Emerging Flux Regions

All active regions are born as Emerging Flux Regions (EFRs) which appear in H as two small plages of opposite polarity connected by parallel dark arches. After a brief review of the properties of EFRs, we report on new observations of the birth of an EFR and apparent subsequent field reconnection. We review fluxrope theories, predict the appearance of EFRs, then modify this picture on the basis of high resolution observations. We arrive at a model of this phenomenon that encompasses relevant aspects such as the axial tilt of spot groups, the observed rotation of EFRs as they emerge, and the fact that EFR fluxtubes are made up of many discrete strands.We investigate the relation of the positions of emergence of EFRs to the chromospheric network. We find that new EFRs can be much smaller than supergranules.