The effect of newly erupting flux on the polar coronal holes

He i 10830 Å images show that early in sunspot cycles 21 and 22, large bipolar magnetic regions strongly affected the boundaries of the nearby polar coronal holes. East of each eruption, the hole boundary immediately contracted poleward, leaving a band of enhanced helium network. West of the eruption, the boundary remained diffuse and gradually expanded equatorward into the leading, like-polarity part of the bipolar magnetic region. Comparisons between these observations and simulations based on a current-free coronal model suggest that:

1. The Sun's polar magnetic fields are confined to relatively small caps of high average field strength, apparently by a poleward meridional flow.
2. The enhanced helium network at high latitude marks the location of relatively strong polar fields that have become linked to the newly erupted bipolar region in that hemisphere.
3. The distortion of the polar-hole boundary is accompanied by a corresponding distortion of the equatorial neutral sheet in the outer corona, in which the amount of warping depends on the magnitude of the erupted flux relative to the strength of the Sun's polar magnetic fields.

     

On the latitude migration of polar faculae in the solar activity cycle period: 1970–1978

Coordinates of polar faculae have been measured and processed using daily photoheliograms of the Kislovodsk Station of the Pulkovo observatory with the final goal of studying their latitude distribution during the solar cycles 20–21. The results obtained are as follows:

1. The first polar faculae emerge immediately after the polarity inversion of the solar magnetic field at the latitudes from 40° to 70° with the average ?-55°.
2. The zone of the emergence of polar faculae migrates poleward during the period between the neighbouring polarity inversions of the solar magnetic field. This migration is about 20° for 8 years, which corresponds to a velocity of 0.5 m s^-1.
3. The maximum number of polar faculae was reached at the activity minimum (1975–1976).
4. The last polar faculae were observed in the second half of 1978 at the latitudes from 70° to 80°.

     

Motions and magnetic fields in filaments

Based on the developed method of jointly using data on the magnetic fields and brightness of filaments and coronal holes (CHs) at various heights in the solar atmosphere as well as on the velocities in the photosphere, we have obtained the following results:

The upward motion of matter is typical of filament channels in the form of bright stripes that often surround the filaments when observed in the HeI 1083 nm line.

The filament channels observed simultaneously in Hα and HeI 1083 nm differ in size, emission characteristics, and other parameters. We conclude that by simultaneously investigating the filament channels in two spectral ranges, we can make progress in understanding the physics of their formation and evolution.

Most of the filaments observed in the HeI 1083 nm line consist of dark knots with different velocity distributions in them. A possible interpretation of these knots is offered.

The height of the small-scale magnetic field distribution near the individual dark knots of filaments in the solar atmosphere varies between 3000 and 20000 km.

The zero surface separating the large-scale magnetic field structures in the corona and calculated in the potential approximation changes the inclination to the solar surface with height and is displaced in one or two days.

The observed formation of a filament in a CH was accompanied by a significant magnetic field variation in the CH region at heights from 0 to 30000 km up to the change of the predominant field sign over the entire CH area. We assume that this occurs at the stage of CH disappearance.

     

Meridional motions of magnetic features in the solar photosphere

We cross-correlate pairs of Mt. Wilson magnetograms spaced at intervals of 24–38 days to investigate the meridional motions of small magnetic features in the photosphere. Our study spans the 26-yr period July 1967–August 1993, and the correlations determine longitude averages of these motions, as functions of latitude and time. The time-average of our results over the entire 26-yr period is, as expected, antisymmetric about the equator. It is poleward between 10° and 60°, with a maximum rate of 13 m s^–1, but for latitudes below ±10° it is markedly equatorward, and it is weakly equatorward for latitudes above 60°. A running 1-yr average shows that this complex latitude dependence of the long-term time average comes from a pattern of motions that changes dramatically during the course of the activity cycle. At low latitudes the motion is equatorward during the active phase of the cycle. It tends to increase as the zones of activity move toward the equator, but it reverses briefly to become poleward at solar minimum. On the poleward sides of the activity zones the motion is most strongly poleward when the activity is greatest. At high latitudes, where the results are more uncertain, the motion seems to be equatorward except around the times of polar field reversal. The difference-from-average meridional motions pattern is remarkably similar to the pattern of the magnetic rotation torsional oscillations. The correspondence is such that the zones in which the difference-from-average motion is poleward are the zones where the magnetic rotation is slower than average, and the zones in which it is equatorward are the zones where the rotation is faster.Our results suggest the following characterization: there is a constant and generally prevailing motion which is perhaps everywhere poleward and varies smoothly with latitude. On this is superimposed a cycle-dependent pattern of similar amplitude in which the meridional motions of the small magnetic features are directed away from regions of magnetic flux concentration. This is suggestive of simple diffusion, and of the models of Leighton (1964) and Sheeley, Nash, and Wang (1987). The correspondence between the meridional motions pattern and the torsional oscillations pattern in the magnetic rotation suggests that the latter may be an artifact of the combination of meridional motion and differential rotation.     

Subsurface Meridional Flow from HMI Using the Ring-Diagram Pipeline

We have determined the meridional flows in subsurface layers for 18 Carrington rotations (CR 2097 to 2114) analyzing high-resolution Dopplergrams obtained with the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) instrument onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). We are especially interested in flows at high latitudes up to 75^° in order to address the question whether the meridional flow remains poleward or reverses direction (so-called counter cells). The flows have been determined in depth from near-surface layers to about 16 Mm using the HMI ring-diagram pipeline. The measured meridional flows show systematic effects, such as a variation with the B ₀-angle and a variation with central meridian distance (CMD). These variations have been taken into account to lead to more reliable flow estimates at high latitudes. The corrected average meridional flow is poleward at most depths and latitudes with a maximum amplitude of about $20~\mathrm{m\,s}^{-1}$ near 37.5^° latitude. The flows are more poleward on the equatorward side of the mean latitude of magnetic activity at 22^° and less poleward on the poleward side, which can be interpreted as convergent flows near the mean latitude of activity. The corrected meridional flow is poleward at all depths within ±?67.5^° latitude. The corrected flow is equatorward only at 75^° latitude in the southern hemisphere at depths between about 4 and 8 Mm and at 75^° latitude in the northern hemisphere only when the B ₀ angle is barely large enough to measure flows at this latitude. These counter cells are most likely the remains of an insufficiently corrected B ₀-angle variation and not of solar origin. Flow measurements and B ₀-angle corrections are difficult at the highest latitude because these flows are only determined during limited periods when the B ₀ angle is sufficiently large.     

Does the Poleward Migration Rate of the Magnetic Fields Depend on the Strength of the Solar Cycle?

We present the pattern of the polar magnetic reversal for cycle 23 derived from H synoptic charts and have also included the reversals of the earlier cycles 18–22 for comparison. At the beginning of a new cycle (i.e., soon after the polar reversal) the zonal boundaries of unipolar magnetic regions of opposite polarities (seen as filament bands on the synoptic charts) appear close to and on either side of the equator continuing through the years of minimum indicating the onset of the cancellation of flux at these low latitudes. The cycle thus starts with cancellation of flux close to the equator and ends with the polar reversal or flux cancellation near the poles. The filament bands just below the polemost ones migrate and reach latitudes 35°–45° by the time of polar reversal and become the polemost, once the polar reversal has taken place. During the years of minimum that follow, these filament bands remain more or less stagnant at the latitudes 35°–45° except for occasional slow migration towards the equator. The migration to the poles starts at a low speed of 3 m s^–1 only when the spot activity has risen to a significant level and then it accelerates to 30 m s^–1 at the peak of the activity. It takes 3–4 years for the polemost bands to reach the poles moving at these high speeds. We quantify this possible cause and effect phenomenon by introducing the concept of the `strength of the solar cycle' and represent this by either of a set of three parameters. We show that the velocity of poleward migration is a linear function of the `strength of the solar cycle'.     

Magnetic source regions of coronal mass ejections

The majority of flare activity arises in active regions which contain sunspots, while Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) activity can also originate from decaying active regions and even so-called quiet solar regions which contain a filament. Two classes of CME, namely flare-related CME events and CMEs associated with filament eruption are well reflected in the evolution of active regions. The presence of significant magnetic stresses in the source region is a necessary condition for CME. In young active regions magnetic stresses are increased mainly by twisted magnetic flux emergence and the resulting magnetic footpoint motions. In old, decayed active regions twist can be redistributed through cancellation events. All the CMEs are, nevertheless, caused by loss of equilibrium of the magnetic structure. With observational examples we show that the association of CME, flare and filament eruption depends on the characteristics of the source regions:

?the strength of the magnetic field, the amount of possible free energy storage,

?the small- and large-scale magnetic topology of the source region as well as its evolution (new flux emergence, photospheric motions, cancelling flux), and

?the mass loading of the configuration (effect of gravity). These examples are discussed in the framework of theoretical models.

     

Flares and changing magnetic fields

An observational study of maps of the longitudinal component of the photospheric fields in flaring active regions leads to the following conclusions:

1. The broad-wing Hα kernels characteristic of the impulsive phase of flares occur within 10″ of neutral lines encircling features of isolated magnetic polarity (‘satellite sunspots’).
2. Photospheric field changes intimately associated with several importance 1 flares and one importance 2B flare are confined to satellite sunspots, which are small (10″ diam). They often correspond to spot pores in white-light photographs.
3. The field at these features appears to strengthen in the half hour just before the flares. During the flares the growth is reversed, the field drops and then recovers to its previous level.
4. The magnetic flux through flare-associated features changes by about 4 × 10¹⁹ Mx in a day. The features are the same as the ‘Structures Magnétiques Evolutives’ of Martres et al. (1968a).
5. An upper limit of 10²¹ Mx is set for the total flux change through McMath Regions 10381 and 10385 as the result of the 2B flare of 24 October, 1969.
6. Large spots in the regions investigated did not evince flux changes or large proper motions at flare time.
7. The results are taken to imply that the initial instability of a flare occurs at a neutral point, but the magnetic energy lost cannot yet be related to the total energy of the subsequent flare.
8. No unusual velocities are observed in the photosphere at flare time.

     

Drift theory of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields

In this paper we review the drift theory of charged particles in electric and magnetic fields. No new physical interpretations are added to this classical topic, but through an alternative, simplified derivation of the guiding centre velocity, several complexities are eliminated and possible misconceptions of the theory are clarified. It is shown that:

1. The curvature/gradient drift velocity in the magnetic field, averaged over a particle distribution function is to lowest order in the direction of?×B/B ², while the average particle velocity is in the direction ofB×? P withP the scalar particle pressure.
2. These drift directions are correct for first-order expansions of the particle distribution function, and only second-order or higher expansions change these directions.
3. The?×B/B ² drift, which is the standard gradient plus curvature drift, and which is usually considered as a ‘single particle’ drift, need not be ‘reconciled’ with theB×? P, or ‘macroscopic, collective’ drift, as is often asserted in the literature. They are in fact related per definition and we show how.
4. When viewed in fixed momentum intervals (p,p+dp), the so-called Compton-Getting factor enters into the electric field (E×B)/B ² drift term.
5. The results are independent of the scale length of variation ofE andB, in contrast to existing drift theory. We discuss the implications of this result for three important cases.

     

Ephemeral active regions in 1970 and 1973

A study of ephemeral active regions (ER) identified on good quality full-disk magnetograms reveals:

1. On the average 373 and 179 ER were present on the Sun in 1970 and 1973 respectively. The number varies with the solar cycle.
2. The median lifetime of ER depends on observation quality and selection rules but is estimated as about 12 hr for our data.
3. The latitude distribution is very broad but not uniform. The distribution peaks near the equator and shows variations similar to distributions of large active regions.
4. The longitude distribution is essentially homogeneous.
5. The spatial orientation of ER is almost random. In 1973 there is a hint of an excess of new cycle orientations at high latitudes.

A comparison of parameters of ER and regular active regions suggests that ER are the small-scale end of a broad spectrum of active regions. The role of ER in the light of present theories of solar activity is investigated but is not yet clear. Heating of the chromosphere and corona may be significantly affected by ER.     

Keynote address: Outstanding problems in solar physics

Celebrating the diamond jubilee of the Physics Research Laboratory (PRL) in Ahmedabad, India, we look back over the last six decades in solar physics and contemplate on the ten outstanding problems (or research foci) in solar physics:

1. The solar neutrino problem
2. Structure of the solar interior (helioseismology)
3. The solar magnetic field (dynamo, solar cycle, corona)
4. Hydrodynamics of coronal loops
5. MHD oscillations and waves (coronal seismology)
6. The coronal heating problem
7. Self-organized criticality (from nanoflares to giant flares)
8. Magnetic reconnection processes
9. Particle acceleration processes
10. Coronal mass ejections and coronal dimming

The first two problems have been largely solved recently, while the other eight selected problems are still pending a final solution, and thus remain persistent Challenges for Solar Cycle 24, the theme of this jubilee conference.     

The magnetic properties of solar surges

High resolution on- and off-band Hα filtergrams of disk solar surges obtained with the Vacuum Tower Telescope of the Sacramento Peak Observatory have been compared to magnetic data.

1. Surges constitute clusters of very fine dark (sometimes bright) filaments where each thread connects to an Ellerman bomb brightening. If the magnetic map reveals the existence of a satellite polarity as defined by Rust (1968), the bomb(s) lies over it.
2. Although a large fraction of surges is not associated with clearly detectable satellite polarities, events are strongly favored in regions of evolving magnetic features, characterized by dimensions of about 10 000 km and significant flux change over a period of less than a day. A flux change rate of 3 × 10¹⁵ Mx s^?1 has been measured along at least three homologous bomb-surge events in a satellite of region MW 18594. Surges appear to be related to rising flux of one polarity into a region of stronger opposite flux.
3. The trajectories of surges are matched by magnetic lines of force computed in the current-free approximation.

     

Multidirectional scanning of active regions with a slit-jaw spectrograph and a solar chromatograph

At the Swedish Solar Observatory in Anacapri we have simultaneously used the following combination of instruments in our investigation of active regions:

1. A spectrograph with an image rotator placed in front of the slit.
2. A subtractive double dispersive spectrograph (solar Chromatograph).
3. A Hα+0.5 Å patrol instrument. Scans over the 3b flare of August 4th 1972 are used to illustrate the method. The illustrations clearly show downflowing matter connected with bright knots and filaments in the emitting area, possibly in accordance with Hyder's infall-impact mechanism.

     

A statistical study of the spiral spots on the solar disc

After adding the data observed in the years from 1979 to 1982 to those obtained earlier (Ding et al., 1981), we re-examine the previous results and conclude:

1. The longitudinal distribution of spiral spots on the solar disc is generally the same as that of sunspot groups with areas of S _p ≥ 400, but their active longitudes seem to be more concentrated.
2. The distribution of spiral patterns in the southern and northern hemispheres shows that the differential rotation may be a fundamental solar dynamo for the formation of the spiral spots.
3. The statistical directions of the emerging twisted magnetic vectors in the active regions in the southern and northern hemispheres are synchronously inverse with a period of about two years. This period seems to be detected in other solar observations.

     

The photospheric network

Spectroheliograms, obtained in certain Fraunhofer lines with the 82-cm solar image at the Kitt Peak National Observatory, show a bright photospheric network having the following properties:

1. It resembles, but does not coincide with, the chromospheric network, the structure of the photospheric network being finer and more delicate than the relatively coarse structure of the chromospheric network.
2. It is exactly cospatial with the network of non-sunspot photospheric magnetic fields.
3. Its visibility in a given photospheric Fraunhofer line is primarily dependent on the states of ionization and excitation from which the line is formed and secondarily dependent on the Zeemansensitivity of the line-being most visible in low-excitation lines of neutral atoms and least visible in high-excitation lines of singly ionized atoms.

We conclude that these magnetic regions of the solar atmosphere are a few hundred degrees hotter than their surroundings, and that they are visible in white light near the limb as photospheric faculae.     

Exotic ion H 3 ++ in strong magnetic fields

1. The exotic system H ₃ ⁺⁺ (which does not exist without magnetic field) exists in strong magnetic fields:
   1. In triangular configuration for B≈10⁸–10¹¹?G (under specific external conditions)
   2. In linear configuration for B>10¹⁰?G
2. In the linear configuration the positive z-parity states 1σ _g , 1π _u , 1δ _g are bound states
3. In the linear configuration the negative z-parity states 1σ _u , 1π _g , 1δ _u are repulsive states
4. The H ₃ ⁺⁺ molecular ion is the most bound one-electron system made from protons at B>3×10¹³?G

Possible application: The H ₃ ⁺⁺ molecular ion may appear as a component of a neutron star atmosphere under a strong surface magnetic field B=10¹²–10¹³?G.     

Observations of moving magnetic features near sunspots

The properties of small (< 2″) moving magnetic features near certain sunspots are studied with several time series of longitudinal magnetograms and Hα filtergrams. We find that the moving magnetic features:

1. Are associated only with decaying sunspots surrounded entirely or in part by a zone without a permanent vertical magnetic field.
2. Appear first at or slightly beyond the outer edge of the parent sunspot regardless of the presence or absence of a penumbra.
3. Move approximately radially outward from sunspots at about 1 km s^?1 until they vanish or reach the network.
4. Appear with both magnetic polarities from sunspots of single polarities but appear with a net flux of the same sign as the parent sunspot.
5. Transport net flux away from the parent sunspots at the same rates as the flux decay of the sunspots.
6. Tend to appear in opposite polarity pairs.
7. Appear to carry a total flux away from sunspots several times larger than the total flux of the sunspots.
8. Produce only a very faint emmission in the core of Hα.

A model to help understand the observations is proposed.     

On the Hβ, [OIII] lines and continuum variability character in the nucleus of Seyfert galaxy NGC 1275

The radiation fluxes of the NGC 1275 galaxy central region are being observed on the 1.25-m telescope, using a scanning spectrophotometer with the entrance aperture 10″ in three Δλ=80 Å spectral regions: Hβ, 4959+5007 Å [OIII] and continuum. There were 35 nights of observations during 1982–1987. With the time resolution of half an hour 379 measurements were obtained in each spectral region. The analysis of these results shows:

1. The standard deviations of measurements in each spectral region 2–3 times exceed the errors of observations.
2. The radiation flux distribution resembles to normal one only for Hβ line.
3. Two-humps forms of continuum flux distribution curve is like that of radio emission in 8 mm and 2.6 cm wavelengths.
4. Various forms of fluxes distribution curves of Hβ and [OIII] lines permit us to suppose that the location of these lines emission regions near the sources of excitation are different.

     

Radio spectrum of two active regions

The results of the total solar eclipse of November 12, 1966, observed at 8 different wave-lengths between 3 and 21 cm, are studied and the spectrum of two active regions present on the disk is deduced. It is shown that the observed increase of the flux of the most intense source in the range 3–10 cm is due to geometrical effects. Neglecting the influence of the magnetic field, the following quantities are deduced.

1. the mean and central temperature of the coronal condensation.
2. the ∫ _corona N ²dh (N = electron density).

Both these quantities are in good agreement with optical observations.