Solar rotation, 1966–1978

Photospheric and chromospheric spectroscopic Doppler rotation rates for the full solar disk are analyzed for the period July, 1966 to July, 1978. An approximately linear secular increase of the equatorial rate of 3.7% for these 12 years is found (in confirmation of Howard, 1976). The high latitude rates above 65 ° appear to vary with a peak-to-peak amplitude of 8%, or more, phased to the sunspot cycle such that the most rapid rotation occurs at, or following, solar maximum. The chromosphere, as indicated by H, has continued to rotate on the average 3% faster than the photosphere agreeing with past observations. Sources of error are discussed and evaluated.Operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under contract with the National Science Foundation.     

The Rotation Rates of Solar Magnetic Fields During Solar Cycles 21 – 23

Employing the synoptic maps of the photospheric magnetic fields from the beginning of solar cycle 21 to the end of 23, we first build up a time – longitude stackplot at each latitude between ±35°. On each stackplot there are many tilted magnetic structures clearly reflecting the rotation rates, and we adopt a cross-correlation technique to explore the rotation rates from these tilted structures. Our new method avoids artificially choosing magnetic tracers, and it is convenient for investigating the rotation rates of the positive and negative fields by omitting one kind of field on the stackplots. We have obtained the following results. i) The rotation rates of the positive and negative fields (or the leader and follower polarities, depending on the hemispheres and solar cycles) between latitudes ±35° during solar cycles 21–23 are derived. The reversal times of the leader and follower polarities are usually not consistent with the years of the solar minimum, nevertheless, at latitudes ±16°, the reversal times are almost simultaneous with them. ii) The rotation rates of the three solar cycles averaged over each cycle are calculated separately for the positive, negative and total fields. The latitude profiles of rotation of the positive and negative fields exhibit equatorial symmetries with each other, and those of the total fields lie between them. iii) The differences in rotation rates between the leader and follower polarities are obtained. They are very small near the equator, and increase as latitude increases. In the latitude range of 5° – 20°, these differences reach 0.05 deg day⁻¹, and the mean difference for solar cycle 22 is somewhat smaller than cycles 21 and 23 in these latitude regions. Then, the differences reduce again at latitudes higher than 20°.     

A Possible Cause of the Diminished Solar Wind During the Solar Cycle 23 – 24 Minimum

Interplanetary magnetic field and solar wind plasma density observed at 1 AU during Solar Cycle 23?–?24 (SC-23/24) minimum were significantly smaller than those during its previous solar cycle (SC-22/23) minimum. Because the Earth’s orbit is embedded in the slow wind during solar minimum, changes in the geometry and/or content of the slow wind region (SWR) can have a direct influence on the solar wind parameters near the Earth. In this study, we analyze solar wind plasma and magnetic field data of hourly values acquired by Ulysses. It is found that the solar wind, when averaging over the first (1995.6?–?1995.8) and third (2006.9?–?2008.2) Ulysses’ perihelion (\({\sim}\,1.4~\mbox{AU}\)) crossings, was about the same speed, but significantly less dense (\({\sim}\,34~\%\)) and cooler (\({\sim}\,20~\%\)), and the total magnetic field was \({\sim}\,30~\%\) weaker during the third compared to the first crossing. It is also found that the SWR was \({\sim}\,50~\%\) wider in the third (\({\sim}\,68.5^{\circ}\) in heliographic latitude) than in the first (\({\sim}\,44.8^{\circ}\)) solar orbit. The observed latitudinal increase in the SWR is sufficient to explain the excessive decline in the near-Earth solar wind density during the recent solar minimum without speculating that the total solar output may have been decreasing. The observed SWR inflation is also consistent with a cooler solar wind in the SC-23/24 than in the SC-22/23 minimum. Furthermore, the ratio of the high-to-low latitude photospheric magnetic field (or equatorward magnetic pressure force), as observed by the Mountain Wilson Observatory, is smaller during the third than the first Ulysses’ perihelion orbit. These findings suggest that the smaller equatorward magnetic pressure at the Sun may have led to the latitudinally-wider SRW observed by Ulysses in SC-23/24 minimum.     

Solar S-bursts at Frequencies of 10 – 30 MHz

Solar S-bursts observed by the radio telescope UTR-2 in the period 2001 – 2002 are studied. The bursts chosen for a detailed analysis occurred in the periods 23 – 26 May 2001, 13 – 16 and 27 – 39 July 2002 during three solar radio storms. More than 800 S-bursts were registered in these days. Properties of S-bursts are studied in the frequency band 10 – 30 MHz. All bursts were always observed against a background of other solar radio activity such as type III and IIIb bursts, type III-like bursts, drift pairs and spikes. Moreover, S-bursts were observed during days when the active region was situated near the central meridian. Characteristic durations of S-bursts were about 0.35 and 0.4 – 0.6 s for the May and July storms, respectively. For the first time, we found that the instantaneous frequency width of S-bursts increased with frequency linearly. The dependence of drift rates on frequency followed the McConnell dependence derived for higher frequencies. We propose a model of S-bursts based on the assumption that these bursts are generated due to the confluence of Langmuir waves with fast magnetosonic waves, whose phase and group velocities are equal.     

N–S Asymmetry in the Solar Differential Rotation During 1957–1993

The properties of the differential rotation of the Sun are investigated by using H filaments as tracers. Annual average angular velocities of 716 quiescent filaments are determined from H photoheliograms of the Abastumani Astrophysical Observatory film collection for the years 1957–1993. The existence of north-south (N–S) asymmetry in H filaments rotation is confirmed statistically. The connection of asymmetry with the solar activity cycles is established. It is found that the northern hemisphere rotates faster during the even cycles (20 and 22) while the rotation of southern hemisphere dominates in odd ones (cycles 19 and 21). The mechanism of the solar activity should be responsible for the N–S asymmetry of the solar differential rotation. A theoretical explanation for the N–S asymmetry in the Suns rotation is offered. It is suggested that the asymmetry in the rotation of the two hemispheres of the Sun is balanced by the dynamo mechanism, which acts in parallel to the mechanism offered here. It is concluded that the N–S asymmetry of the solar rotation should cause a difference in activity level between the northern and southern hemispheres.     

Time – Distance Solar Far-Side Imaging Using Three-Skip Acoustic Signals

The purpose of this work is to image solar far-side active regions using acoustic signals with three skips and improve the quality of existing images. The mapping of far-side active regions was first made possible using the helioseismic holography technique by use of four-skip acoustic signals. The quality of far-side images was later improved with the combination of four- and five-skip signals using the time – distance helioseismology technique. In this work, we explore the possibility of making three-skip far-side images of active regions, and improving the image quality by combining the three-skip images with the images obtained from existing techniques. A new method of combining images is proposed that increases the signal-to-noise ratio and reduces the appearance of spurious features.     

Solar Rotation During the Period 1847?–?1849

Solar rotation rate has been measured using the sunspot positions recorded by W.C. Bond during the period 1847 – 1849 at the Harvard College Observatory. From the drawings carried out by Bond we have selected the sunspots and groups of sunspots with more reliable positions presented in three or more drawings on successive days. We have calculated from the positions of the selected sunspots (41 in total) a synodic rotation rate of ω=[(12.92±0.08)−(1.5±1.0)sin ² φ] degrees/day, where φ is the heliographic latitude. This rate, although slightly lower, is similar to the actual solar rotation rate, confirming no important changes in the solar rotation during the last 160 years.     

Deep Solar Activity Minimum 2007 – 2009: Solar Wind Properties and Major Effects on the Terrestrial Magnetosphere

We discuss the temporal variations and frequency distributions of solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field parameters during the solar minimum of 2007?–?2009 from measurements returned by the IMPACT and PLASTIC instruments on STEREO-A. We find that the density and total field strength were significantly weaker than in the previous minimum. The Alfvén Mach number was higher than typical. This reflects the weakness of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) forces, and has a direct effect on the solar wind–magnetosphere interactions. We then discuss two major aspects that this weak solar activity had on the magnetosphere, using data from Wind and ground-based observations: i) the dayside contribution to the cross-polar cap potential (CPCP), and ii) the shapes of the magnetopause and bow shock. For i) we find a low interplanetary electric field of 1.3±0.9 mV?m^?1 and a CPCP of 37.3±20.2 kV. The auroral activity is closely correlated to the prevalent stream–stream interactions. We suggest that the Alfvén wave trains in the fast streams and Kelvin–Helmholtz instability were the predominant agents mediating the transfer of solar wind momentum and energy to the magnetosphere during this three-year period. For ii) we determine 328 magnetopause and 271 bow shock crossings made by Geotail, Cluster 1, and the THEMIS B and C spacecraft during a three-month interval when the daily averages of the magnetic and kinetic energy densities attained their lowest value during the three years under survey. We use the same numerical approach as in Fairfield’s (J. Geophys. Res. 76, 7600, 1971) empirical model and compare our findings with three magnetopause models. The stand-off distance of the subsolar magnetopause and bow shock were 11.8 R _E and 14.35 R _E, respectively. When comparing with Fairfield’s (1971) classic result, we find that the subsolar magnetosheath is thinner by ～1 R _E. This is mainly due to the low dynamic pressure which results in a sunward shift of the magnetopause. The magnetopause is more flared than in Fairfield’s model. By contrast the bow shock is less flared, and the latter is the result of weaker MHD forces.

     

Quasi-Biennial Oscillations in the North – South Asymmetry of Solar Activity

The north – south (N – S) asymmetry of solar activity is investigated by using the data on coronal green-line brightness and total number and total area of sunspots over the period of 1939  –  2001. Typical time variations of the N – S asymmetry are found to be consonant in these indices. Quasi-biennial oscillations (QBO) of solar activity are well recognizable in the N – S asymmetry of the examined indices. Moreover, the QBO are much better manifested in the N – S asymmetry of the individual indices than in the original (N plus S) indices. The time variations of relative QBO power are synchronous for the N – S asymmetry of various solar activity indices whereas such a synchronization is weaker for the indices themselves. It is revealed that the relative QBO power found in the N – S asymmetry of the studied indices has a negative correlation with the value of the N – S asymmetry itself. The findings indicate that the N – S asymmetry should be regarded as a fundamental phenomenon of solar activity similarly manifested in different activity indices. These findings should be taken into account when any dynamo theory of solar activity is constructed.     

On The Torsional Oscillations In Babcock–Leighton Solar Dynamo Models

The torsional oscillations at the solar surface have been interpreted by Schüssler and Yoshimura as being generated by the Lorentz force associated with the solar dynamo. It has been shown recently that they are also present in the upper half of the solar convection zone (SCZ). With the help of a solar dynamo model of the Babcock–Leighton type studied earlier, the longitudinal component of the Lorentz force, L , is calculated, and its sign or isocontours, are plotted vs. time, t, and polar angle, (the horizontal and vertical axis respectively). Two cases are considered, (1) differential rotation differs from zero only in the tachocline, (2) differential rotation as in (1) in the tachocline, and purely latitudinal and independent of depth in the bulk of the SCZ. In the first case the sign of L is roughly independent of latitude (corresponding to vertical bands in the t, plot), whereas in the second case the bands show a pole–equator slope of the correct sign. The pattern of the bands still differs, however, considerably from that of the helioseismic observations, and the values of the Lorentz force are too small at low latitudes. It is all but certain that the toroidal field that lies at the origin of the large bipolar magnetic regions observed at the surface, must be generated in the tachocline by differential rotation; the regeneration of the corresponding poloidal field, B _p has not yet been fully clarified. B _p could be regenerated, for example, at the surface (as in Babcock–Leighton models), or slightly above the tachocline, (as in interface dynamos). In the framework of the Babcock-Leighton models, the following scenario is suggested: the dynamo processes that give rise to the large bipolar magnetic regions are only part of the cyclic solar dynamo (to distinguish it from the turbulent dynamo). The toroidal field generated locally by differential rotation must contribute significantly to the torsional oscillations patterns. As this field becomes buoyant, it should give rise, at the surface, to the smaller bipolar magnetic regions as, e.g., to the ephemeral bipolar magnetic regions. These have a weak non-random orientation of magnetic axis, and must therefore also contribute to the source term for the poloidal field. Not only the ephemeral bipolar regions could be generated in the bulk of the SCZ, but many of the smaller bipolar regions as well (at depths that increase with their flux), all contributing to the source term for the poloidal field. In contrast to the butterfly diagram that provides only a very weak test of dynamo theories, the pattern of torsional oscillations has the potential of critically discriminating between different dynamo models.     

Optical Thickness of the 2–4.5 GHz Solar Plasma Emission

For radio emission at the frequency corresponding to the second harmonic of the local plasma frequency, the optical thickness in the solar atmosphere is calculated. Three types of models are assumed: the model with radio emission from the narrow transition region, and models with radio emission from a cool and dense plasma filament embedded in hotter plasma at the transition region and in the corona. The optical thickness is computed by integration of the collisional (free–free) absorption along a radio-ray path radial in the solar atmosphere. In all models considered the optical thickness can be sufficiently low for appropriate parameters. For example, in the narrow (<100 km) transition region where the density scale height is much less than that of the pressure one, the optical thickness can be lower than 1. Furthermore, the optical thickness can be decreased if the radio emission is generated in the cool and dense plasma filament surrounded by hotter and thinner plasma. But the models differ in density scale heights and thus in distances between plasma emission levels. This difference is essential for the interpretation of high-frequency type III radio bursts.     

Periodicities in Solar Flare Index for Cycles 21 – 23 Revisited

The periodic analyses of solar flare data have been carried out by different authors for about three decades. Controversial results appear as depending on the analysis techniques and investigated time periods. Considering that different authors applied different methods to different data sets, it seems necessary to reanalyze the periodicity of solar flare index with a unified method. In this study we used two new methods to investigate the periodic behavior of solar flare index data, first for individual cycles 21, 22 and 23, and then for all of them. We used i) the multi taper method with red- and white-noise approximations, and ii) the Morlet wavelet transform for periodicity analysis. Apart from the solar rotation periodicity of about 27 days which is of obvious significance and is found in all examined cycles with at least a 90% significance level, we obtained the following prominent periods: 152 days for cycle 21, 73 days for cycle 22, and 62 days for cycle 23. Finally, we compare our results with the ones previously found. We emphasize the fact that a lesser number of periodicities is found in the range of low frequencies (long periods) while the higher frequencies show a greater number of periodicities. This result might be useful for better predictions of the solar cycles.     

Comet Grigg–Skjellerup Atmosphere Interaction With the Oncoming Solar Wind

The interaction between the Comet P/Grigg-Skjellerup ionosphere and the oncoming solar wind is numerically simulated on the basis of the well-known gasdynamic single-fluid Biermann model. Numerical solutions are obtained using a discontinuity-fitting technique based on the implicit second-order Babenko-Rusanov method. The salient features of the interaction pattern for GS comet are nearly the same as in the previously considered case of the Comet P/Halley, although the gas productions of the two comets near the perihelion differ by an order of magnitude. The results of the numerical simulation are correlated with the data of onboard measurements performed during the `Giotto' encounter with GS comet in July 1992. The interaction region geometry, as well as the profiles of the plasma velocity and the disturbed magnetic field strength along the `Giotto' path, are compared. Theoretical and measured data are in a fairly good agreement, except for a near-nucleus region, where the MHD effects may become predominant. In general, the MHD effects appear to be more pronounced in the GS case, as compared with that of Halley comet, since during the `Giotto' – GS encounter the comet found itself in the `magnetic cloud' conditions. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Time – Frequency Analysis of GALLEX and GNO Solar Neutrino Data

Time – frequency analysis of data from the GALLEX and GNO solar neutrino experiments shows that some features in power-spectrum analyses of those datasets are due to aliasing (a result of the fact that run durations tend to be small multiples of one week). Displays formed from the published GALLEX data show a sharp discontinuity that we attribute to some systematic effect. We therefore normalize data for each of the four experiments in the GALLEX series and concatenate the resulting normalized data. This step effectively removes the presumed systematic effect. To help understand the effect of aliasing, we form time – frequency displays of the two principal modulations found in the data, at 11.87 year⁻¹ and at 13.63 year⁻¹. We also form time – frequency displays of datasets formed by subtracting these modulations from the actual (normalized) data. The results suggest that the true principal modulation is that at 11.87 year⁻¹. Comparison with helioseismology data suggests that modulation may be occurring in the core, perhaps resulting from inhomogeneities and fluctuations in the nuclear-burning process, and that the sidereal rotation rate of the core is 12.87 year⁻¹, or 408 nHz.     

Measurements of the Solar Radius in Antalya between 2001–2003

The results of the solar radius measurements from February 2001 to November 2003 with the solar astrolabe at the TUBITAK National Observatory are presented. The mean semi-diameter for the period, corrected for systematic effects such as the Fried parameter and the zenith distance, is found to be 959.29 ± 0.01 arc sec. A comparison of the monthly averages of the solar radius with the monthly means of sunspot numbers shows that the semi-diameter of the Sun increases with an amplitude of 0.017 arc sec per year in opposite phase with solar cycle 23.     

Numerical Simulations of Magnetoacoustic–Gravity Waves in the Solar Atmosphere

We investigate the excitation of magnetoacoustic–gravity waves generated from localized pulses in the gas pressure as well as in the vertical component of velocity. These pulses are initially launched at the top of the solar photosphere, which is permeated by a weak magnetic field. We investigate three different configurations of the background magnetic field lines: horizontal, vertical, and oblique to the gravitational force. We numerically model magnetoacoustic–gravity waves by implementing a realistic (VAL-C) model of the solar temperature. We solve the two-dimensional ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations numerically with the use of the FLASH code to simulate the dynamics of the lower solar atmosphere. The initial pulses result in shocks at higher altitudes. Our numerical simulations reveal that a small-amplitude initial pulse can produce magnetoacoustic–gravity waves, which are later reflected from the transition region due to the large-temperature gradient. The cavities in the lower solar atmosphere are found to have the best conditions to act as a resonator for various oscillations, including their trapping and leakage into the higher atmosphere. Our numerical simulations successfully model the excitation of such wave modes, their reflection and trapping, as well as the associated plasma dynamics.