Magnetic Structure of Umbral Dots Observed with the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (original) (raw)
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Umbral Fine Structures in Sunspots Observed with Hinode Solar Optical Telescope
Publications of the Astronomical Society of Japan, 2007
High resolution imaging observation of a sunspot umbra was done with Hinode Solar Optical Telescope (SOT). Filtergrams in wavelengths of blue and green continuum were taken during three consecutive days. The umbra consisted of a dark core region, several diffuse components and numerous umbral dots. We derived basic properties of umbral dots (UDs), especially their temperatures, lifetimes, proper motions, spatial distribution and morphological evolution. Brightness of UDs is confirmed to depend on the brightness of their surrounding background. Several UDs show fission and fusion. Thanks to the stable condition of space observation, we could first follow the temporal behavior of these events. The derived properties of internal structure of the umbra are discussed in viewpoint of magnetoconvection in a strong magnetic field.
Sol Phys, 1968
From an investigation of spectra in a magnetically sensitive (26173, g --2.5) and insensitive line (25576, g = 0), we derived the following properties for a symmetrical sunspot: (a) The magnetic field strength varies with the distance Q(O ~< 1) from the sunspot center like H(O) = H(0) (1 § 02) -I. (b) The zenith angle of the magnetic field varies like 90~ From this and from H(0)we find a height gradient of 0.5 gs/km at 0 --0. (c) The equivalent width and the half width of 25576 show an increase in penumbral regions of maximum Evershed flow. Most likely this is due to a combination of inhomogeneities in the Evershed flow and 'microturbulence'.
Properties of simulated sunspot umbral dots
Astronomy and Astrophysics, 2010
Realistic 3D radiative MHD simulations reveal the magneto-convective processes underlying the formation of the photospheric fine structure of sunspots, including penumbral filaments and umbral dots. Here we provide results from a statistical analysis of simulated umbral dots and compare them with reports from high-resolution observations. A multi-level segmentation and tracking algorithm has been used to isolate the bright structures in synthetic bolometric and continuum brightness images. Areas, brightness, and lifetimes of the resulting set of umbral dots are found to be correlated: larger umbral dots tend to be brighter and live longer. The magnetic field strength and velocity structure of umbral dots on surfaces of constant optical depth in the continuum at 630 nm indicate that the strong field reduction and high velocities in the upper parts of the upflow plumes underlying umbral dots are largely hidden from spectro-polarimetric observations. The properties of the simulated umbral dots are generally consistent with the results of recent highresolution observations. However, the observed population of small, short-lived umbral dots is not reproduced by the simulations, possibly owing to insufficient spatial resolution.
PROPERTIES OF UMBRAL DOTS AS MEASURED FROM THE NEW SOLAR TELESCOPE DATA AND MHD SIMULATIONS
The Astrophysical Journal, 2012
We studied bright umbral dots (UDs) detected in a moderate size sunspot and compared their statistical properties to recent MHD models. The study is based on high-resolution data recorded by the New Solar Telescope at the Big Bear Solar Observatory and three-dimensional (3D) MHD simulations of sunspots. Observed UDs, living longer than 150 s, were detected and tracked in a 46 minute long data set, using an automatic detection code. A total of 1553 (620) UDs were detected in the photospheric (low chromospheric) data. Our main findings are (1) none of the analyzed UDs is precisely circular, (2) the diameter-intensity relationship only holds in bright umbral areas, and (3) UD velocities are inversely related to their lifetime. While nearly all photospheric UDs can be identified in the low chromospheric images, some small closely spaced UDs appear in the low chromosphere as a single cluster. Slow-moving and long-living UDs seem to exist in both the low chromosphere and photosphere, while fast-moving and short-living UDs are mainly detected in the photospheric images. Comparison to the 3D MHD simulations showed that both types of UDs display, on average, very similar statistical characteristics. However, (1) the average number of observed UDs per unit area is smaller than that of the model UDs, and (2) on average, the diameter of model UDs is slightly larger than that of observed ones.
Fine structures in the atmosphere above a sunspot umbra
Astronomy & Astrophysics, 2013
We present simultaneous photospheric and chromospheric observations of the trailing sunspot in NOAA 10904, obtained with the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST) La Palma, Canary Islands. Time series of high resolution Ca ii H images show transient jet-like structures in sunspot umbrae are elongated, which we call umbral microjets. These jets are directed roughly parallel to nearby penumbral microjets, suggesting that they are aligned with the background magnetic field. In general, first a bright dot-like structure appears, from which a jet later emerges, although some jets appear without an associated chromospheric dot. Bright photospheric umbral dots are associated with umbral microjets arising in the outer umbra. Nevertheless, a one-to-one correspondence between jet-like events and underlying umbral dots is not seen. They are typically less than 1 long and less than 0. 3 wide. The typical lifetime of umbral microjets is around one minute. The brightness of these structures increases from the center of the umbra toward the umbra-penumbra boundary along with the brightness of the local background.
Characteristic Dependence of Umbral Dots on Their Magnetic Structure
The Astrophysical Journal, 2009
Umbral dots (UDs) were observed in a stable sunspot in NOAA 10944 by the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope on 2007 March 1. The observation program consisted of blue continuum images and spectropolarimetric profiles of Fe I 630 nm line. An automatic detection algorithm for UDs was applied to the 2-hour continuous blue continuum images, and using the obtained data, the lifetime, size, and proper motion of UDs were calculated. The magnetic structure of the sunspot was derived through the inversion of the spectropolarimetric profiles. We calculated the correlations between UD's parameters (size, lifetime, occurrence rate, proper motion) and magnetic fields (field strength, inclination, azimuth), and obtained the following results: (1) Both the lifetime and size of UDs are almost constant regardless of the magnetic field strength at their emergence site. (2) The speed of UDs increases as the field inclination angle at their emergence site gets larger. (3) The direction of movement of UDs is nearly parallel to the direction of the horizontal component of magnetic field in the region with strongly inclined field, while UDs in the region with weakly inclined field show virtually no proper motion. Our results describe the basic properties of magnetoconvection in sunspots. We will discuss our results in comparison to recent MHD simulations by Schüssler & Vögler (2006) and Rempel et al. (2009).
Proper Motions of Sunspots’ Umbral Dots at High Temporal and Spatial Resolution
The Astrophysical Journal, 2018
To deepen the analysis of the photometric properties of the umbra of a sunspot, we study proper motions of small features such as umbral dots (UDs) inside a single sunspot observed by the Solar Optical Telescope of Hinode close to the disk center. We consider horizontal flows with high precision and details to study the transient motion behavior of UDs in short time intervals. Blue continuum images were first deconvolved with the point-spread function, such that the stray light is precisely removed and the original resolution is improved. Several images were co-added to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, keeping a reasonable temporal resolution and checking that the results are reproducible. The Fourier local correlation tracking technique is applied to the new corrected time sequence of images, and horizontal velocity maps were obtained both for the whole umbra (16″ × 12″) and for a high-resolution small region of the umbra (3 5 × 3 5) to study the smallest details of the velocity fields. We used two different Gaussian tracking windows (0.8 and 0 2), which reveals two types of horizontal motions for umbral features. First, a global inner penumbra and peripheral umbra inward motion directed to the central parts is revealed as an overall proper motion of bright peripheral fine structures. Second, motions matching small cells inside the darkest parts of the umbra with apparent sink and source areas are revealed, suggesting possible upflows and downflows appearing in different bright and dark locations without a definite answer regarding their brightness identification with a convective or a buoyant cell.
HIGH RESOLUTION OBSERVATIONS OF CHROMOSPHERIC JETS IN SUNSPOT UMBRA
The Astrophysical Journal, 2014
Recent observations of sunspot's umbra suggested that it may be finely structured at a sub-arcsecond scale representing a mix of hot and cool plasma elements. In this study we report the first detailed observations of the umbral spikes, which are cool jet-like structures seen in the chromosphere of an umbra. The spikes are cone-shaped features with a typical height of 0.5-1.0 Mm and a width of about 0.1 Mm. Their life time ranges from 2 to 3 min and they tend to re-appear at the same location. The spikes are not associated with photospheric umbral dots and they rather tend to occur above darkest parts of the umbra, where magnetic fields are strongest. The spikes exhibit up and down oscillatory motions and their spectral evolution suggests that they might be driven by upward propagating shocks generated by photospheric oscillations. It is worth noting that triggering of the running penumbral waves seems to occur during the interval when the spikes reach their maximum height. Subject headings:
Structure and Dynamics of Sunspots (Keynote)
The Second Hinode Science Meeting: …, 2009
The physics of Sunspots is a fascinating and demanding field of research in solar astronomy. Interaction of magnetic fields and plasma flows takes place in a tangled magnetic geometry and occurs on spatial scales that pose a continuous challenge for existing instrumentation and for the unambiguous interpretation of spectropolarimetric observations. Thus, the main properties of sunspots are well established but its fine structure is not yet fully understood. In this contribution we summarize the current knowledge of the magnetic and dynamic properties of sunspots at the photospheric level based on selected observations featuring the highest possible spatial and spectral resolution. We concentrate on light bridges, umbral dots, penumbral filaments and the notorious dark cores in penumbral filaments. We report on the morphology of the fine structure elements but mostly focus on observations of their line-of-sight velocities and magnetic field parameters. We briefly comment on results from recent radiative MHD simulations and more schematic model ideas that attempt to rationalize observations of the penumbra.
Classification of Magnetoatmospheric Modes in Sunspot Umbrae
Solar Photosphere: Structure, …, 1990
We examine the wave modes in a sunspot umbra. Assuming a stratification, based on a model atmosphere in a sunspot, the normal mode spectrum is determined. The modes are classified using a scheme based on a Helmholtz decomposition of the displacements into /(longitudinal) and ^(transverse) components. In certain cases these can be related to the usual fast and slow MHD waves. We compute the theoretical eigenfrequencies and note the existence of umbral oscillations with periods in the range 2-3 min, which are interpreted as slow and mixed modes. The frequencies of the Alfvén waves are also calculated. It is suggested that these modes might also have been observed.