solar activity cycle. Such changes could be caused by short-lived, large-scale velocity patterns on the solar surface. The Sun revealed a higher rotation rate on the average during the maxima of the solar activity cycles 21 and 22, i.e., in the periods 1979–1980 and 1989–1991, respectively, which differs from the rotation rates (lower on the average) in some years, 1981–1982 and 1987–1988, between the activity maximum and minimum (LTR data). Simultaneous comparison of rotation rates from LTRs and H filament tracings was possible in very limited time intervals and latitude bands only, and no systematic relationship was found, although the rotation rates determined by LTRs were mostly smaller than the rotation rates determined by H filaments. The errors obtained by applying different fitting procedures of the LTR data were analyzed, as well as the influence of the height correction. Finally, the north–south asymmetry in the rotation rate investigated by LTRs indicates that the southern solar hemisphere rotated slower in the periods under consideration, the difference being about 1%. The reliability of all obtained results is discussed and a comparison with other related studies was performed.     

Kinematics of solar prominences

Two sequences of OSO-4 spectroheliograms in Mg x and Si xii obtained during October–November 1967 and covering the intervals of 83 and 22 hr, respectively, have been analyzed to reveal quasi-periodic oscillations of EUV flux from solar sources with a periodicity of 5–14 hr. The oscillation periods of the emission flux from local sources over sunspots and magnetic field enhancements in plages without spots have been investigated in correlation with characteristics of the respective AR and plages. The greatest periods (> 8 hr) are shown to be peculiar of small sunspots or sunspot groups at the initial or final stage of their development, whereas the smallest periods ( 5–6 hr) are observed in the case of large well-developed groups at the maximum stage of development. In quiet regions on the Sun and plages without spots, the oscillation periods are 6–8 hr. The surface areas in which the oscillations are synchronous and coincide in phase have typical dimensions of 1 in quiet and 1 to 5 in active regions. These areas form a spatial structure similar to the chromospheric network and supergranules. The characteristic lifetime of the structure elements is 1.5–2 days.     

Solar cycle variation and N-S asymmetry of λ 5303 coronal intensity

It is shown that during the present solar cycle (No-20), the 5303 coronal intensity at heliographic latitudes between 15°–40° in both hemispheres had two maxima. The first maximum occurred in 1967–68 and the second in 1969–70. At lower latitudes ( ± 10°) there was only one clear maximum in 1970. These results are in good agreement with those of Gnevyshev (1967) for the previous solar cycle. The North-South asymmetry of 5303 intensity for the period 1957–1970 is studied and its implications to solar-terrestrial relationships are discussed. It is shown that during the period studied, the N-S asymmetry of 5303 intensity is negatively correlated with sunspot activity.     

Latitudinal Distribution of Polar Faculae

The distribution of polar faculae with respect to latitude is investigated, using data obtained at the Ussuriysk Observatory during the years 1963–1994. To correct the data for the effect of visibility, a visibility function of polar faculae is derived. Corrected surface density of polar faculae is calculated as a function of latitude and time. During most part of each solar cycle, polar faculae exhibit pronounced concentrations at high latitudes with maxima of the surface density located near the poles. Such concentrations of polar faculae (below referred to as `polar condensations') are formed after a lapse of 1–2 years from the polar magnetic field reversals, and then they persist for 7–9 years, until the high-latitude magnetic fields again start to reverse. During several years after the sunspot minima, the polar condensations co-exist with the new latitudinal belts of polar faculae which appear at middle latitudes and then migrate toward the poles. To describe the evolution of the polar condensations quantitatively, the polar faculae density n at latitudes above 60° has been approximated by means of the power law nn ₀ cos^m where is polar angle. The parameters n ₀ and m both are found to vary during the course of the solar cycle, reaching maximum values near or shortly after the minimum of sunspot activity. At the minimum phase of the solar cycle, on average, the surface density of polar faculae varies as cos¹⁴. In addition to the 11-yr variation, the latitude–time distribution of polar faculae exhibits short-term variations occurring on the time scale of 2–3 years.     

On the use of ‘first spotless day’ as a predictor for sunspot minimum

Defining the first spotless day of a sunspot cycle as the first day without spots relative to sunspot maximum during the decline of the solar cycle, one finds that the timing of that occurrence can be used as a predictor for the occurrence of solar minimum of the following cycle. For cycle 22, the first spotless day occurred in April 1994, based on the International sunspot number index, although other indices (Boulder and American) indicated the first spotless day to have occurred earlier (September 1993). For cycles 9–14, sunspot minimum followed the first spotless day by about 72 months, having a range of 62–82 months; for cycles 15–21, sunspot minimum followed the first spotless day by about 35 months, having a range of 27–40 months. Similarly, the timing of first spotless day relative to sunspot minimum and maximum for the same cycle reveals that it followed minimum (maximum) by about 69 (18) months during cycles 9–14 and by about 90 (44) months during cycles 15–21. Accepting April 1994 as the month of first spotless day occurrence for cycle 22, one finds that it occurred 91 months into the cycle and 57 months following sunspot maximum. Such values indicate that its behavior more closely matches that found for cycles 15–21 rather than for cycles 9–14. Therefore, one infers that sunspot minimum for cycle 23 will occur in about 2–3 years, or about April 1996 to April 1997. Accepting the earlier date of first spotless day occurrence indicates that sunspot minimum for cycle 23 could come several months earlier, perhaps late 1995.The U.S. Government right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

VLA observations of a radio plage at centimeter wavelengths

VLA observations of a solar plage region at 6 and 20 cm wavelengths are presented. The high frequency 6 cm emission correlates well with the associated sunspots, whereas 20 cm emission shows good correlation with the H plage. Large temperature variations over a period of one day are observed in the plage associated component without any significant changes in the sunspots. The dominant emission mechanisms at 6 and 20 cm are found to be gyroresonance radiation and bremstrahlung respectively. It is concluded that the coronal condensation above the chromospheric H plage has an electron density of 5 × 10⁹ cm^–3 and it extends to a height of 5 × 10⁴ km.     

Periodicities of solar irradiance and solar activity indices,I

Using a standard FFT time series analysis, our results show an 8–11 months periodicity in the solar total and UV irradiances, 10.7 cm radio flux, Ca-K plage index, and sunspot blocking function. The physical origin of this period is not known, but the evidence in the results exclude the possibility that the observed period is a harmonic due to the FFT transform or detrending. Periods at 150–157 and 51 days are found in those solar data which are related to strong magnetic fields. The 51-day period is the dominant period in the projected areas of developing complex sunspot groups, but it is missing from the old decaying sunspot areas. This evidence suggests that the 51-day period is related to the emergence of new magnetic fields. A strong 13.5-day period is found in the total irradiance and projected areas of developing complex groups. This confirms those results (e.g., Donnelly et al., 1983, 1984; Bai, 1987, 1989) which show that active centers are located 180 deg apart from each other.Our study also shows that the modulation of various solar data due to the 27-day solar rotation is more pronounced during the declining portion of solar cycle than during the rising portion. This arises from that the active regions and their magnetic fields are better organized and more long-lived during the maximum and declining portion of solar cycle than during its rising portion.     

The peculiarities of rotation of the solar polar regions

The sidereal rotation rate of the high-latitude solar regions is examined using long-lived photospheric polar faculae. The observations were carried out with the photoheliograph of Kislovodsk Mountain Station of the Pulkovo Observatory from 1982 to 1986. The following facts have been established: (a) There is a differential rotation of the polar faculae close to the maximum of solar activity, while the amount of latitude gradient of solar rotation decreases towards the sunspot minimum; (b) small differences of rotation in the northern and southern hemispheres of the Sun are observed; (c) some deviations of differential rotation curves constructed for each Carrington rotation from the mean curve of differential rotation are revealed. The total amplitude of the maximum positive and negative excesses is about 40–50 m s^–1. The positive surplus velocities of solar rotation (the amplitude of which is about 20–25 m s^–1) move in the form of a wave from heliographic latitudes 40° with a velocity of 1.6 m s^–1. The latitude width of this flow is B 15°. This wave of abnormally high velocity starts in the year of minimum solar activity and reaches the pole 11 years later. The picture is symmetrical relative to the equator.     

Short-Term Periodicities in Solar Indices

The purpose of the present communication is to identify the short-term (few tens of months) periodicities of several solar indices (sunspot number, Caii area and K index, Lyman , 2800 MHz radio emission, coronal green-line index, solar magnetic field). The procedure used was: from the 3-month running means (3m) the 37-month running means (37m) were subtracted, and the factor (3m – 37m) was examined for several parameters. For solar indices, considerable fluctuations were seen during the ± 4 years around sunspot maxima of cycles 18–23, and virtually no fluctuations were seen in the ± 2 years around sunspot minima. The spacings between successive peaks were irregular but common for various solar indices. Assuming that there are stationary periodicities, a spectral analysis was carried out which indicated periodicities of months: 5.1–5.7, 6.2–7.0, 7.6–7.9, 8.9–9.6, 10.4–12.0, 12.8–13.4, 14.5–17.5, 22–25, 28 (QBO), 31–36 (QBO), 41–47 (QTO). The periodicities of 1.3 year (15.6 months) and 1.7 years (20.4 months) often mentioned in the literature were seen neither often nor prominently. Other periodicities occurred more often and more prominently. For the open magnetic flux estimated by Wang, Lean, and Sheeley (2000) and Wang and Sheeley (2002), it was noticed that the variations were radically different at different solar latitudes. The open flux for < 45 solar latitudes had variations very similar (parallel) to the sunspot cycle, while open flux for > 45 solar latitudes had variations anti-parallel to the sunspot cycle. The open fluxes, interplanetary magnetic field and cosmic rays, all showed periodicities similar to those of solar indices. Many peaks (but not all) matched, indicating that the open flux for < 45 solar latitudes was at least partially an adequate carrier of the solar characteristics to the interplanetary space and thence for galactic cosmic ray modulation.     

Rotation rate of high-latitude sunspots

Rotation rate of 19 high latitude (28–44°) short-lived sunspots collected in 1978–1979 are compared with Newton and Nunn's (1951) recurrent spots rate. To reduce the effect of proper motion in spots of new regions, our measurements start only when the spots have matured or very nearly so. Compared with the expression = 14.38–2.96 sin² derived from 1934–44 data by Newton and Nunn, our results show a slightly lower differential rotation in the 28–40° zone. They are in better agreement with the Greenwich average results of the five solar cycles beginning 1878: = 14.37–2.60 sin² .Hale Observatories are operated jointly by the Carnegie Institution of Washington and the California Institute of Technology.     

Solar noise storms and magnetic sector structures

A synoptic study of the occurrence and polarization of 160 MHz noise storms recorded at Culgoora during the current solar cycle shows that the storm sources occur in large unipolar cells extending >90° in solar longitude and 60° in latitude, with lifetimes of 1 yr. From solar maximum onwards these large cells stretch across the solar equator to form a longitudinal sector pattern reminiscent of that observed in the interplanetary magnetic field. Comparisons with published heliospheric current sheet simulations support this conclusion. The noise storms occur in the strong magnetic fields above large, complex, flare-active sunspots. Unlike most active regions, those associated with noise storms do not always have dominant sunspots as leaders. Rather, about one-third have the dominant sunspot as a follower. The dominant sunspot polarities tend to agree with the long-lived sector structure, implying that emerging magnetic flux occurs at preferred longtitudes on the solar surface.     

Coronal magnetic fields from faraday rotation observations

In the first part of this communication we briefly summarize the results of the first observation of linear polarization in the microwave emission above a solar active region obtained with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope, taking advantage of the very narrow bandwidths of a multi-channel spectral line receiver. The intensity of the Stokes parameterU, measured at several points close to the line of zero circular polarization, showed a clear sinusoidal trend as a function of ², in accordance to what is expected from Faraday rotation (Alissandrakis and Chiuderi Drago, 1994). Combining the measured period of the Faraday rotation with the observed deplacement of the depolarization line with respect to the photospheric neutral line, the height above the photosphere of the depolarization point and the value of the electron density and the magnetic field at this point are computed. Although the calculations are done in the very simplified assumptions of a bipolar magnetic field and of a density following hydrostatic equilibrium, they represent the first estimate of the coronal magnetic field in an active region, far from sunspots.Presented at the CESRA-Workshop on Coronal Magnetic Energy Release at Caputh near Potsdam in May 1994.