Emerging and Decaying Magnetic Flux and Subsurface Flows

We study the temporal variation of subsurface flows of 788 active regions and 978 quiet regions. The vertical-velocity component used in this study is derived from the divergence of the measured horizontal flows using mass conservation. The horizontal flows cover a range of depths from the surface to about 16 Mm and are determined by analyzing about five years of GONG high-resolution Doppler data with ring-diagram analysis. We determine the change in unsigned magnetic flux during the disk passage of each active region using MDI magnetograms binned to the ring-diagram grid. We then sort the data by their flux change from decaying to emerging flux and divide the data into five subsets of equal size. The average vertical flows of the emerging-flux subset are systematically shifted toward upflows compared to the grand average values of the complete data set, whereas the average flows of the decaying-flux subset show comparably more pronounced downflows especially near 8 Mm. For flux emergence, upflows become stronger with time with increasing flux at depths greater than about 10 Mm. At layers shallower than about 4 Mm, the flows might start to change from downflows to upflows, when flux emerges, and then back to downflows after the active regions are established. The flows in the layers between these two depth ranges show no response to the emerging flux. In the case of decaying flux, the flows change from strong upflows to downflows at depths greater than about 10 Mm, whereas the flows do not change systematically at other depths. A cross-correlation analysis shows that the flows in the near-surface and the deeper layers might change about one day before flux emerges. The flows associated with the quiet regions fluctuate with time but do not show any systematic variation.     

Vorticity of Subsurface Flows of Emerging and Decaying Active Regions

We study the temporal variation of the vorticity of subsurface flows of 828 active regions and 977 quiet regions. The vorticity of these flows is derived from measured subsurface velocities. The horizontal flows are determined by analyzing high-resolution Global Oscillation Network Group Doppler data with ring-diagram analysis covering a range of depths from the surface to about 16 Mm. The vertical velocity component is derived from the divergence of the measured horizontal flows using mass conservation. We determine the change in unsigned magnetic flux density during the disk passage of each active region using Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) magnetograms binned to the ring-diagram grid with centers spaced by 7.5° ranging ± 52.5° in latitude and central meridian distance with an effective diameter of 15° after apodization. We then sort the data by their flux change from decaying to emerging flux and divide the data into five subsets of equal size. We find that the vorticity of subsurface flows increases during flux emergence and decreases when active regions decay. For flux emergence, the absolute values of the zonal and meridional vorticity components show the most coherent variation with activity, while for flux decrease the strongest signature is in the absolute values of the meridional and vertical vorticity components. The temporal variation of the enstrophy (residual vorticity squared) is thus a good indicator for either flux increase or decrease. There are some indications that the increase in vorticity during flux emergence happens about a day later at depths below about 8 Mm compared to layers shallower than about 4 Mm. This timing difference might imply that the vorticity signal analyzed here is caused by the interaction between magnetic flux and turbulent flows near the solar surface. There are also hints that the vorticity decrease during flux decay begins about a day earlier at layers deeper than about 8 Mm compared to shallower ones. However, the timing difference between the change at different depths is comparable to the time step of the analysis.     

Subsurface Zonal Flows

We study the zonal flow in solar subsurface layers, analyzing about six years of GONG++ high-resolution Doppler data with ring-diagram analysis. We focus on the variation of zonal flow with magnetic activity over a range of depths from the surface to about 16 Mm. There is a positive correlation between unsigned magnetic flux and zonal flow at most depths. We calculate the average zonal flow for a quiet- and an active-region subset defined as dense-pack locations with an unsigned magnetic flux less than 3.4 G and locations with greater than 65.0 G, respectively. The average zonal flow of active regions is about 4 m s⁻¹ larger than the average flow of quiet regions. This difference increases slightly with increasing depth, which might be explained by a nonradial inclination of the flux tubes or a different extent in depth of different magnetic features. The difference shows no apparent pattern in time and latitude, which makes it unlikely that it is simply a manifestation of the torsional-oscillation pattern. As a byproduct, we find that the size of the North – South asymmetry of the rotation rate decreases during the same epoch.     

Subsurface Vorticity of Flaring <Emphasis Type="Italic">versus</Emphasis> Flare-Quiet Active Regions

We apply discriminant analysis to 1023 active regions and their subsurface-flow parameters, such as vorticity and kinetic helicity density, with the goal of distinguishing between flaring and non-flaring active regions. We derive synoptic subsurface flows by analyzing GONG high-resolution Doppler data with ring-diagram analysis. We include magnetic-flux values in the discriminant analysis derived from NSO Kitt Peak and SOLIS synoptic maps binned to the same spatial scale as the helioseismic analysis. For each active region, we determine the flare information from GOES and include all flares within 60° central meridian distance to match the coverage of the ring-diagram analysis. The subsurface-flow characteristics improve the ability to distinguish between flaring and non-flaring active regions. For the C- and M-class flare category, the most important subsurface parameter is the so-called structure vorticity, which estimates the horizontal gradient of the horizontal-vorticity components. The no-event skill score, which measures the improvement over predicting that no events occur, reaches 0.48 for C-class flares and 0.32 for M-class flares, when the structure vorticity at three depths combined with total magnetic flux are used. The contributions come mainly from shallow layers within about 2 Mm of the surface and layers deeper than about 7 Mm.     

Dual chromospheric flows in the vicinity of a solar pore

Chromospheric line-of-sight velocities are investigated in a small pore and its vicinity on the part of the active region NOAA 11024 with a size of 5″. We used H_α spectra of the active region and undisturbed atmosphere obtained with the French–Italian solar telescope THEMIS (Tenerife, Spain). Significant line-of-sight velocity time variations are found. At the beginning of the observations, the investigated region consisted of two areas of oppositely directed flows. The first area had a bright point in the vicinity of the pore and the second area covered the pore. There were upflows in the former and downflows in the latter. Oppositely directed flows appeared in both areas 2.7 min after the start of observations. In the part of the active region with a length of 2Mm, two oppositely directed flows within the same resolution elements, the so-called dual flows, were observed. The size of the area occupied by the dual flows varied quickly. The area shifted toward the pore. The velocity of upflows and downflows reached 25 km/s. The downflows in the first area lasted only for approximately 1 min. Upflows in the second area gradually covered the pore and lasted for 2 min. The resulting velocity field distribution can be due to a new small-scale magnetic flux emergence.     

Atmosphere Dynamics of the Active Region NOAA 11024

We present results of the study of chromospheric and photospheric line-of-sight velocity fields in the young active region NOAA 11024. Multi-layer, multi-wavelength observational data were used for the analysis of the emerging flux in this active region. Spectropolarimetric observations were carried out with the telescope THEMIS on Tenerife (Canary Islands) on 4 July 2009. In addition, space-borne data from SOHO/MDI, STEREO and GOES were also considered. The combination of data from ground- and space-based telescopes allowed us to study the dynamics of the lower atmosphere of the active region with high spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions. THEMIS spectra show strong temporal variations of the velocity in the chromosphere and photosphere for various activity features: two pores, active and quiet plage regions, and two surges. The range of variations of the chromospheric line-of-sight velocity at the heights of the formation of the Hα core was extremely large. Both upward and downward motions were observed in these layers. In particular, a surge with upward velocities up to ?73 km?s^?1 was detected. In the photosphere, predominantly upward motions were found, varying from ?3.1 km?s^?1 upflows to 1.4 km?s^?1 downflows in different structures. The velocity variations at different levels in the lower atmosphere are compatible with the emergence of magnetic flux.     

Hemispheric Distribution of Subsurface Kinetic Helicity and Its Variation with Magnetic Activity

We study the hemispheric distribution of the kinetic helicity of subsurface flows in the near-surface layers of the solar convection zone and its variation with magnetic activity. We determine subsurface flows with a ring-diagram analysis applied to Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) Dopplergrams and Dynamics Program data from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). We determine the average kinetic helicity density as a function of Carrington rotation and latitude. The average kinetic helicity density at all depths and the kinetic helicity, integrated over 2?–?7 Mm, follow the same hemispheric rule as the current/magnetic helicity proxies with predominantly positive values in the southern and negative ones in the northern hemisphere. This holds true for all levels of magnetic activity from quiet to active regions. However, this is a statistical result; only about 55 % of all locations follow the hemispheric rule. But these locations have larger helicity values than those that do not follow the rule. The average values of helicity density increase with depth for all levels of activity, which might reflect an increase of the characteristic size of convective motions with greater depth. The average helicity of subsets of high magnetic activity is about five times larger than that of subsets of low activity. The solar-cycle variation of helicity is thus mainly due to the presence or absence of active regions. During the rising phase of cycle 24, locations of high magnetic activity at low latitudes show a weaker hemispheric behavior compared to the rising phase of cycle 23.     

North – South Asymmetry of Zonal and Meridional Flows Determined From Ring Diagram Analysis of Gong ++ Data

We study the North–South asymmetry of zonal and meridional components of horizontal, solar subsurface flows during the years 2001–2004, which cover the declining phase of solar cycle 23. We measure the horizontal flows from the near-surface layers to 16 Mm depth by analyzing 44 consecutive Carrington rotations of Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) Doppler images with a ring-diagram analysis technique. The meridional flow and the errors of both flow components show an annual variation related to the B ₀-angle variation, while the zonal flow is less affected by the B ₀-angle variation. After correcting for this effect, the meridional flow is mainly poleward but it shows a counter cell close to the surface at high latitudes in both hemispheres. During the declining phase of the solar cycle, the meridional flow mainly increases with time at latitudes poleward of about 20^˚, while it mainly decreases at more equatorward latitudes. The temporal variation of the zonal flow in both hemispheres is significantly correlated at latitudes less than about 20^˚. The zonal flow is larger in the southern hemisphere than the northern one, and this North–South asymmetry increases with depth. Details of the North–South asymmetry of zonal and meridional flow reflect the North–South asymmetry of the magnetic flux. The North–South asymmetries of the flows show hints of a variation with the solar cycle.     

Solar-Cycle Variation of Subsurface-Flow Divergence: A Proxy of Magnetic Activity?

We study the solar-cycle variation of subsurface flows from the surface to a depth of 16 Mm. We have analyzed Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) Dopplergrams with a ring-diagram analysis covering about 15 years and Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) Dopplergrams covering more than 6 years. After subtracting the average rotation rate and meridional flow, we have calculated the divergence of the horizontal residual flows from the maximum of Solar Cycle 23 through the declining phase of Cycle 24. The subsurface flows are mainly divergent at quiet regions and convergent at locations of high magnetic activity. The relationship is essentially linear between divergence and magnetic activity at all activity levels at depths shallower than about 10 Mm. At greater depths, the relationship changes sign at locations of high activity; the flows are increasingly divergent at locations with a magnetic activity index (MAI) greater than about 24 G. The flows are more convergent by about a factor of two during the rising phase of Cycle 24 than during the declining phase of Cycle 23 at locations of medium and high activity (about 10 to 40 G MAI) from the surface to at least 10 Mm. The subsurface divergence pattern of Solar Cycle 24 first appears during the declining phase of Cycle 23 and is present during the extended minimum. It appears several years before the magnetic pattern of the new cycle is noticeable in synoptic maps. Using linear regression, we estimate the amount of magnetic activity that would be required to generate the precursor pattern and find that it should be almost twice the amount of activity that is observed.     

Subsurface Flows in and Around Active Regions with Rotating and Non-rotating Sunspots

The temporal variation of the horizontal velocity in sub-surface layers beneath three different types of active region is studied using the technique of ring diagrams. In this study, we select active regions (ARs) 10923, 10930, 10935 from three consecutive Carrington rotations: AR 10930 contains a fast-rotating sunspot in a strong emerging active region while other two have non-rotating sunspots with emerging flux in AR 10923 and decaying flux in AR 10935. The depth range covered is from the surface to about 12 Mm. In order to minimize the influence of systematic effects, the selection of active and quiet regions is made so that these were observed at the same heliographic locations on the solar disk. We find a significant variation in both components of the horizontal velocity in active regions as compared to quiet regions. The magnitude is higher in emerging-flux regions than in the decaying-flux region, in agreement with earlier findings. Further, we clearly see a significant temporal variation in depth profiles of both zonal and meridional flow components in AR 10930, with the variation in the zonal component being more pronounced. We also notice a significant influence of the plasma motion in areas closest to the rotating sunspot in AR 10930, while areas surrounding the non-rotating sunspots in all three cases are least affected by the presence of the active region in their neighborhood.     

High-Resolution Mapping of Flows in the Solar Interior: Fully Consistent OLA Inversion of Helioseismic Travel Times

To recover the flow information encoded in travel-time data of time?–?distance helioseismology, accurate forward modeling and a robust inversion of the travel times are required. We accomplish this using three-dimensional finite-frequency travel-time sensitivity kernels for flows along with a (2+1)-dimensional (2+1D) optimally localized averaging (OLA) inversion scheme. Travel times are measured by ridge filtering MDI full-disk Doppler data and the corresponding Born sensitivity kernels are computed for these particular travel times. We also utilize the full noise-covariance properties of the travel times, which allow us to accurately estimate the errors for all inversions. The whole procedure is thus fully consistent. Because of ridge filtering, the kernel functions separate in the horizontal and vertical directions, motivating our choice of a 2+1D inversion implementation. The inversion procedure also minimizes cross-talk effects among the three flow components, and the averaging kernels resulting from the inversion show very small amounts of cross-talk. We obtain three-dimensional maps of vector solar flows in the quiet Sun at horizontal spatial resolutions of 7?10 Mm using generally 24 hours of data. For all of the flow maps we provide averaging kernels and the noise estimates. We present examples to test the inferred flows, such as a comparison with Doppler data, in which we find a correlation of 0.9. We also present results for quiet-Sun supergranular flows at different depths in the upper convection zone. Our estimation of the vertical velocity shows good qualitative agreement with the horizontal vector flows. We also show vertical flows measured solely from f-mode travel times. In addition, we demonstrate how to directly invert for the horizontal divergence and flow vorticity. Finally we study inferred flow-map correlations at different depths and find a rapid decrease in this correlation with depth, consistent with other recent local helioseismic analyses.     

Large-scale horizontal flows in the solar photosphere IV. On the vertical structure of large-scale horizontal flows

In the recent papers, we introduced a method utilised to measure the flow field. The method is based on the tracking of supergranular structures. We did not precisely know, whether its results represent the flow field in the photosphere or in some subphotospheric layers. In this paper, in combination with helioseismic data, we are able to estimate the depths in the solar convection envelope, where the detected large-scale flow field is well represented by the surface measurements. We got a clear answer to question what kind of structures we track in full-disc Dopplergrams. It seems that in the quiet Sun regions the supergranular structures are tracked, while in the regions with the magnetic field the structures of the magnetic field are dominant. This observation seems obvious, because the nature of Doppler structures is different in the magnetic regions and in the quiet Sun. We show that the large-scale flow detected by our method represents the motion of plasma in layers down to ～10 Mm. The supergranules may therefore be treated as the objects carried by the underlying large-scale velocity field.     

The Relationship Between Plasma Flow Doppler Velocities and Magnetic Field Parameters During the Emergence of Active Regions at the Solar Photospheric Level

A statistical study has been carried out of the relationship between plasma flow Doppler velocities and magnetic field parameters during the emergence of active regions at the solar photospheric level with data acquired by the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) onboard the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). We have investigated 224 emerging active regions with different spatial scales and positions on the solar disc. The following relationships for the first hours of the emergence of active regions have been analysed: i) of peak negative Doppler velocities with the position of the emerging active regions on the solar disc; ii) of peak plasma upflow and downflow Doppler velocities with the magnetic flux growth rate and magnetic field strength for the active regions emerging near the solar disc centre (the vertical component of plasma flows); iii) of peak positive and negative Doppler velocities with the magnetic flux growth rate and magnetic field strength for the active regions emerging near the limb (the horizontal component of plasma flows); iv) of the magnetic flux growth rate with the density of emerging magnetic flux; v) of the Doppler velocities and magnetic field parameters for the first hours of the appearance of active regions with the total unsigned magnetic flux at the maximum of their development.     

Time Variability of Rotation in Solar Convection Zone From soi-mdi

The variation of rotation in the convection zone over a period of two years from mid-1996 is studied using inversions of SOI–MDI data. We confirm the existence of near-surface banded zonal flows migrating towards the equator from higher latitudes, and reveal that these banded flows extend substantially beneath the surface, possibly to depths as great as 70 Mm (10% of the solar radius). Our results also reveal apparently significant temporal variations in the rotation rate at high latitudes and in the vicinity of the tachocline over the period of study.     

Solar Cycle Variations of Large-Scale Flows in the sun

Using data from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), we study the large-scale velocity fields in the outer part of the solar convection zone using the ring diagram technique. We use observations from four different times to study possible temporal variations in flow velocity. We find definite changes in both the zonal and meridional components of the flows. The amplitude of the zonal flow appears to increase with solar activity and the flow pattern also shifts towards lower latitude with time.     

The Horizontal Component of Photospheric Plasma Flows During the Emergence of Active Regions on the Sun

The dynamics of horizontal plasma flows during the first hours of the emergence of active region magnetic flux in the solar photosphere have been analyzed using SOHO/MDI data. Four active regions emerging near the solar limb have been considered. It has been found that extended regions of Doppler velocities with different signs are formed in the first hours of the magnetic flux emergence in the horizontal velocity field. The flows observed are directly connected with the emerging magnetic flux; they form at the beginning of the emergence of active regions and are present for a few hours. The Doppler velocities of flows observed increase gradually and reach their peak values 4?–?12 hours after the start of the magnetic flux emergence. The peak values of the mean (inside the ±?500 m?s^?1 isolines) and maximum Doppler velocities are 800?–?970 m?s^?1 and 1410?–?1700 m?s^?1, respectively. The Doppler velocities observed substantially exceed the separation velocities of the photospheric magnetic flux outer boundaries. The asymmetry was detected between velocity structures of leading and following polarities. Doppler velocity structures located in a region of leading magnetic polarity are more powerful and exist longer than those in regions of following polarity. The Doppler velocity asymmetry between the velocity structures of opposite sign reaches its peak values soon after the emergence begins and then gradually drops within 7?–?12 hours. The peak values of asymmetry for the mean and maximal Doppler velocities reach 240?–?460 m?s^?1 and 710?–?940 m?s^?1, respectively. An interpretation of the observable flow of photospheric plasma is given.     

Subsurface Meridional Circulation in the Active Belts

Temporal variations of the subsurface meridional flow with the solar cycle have been reported by several authors. The measurements are typically averaged over periods of time during which surface magnetic activity existed in the regions where the velocities are calculated. The present work examines the possible contamination of these measurements due to the extra velocity fields associated with active regions plus the uncertainties in the data obtained where strong magnetic fields are present. We perform a systematic analysis of more than five years of GONG data and compare meridional flows obtained by ring-diagram analysis before and after removing the areas of strong magnetic field. The overall trend of increased amplitude of the meridional flow towards solar minimum remains after removal of large areas associated with surface activity. We also find residual circulation toward the active belts that persists even after the removal of the surface magnetic activity, suggesting the existence of a global pattern or longitudinally-located organized flows.     

The Sub-surface Structure of a Large Sample of Active Regions

We employ ring-diagram analysis to study the sub-surface thermal structure of active regions. We present results using a large number of active regions over the course of Solar Cycle 23. We present both traditional inversions of ring-diagram frequency differences, with a total sample size of 264, and a statistical study using Principal Component Analysis. We confirm earlier results on smaller samples that sound speed and adiabatic index are changed below regions of strong magnetic field. We find that sound speed is decreased in the region between approximately r=0.99?R _⊙ and r=0.995?R _⊙ (depths of 3 Mm to 7 Mm) and increased in the region between r=0.97?R _⊙ and r=0.985?R _⊙ (depths of 11 Mm to 21 Mm). The adiabatic index [Γ₁] is enhanced in the same deeper layers where sound-speed enhancement is seen. A weak decrease in adiabatic index is seen in the shallower layers in many active regions. We find that the magnitudes of these perturbations depend on the strength of the surface magnetic field, but we find a great deal of scatter in this relation, implying that other factors may be relevant.     

Comparisons of Supergranule Characteristics During the Solar Minima of Cycles 22/23 and 23/24

Supergranulation is a component of solar convection that manifests itself on the photosphere as a cellular network of around 35 Mm across, with a turnover lifetime of 1 – 2 days. It is strongly linked to the structure of the magnetic field. The horizontal, divergent flows within supergranule cells carry local field lines to the cell boundaries, while the rotational properties of supergranule upflows may contribute to the restoration of the poloidal field as part of the dynamo mechanism, which controls the solar cycle. The solar minimum at the transition from cycle 23 to 24 was notable for its low level of activity and its extended length. It is of interest to study whether the convective phenomena that influence the solar magnetic field during this time differed in character from periods of previous minima. This study investigates three characteristics (velocity components, sizes and lifetimes) of solar supergranulation. Comparisons of these characteristics are made between the minima of cycles 22/23 and 23/24 using MDI Doppler data from 1996 and 2008, respectively. It is found that whereas the lifetimes are equal during both epochs (around 18 h), the sizes are larger in 1996 (35.9 ± 0.3 Mm) than in 2008 (35.0 ± 0.3 Mm), while the dominant horizontal velocity flows are weaker (139 ± 1 m s⁻¹ in 1996; 141 ± 1 m s⁻¹ in 2008). Although numerical differences are seen, they are not conclusive proof of the most recent minimum being inherently unusual.     

A study of supergranulation using a Diode Array Magnetograph

The evolution of the velocity and magnetic fields associated with supergranulation has been investigated using the Sacramento Peak Observatory Diode Array Magnetograph. The observations consist of time sequences of simultaneous velocity, magnetic field, and chromospheric network measurements. From these data it appears that the supergranular velocity cells may have lifetimes in excess of the accepted value of 24 hours. Magnetic field motions associated with supergranulation were infrequent and seem to be accompanied by changes in the velocity field. More prevalent were the slow dissipation and diffusion of stationary flux points. Vertical velocity fields of 200 m s–1 appear to be confined to downflows in magnetic field regions at supergranular boundaries. These downflows are only observed using certain absorption lines. Corresponding upflows in the center of supergranules of less than 50 m s^–1 may be present but cannot be confirmed.