Electrical conductivity in sunspots and the quiet photosphere

The electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity and viscosity of models of the quiet photosphere and the umbra of a sunspot have been calculated using LTE ionization equilibria and the Chapman-Enskog theory of transport coefficients. The results are presented in tabular form, and compared with previous calculations.     

On magnetic field gradients in sunspots

This paper is devoted mainly to a method of determining the gradient of magnetic fields. Utilizing the numerical solution of the equations of transfer of the Stokes parameters, we have calculated quantities characterizing the asymmetry and the amount of rotation of the wings of the “o” and “e” profiles of the magnetically sensitive line Fe Iλ 6302.499 as functions of the magnetic field gradient. The results of calculations have been verified with our own spectrophotometric observations of a large sunspot. The range of validity of the method is discussed, and the possible influence of the presence of magnetic field gradients on the observational data of magnetographs is investigated.     

A possible diagnostic method for magnetic field and velocity gradients in sunspots

We present a diagnostic method for detecting magnetic field gradients and velocity gradients in sunspots through the analysis of Stokes parameters profiles in magnetoactive lines. On one hand, the method is based on the concept of response functions for the Stokes profiles introduced by Landi Degl'Innocenti and Landi Degl'Innocenti (1977); on the other hand, it takes advantage of the diagnostic content of the residuals between observed Stokes profiles and best-fit Unno-profiles. The analysis of synthesis profiles obtained for the line 6302.502 FeI forming in the Sunspot Sunspot Model (Avrett, 1981) suggests that the method could actually be promising, at least if the dependence of the magnetic field vector on optical depth is sufficiently simple.     

On a more precise calculation of the electric conductivity in the photosphere and in sunspots

On the basis of a review of data on the effective cross-sections of particle interactions, computations of the effective electron-neutron interaction, of the cross-section values for H, H₂ and He were carried out in the range 0.8 1.7 and 2.5 logP _g 6.5. The mean cross-sections for the solar mixture used by Zwaan were computed (see Table II). Using these results, the values of the electric conductivity and of its anisotropy coefficient were computed (see Tables VII and VIII), as well as other auxiliary quantities. The conductivity values obtained are in the range from 5 × 10⁹ to 5 × 10¹² CGSE units for the assumed physical conditions.On leave from the Astronomical Institute of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences, Ondejov, Czechoslovakia.     

Naked sunspots

Naked sunspots are spots seen in Hα to be devoid of associated plage. In magnetograms and K-line little if any opposite polarity field is found, and in soft X-ray images a blank appears in the region of the spot. In almost all cases studied in which naked spots resulted the spot groups had emerged in unipolar regions of the same polarity as the naked spot. At least half of the naked spots are associated with coronal holes. The naked spots are long-lived and show rotation rates close to the Newton-Nunn curve. Most of the naked spots had bright rims in Hα, and the one spot observed to disappear left no trace in the background magnetic field. These spots may be a means by which separation of p from f magnetic polarity occurs.     

Material flow in sunspots

Observations nowadays reveal more and more details about the small‐scale structure of the penumbra and umbra. Recent measurements of the motions in the penumbra indicate that (i) the Evershed flow is confined to a thin photospheric layer and (ii) the material rises from and sinks to subphotospheric layers within the penumbra. This flow pattern solves the question of the mass budget of the Evershed flow in a natural way. The nature of umbral dots and their role for the spot's energy budget remains unclear, since they are obviously unresolved even in the best existing measurements.     

On molecules in sunspots

Spectra of umbrae of several sunspots in the wavelength region 4000–8000 Å scanned photoelectrically at the Göttingen Locarno Observatory were used in order to search for absorption lines of molecules. Several thousands of lines of known molecules were reidentifled (see Table II and Table III). Newly identified molecules are CoH, NiH and H₂O (see Table IV and Wöhl (1969a)). The Zeemann effect on molecular lines (of MgH and CaH; see Table V and Wöhl (1969b)) in spectra of umbrae was detected.     

Lithium abundance in sunspots

The observations of lithium were carried out with the TST-2 telescope at CrAO on August 15–20, 2006. A sunspot model was calculated for the dates of observations. The lithium abundance in a sunspot and in the undisturbed photosphere was determined. It is log(N _Li) = 1.35 for the sunspot and log (N _Li) = 1.05 for the undisturbed photosphere.     

Water vapour in sunspots

The line intensities are calculated at temperatures of 263 K and 3500 K for the H₂O band 201 at 0.94 m. The possibility of detecting these lines in sunspots is discussed. The amount of H₂O is estimated to be 4.2 × 10²⁰ molecules or 0.013 g cm^–2 above optical depth equal to unity. However, other bands at longer wavelengths are more favourable for detection of H₂O.     

Oscillatory motions in sunspots

We observe vertical velocity oscillations in some sunspot umbrae with periods of about 180 s and peak to peak amplitudes up to 1 km s^–1. These oscillations are not visible in either the line depth, line width or the continuum intensity. No correlation seems to exist between the occurence of these oscillations and the presence of the chromospheric umbral flashes (Solar Phys. 7, 351, 1069). In the spot penumbra there is an indication of a long period oscillation, the period increasing from about 300 s in the inner penumbra to nearly 1000 s at the penumbra-photosphere boundary. An attempt has been made to interpret these oscillations in terms of gravity or acoustic waves, travelling along the magnetic field lines, taking into account the variation of scale height and magnetic field direction across the sunspot.     

Structure of sunspots

The sunspot models published so far do not reproduce the observed run of the umbral continuum intensities over the entire spectral range 0.5 < < 4 m. Moreover, in several previous models is the temperature gradient smaller than both the adiabatic and the radiative equilibrium gradient.Agreement between intensities computed from acceptable models and measured intensities can be obtained by introducing an additional opacity for 0.8 m, which is probably caused by the crowding of atomic and molecular lines. We present a new umbral model atmosphere with a wavelength dependent opacity enhancement factor which explains the continuum intensities and also reproduces plausible center-to-limb variations and line profiles. This model is in radiative equilibrium down to _0.5 = 1.5, with an effective temperature of 4000 ± 100K. For the deeper superadiabatic layers a small but probably significant departure from radiative equilibrium is indicated by the intensities in the range 1.5 < < 2.4 m.The uncertainties in the present model and the effect of the additional opacity on line profiles are briefly discussed.     

Size variations in regular sunspots

A study was made of the time development for 31 simple sunspots. The growth and decay rates varied between spots, but were approximately constant during the lifetime of individual, relatively shortlived spots. Long-lived spots showed oscillations in umbral size, with periods of three to five days. Occasionally, rapid changes in the spot size were observed.Analysis completed while a staff member at Sacramento Peak Observatory, Sunspot, NM, U.S.A.     

On AlF lines in sunspots

Intensity factors for bands of the C-A transition of the AlF molecule are calculated. A reinvestigation for the lines of (0, 0) band of the C-A system in sunspot spectra is suggested, so as to resolve the questionable existence of AlF absorption lines in sunspots.     

The Evershed motion in sunspots

The Evershed motion is postulated as a steady, laminar flow of material along a limiting field line which separates the umbral magnetic field from the penumbral. Assuming that the Evershed flow starts from the spot-base with a velocity which is adequate to carry the convective flux at that level, the velocity at the surface comes out to be of the order of 1 km/sec, in good agreement with the observed Evershed velocity.Supported in part by the National Science Foundation [GP-5391] and the Office of Naval Research [Nonr-220 (47)].     

On magneto-optical effects in sunspots

Magneto-optical effects on the circular polarization within the line FeI 6302.5 are investigated. Quantitative results on the V-reversal near the line centre are given for homogeneous magnetic fields.     

The filamentary structure in sunspots

I use the method given in Ref. [l] to solve the nonaxisymmetric magnetostatic equation, to explain the filamentary structure in sunpots. I shall show that the dark filaments in the penumbral region of sunspots are associated with stronger magnetic fields.     

Vector magnetic fields in sunspots

Observations of a round, unipolar sunspot in the Zeeman triplet Fe i 6302.5 with the High Altitude Observatory Stokes Polarimeter are used to derive the vector magnetic field in the spot. The behavior of the magnitude, inclination, and azimuth of the field vector B across the spot is discussed. A linear relation is found between the continuum intensity I _c and the field magnitude B. Time series obtained in the umbra show significant power in the magnitude of the field at a period of t 180 s but the other components of the field vector do not display this behavior.The National Center for Atmospheric Research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation.     

Electrical conductivity of lunar surface rocks and chondritic meteorites

The electrical conductivities of several samples from returned Apollo 11 and 12 lunar rocks and from chondritic meteorites were measured from 300 to 1100K. Collectively the lunar samples represent all three of the major NASA classifications of lunar surface rocks. Of general interest is the observation that the conductivities of the lunar samples are much larger than the values which have previously been used in theoretical discussions of lunar phenomena. It is also found that the conductivity at 300K, (300), is extremely sensitive to the thermal history of the sample for both lunar and meteoritic material. Magnetic measurements are presented to help characterize the changes which occur upon heating.Principal Investigator - Apollo Lunar Science Program, Geophysics Research Laboratory, University of Tokyo, Japan.