scholarly journals Reconciliating the Vertical and Horizontal Gradients of the Sunspot Magnetic Field

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Bommier

In the literature, we found 15 references showing that the sunspot photospheric magnetic field vertical gradient is on the order of 3-4 G/km, with field strength decreasing with height, whereas the horizontal gradient is nine times weaker on the order of 0.4-0.5 G/km. This is confirmed by our recent THEMIS observations. As a consequence, the vanishing of divB→ is not realized. In other words, a loss of magnetic flux is observed with increasing height, which is not compensated for by an increase of the horizontal flux. We show that the lack of spatial resolution, vertical as well as horizontal, cannot be held responsible for the nonvanishing observed divB→. The present paper is devoted to the investigation of this problem. We investigate how the magnetic field is influenced by the plasma anisotropy due to the stratification, which is responsible for an “aspect ratio” between horizontal and vertical typical lengths. On the example of our THEMIS observations, made of two spectral lines formed at two different depths, which enables the retrieval of the three components entering divB→, it is shown that once this aspect ratio is applied, the rescaled divB→ vanishes, which suggests a new methodology for MHD modeling in the photosphere.

1993 ◽  
Vol 138 ◽  
pp. 305-309
Author(s):  
Marco Landolfi ◽  
Egidio Landi Degl’Innocenti ◽  
Maurizio Landi Degl’Innocenti ◽  
Jean-Louis Leroy ◽  
Stefano Bagnulo

AbstractBroadband linear polarization in the spectra of Ap stars is believed to be due to differential saturation between σ and π Zeeman components in spectral lines. This mechanism has been known for a long time to be the main agent of a similar phenomenon observed in sunspots. Since this phenomenon has been carefully calibrated in the solar case, it can be confidently used to deduce the magnetic field of Ap stars.Given the magnetic configuration of a rotating star, it is possible to deduce the broadband polarization at any phase. Calculations performed for the oblique dipole model show that the resulting polarization diagrams are very sensitive to the values of i (the angle between the rotation axis and the line of sight) and β (the angle between the rotation and magnetic axes). The dependence on i and β is such that the four-fold ambiguity typical of the circular polarization observations ((i,β), (β,i), (π-i,π-β), (π-β,π-i)) can be removed.


2010 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 13-16
Author(s):  
Wei Li ◽  
Ping Mei Ming ◽  
Wu Ji Jiang ◽  
Yin Ding Lv

In this paper, the influences of applied magnetic field on flow state during electroforming of the high-aspect-ratio (HAR) blind micro-hole were numerically analyzed using the Fluent software. The results showed that, when microelectroforming of nickel without external agitation, three vortexes could form due to the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) effect within the HAR micro-hole with magnetic field in parallel to cathode-electrode surface, and the flow rate in the micro-hole increased with the increase of the magnetic field and current density. The MHD effect helped to enhance mass transfer during the microelectroforming of HAR microstructures.


2000 ◽  
Vol 175 ◽  
pp. 324-329 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.F. Henrichs ◽  
J.A. de Jong ◽  
J.-F. Donati ◽  
C. Catala ◽  
G.A. Wade ◽  
...  

AbstractNew circular spectropolarimetric observations of the B1 IIIe star β Cep (υsini = 25 km s−1) show a sinusoidally varying weak longitudinal magnetic field (~ 200 G peak-to-peak). The period corresponds to the 12 day period in the stellar wind variations observed in ultraviolet spectral lines. Maximum field occurs at maximum emission in the UV wind lines. This gives compelling evidence for a magnetic-rotator model for this star, with an unambiguous rotation period of 12 days.The similarity between the Hα emission phases in β Cep and in Be stars suggests that the origin of the Be phenomenon does not have to be rapid rotation: we propose that in β Cep the velocity to bring material in (Keplerian) orbit is provided by the high corotation velocity at the Alfvén radius (~10 R*), whereas in Be stars this is done by the rapid rotation of the surface. In both cases the cause of the emission phases has still to be found. Weak temporary magnetic fields remain the strongest candidate.A full paper, with results including additional measurements in June and July 1999, will appear in A & A.


1993 ◽  
Vol 139 ◽  
pp. 132-132
Author(s):  
G. Mathys

Magnetic field appears to play a major role in the pulsations of rapidly oscillating Ap (roAp) stars. Understanding of the behaviour of these objects thus requires knowledge of their magnetic field. Such knowledge is in particular essential to interpret the modulation of the amplitude of the photometric variations (with a frequency very close to the rotation frequency of the star) and to understand the driving mechanism of the pulsation. Therefore, a systematic programme of study of the magnetic field of roAp stars has been started, of which preliminary (and still very partial) results are presented here.Magnetic fields of Ap stars can be diagnosed from the Zeeman effect that they induced in spectral lines either from the observation of line-splitting in high-resolution unpolarized spectra (which only occurs in favourable circumstances) or from the observation of circular polarization of the lines in medium- to high-resolution spectra.


1971 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
pp. 59-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl D. Rakoš

It is certain, that the mechanism causing variations of the magnetic field and spectral lines in Ap stars must also cause variations in their luminosities. The light curves are synchronous with the magnetic variations and usually the maximum of the positive magnetic field strength coincides with the minimum of the light curve. In the past the oblique rotator theory was not able to explain easily such brightness change. There is no simple reason to suppose, that the brightness of the surface of a star would increase or decrease at one magnetic pole only. Since that time a few stars were found with some indications for secondary minima and maxima in the light curves, but the first established double wave in a light curve was recently found by H. M. MAITZEN and K. D. RAKOš in HD 125 248 (1970), see Figure 1. It is a very exciting result, only the light curve in yellow light shows two maxima and two minima. The light curves in blue and ultraviolet are very smooth and show no evidence for secondary waves.


2000 ◽  
Vol 7 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 127-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. M. Zelenyi ◽  
M. I. Sitnov ◽  
H. V. Malova ◽  
A. S. Sharma

Abstract. Thin anisotropic current sheets (CSs) are phenomena of the general occurrence in the magnetospheric tail. We develop an analytical theory of the self-consistent thin CSs. General solitions of the Grad-Shafranov equation are obtained in a quasi-adiabatic approximation which neglects the jumps of the sheet adiabatic invariant Iz This is possible if the anisotropy of the initial distribution function is not too strong. The resulting structure of the thin CSs is interpreted as a sum of negative dia- and positive paramagnetic currents flowing near the neutral plane. In the immediate vicinity of the magnetic field reversal region the paramagnetic current arising from the meandering motion of the ions on Speiser orbits dominates. The maximum CS thick-ness is achieved in the case of weak plasma anisotropy and is of the order of the thermal ion gyroradius outside the sheet. A unified picture of thin CS scalings includes both the quasi-adiabatic regimes of weak and strong anisotropies and the nonadiabatic limit of super-strong anisotropy of the source ion distribution. The later limit corresponds to the case of almost field-aligned initial distribution, when the ratio of the drift velocity outside the CS to the thermal ion velocity exceeds the ratio of the magnetic field outside the CS to its value in-side the CS (vD/vT> B0/Bn). In this regime the jumps of Iz, become essential, and the current sheet thickness is approaching to some small but finite value, which depends upon the parameter Bn /B0. Convective electric field increases the effective anisotropy of the source distribution and might produce the essential CS thinning which could have important implications for the sub-storm dynamics.


Author(s):  
V. Lozitsky

We present study of solar flare of 19 July 2000 which arose in active region NOAA 9087 and had M 5.6 / 3N importance. Observational material was obtained with the Echelle spectrograph of the horizontal solar telescope of the Astronomical Observatory of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The local magnetic fields in this flare were measured by the splitting of emissive peaks of the FeI 5269.54, FeII 4923.93, Нα, Нβ, Нγand D3 HeI lines. The basic idea of the method is based on the fact that the flare emission in some spectral lines is clearly divided into two components: (1) wider and unpolarized, and (2) more narrow and polarized, with significant Zeeman splitting. This is indication to the two-component structure of the magnetic field, with substantially different magnetic fields and thermodynamical conditions in these two components. Due to the fact that the polarized emission is quite confidently separated from the unpolarized, it is possible to measure the local magnetic fields directly in the second (strong) component regardless of the filling factor. It was found that in the bright place of this flare, which was projected on the sunspot penumbra, the effective magnetic field Beff in the FeI 6301.5 i 6302.5 lines measured by splitting of the Fraunhofer profiles, was 900 G. However, the splitting of emissive peaks in Нα, Нβ, Нγ and D3 lines corresponds to 1000 G, 1400 G, 1450 G and about zero, respectively, with errors of 30-50 G for abovenamed FeI lines and about 100–150 G for other lines. This difference in the results is probably due to the fact that in the case of FeI 6301.5 i 6302.5 lines, the Beff value represents several parameters, including the value of the background field, the filling factor, and the intensity of the local fields in the strong component. In contrast, data on the Нα, Нβ, Нγ, and D3 lines mainly reflect local fields in the strong component and indicate the nonmonotonous distribution of the magnetic field with height in solar atmosphere, with its maximum at the chromospheric level. Earlier in this flare, when constructing its semi-empirical model, local amplification of the magnetic field at the photospheric level was discovered, and its value reached 1500 G. These data are confirmed by direct measurements of splitting of emissive peaks in FeI 5269.54 and FeII 4923.93 lines, according to which the magnetic field in the flare was 1250 ± 100 G. Thus, in this flare there were at least two regions (possibly two flat layers) of local amplification of the magnetic field.


2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 26-36
Author(s):  
Sergei Plachinda ◽  
Varvara Butkovskaya

A research on stellar magnetism in Crimea was initiated by pioneer works of A.B. Severny, V.E. Stepanov, and D.N. Rachkovsky. Today, the study of stellar magnetic fields is a key field of research at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (CrAO). The 2.6 m Shajn telescope equipped with the echelle spectrograph ESPL, CCD, and Stokesmeter (a circular polarization analyzer) allows us to study the magnetic field of bright stars up to 5m–6m. The Single Line (SL) technique is developed for measuring magnetic fields at CrAO. This technique is based on the calculation of the Zeeman effect in individual spectral lines. A key advantage of the SL technique is its ability to detect local magnetic fields on the surface of stars. Many results in the field of direct measurements of stellar magnetic fields were obtained at CrAO for the first time. In particular, the magnetic field on supergiants (ǫ Gem), as well as on a number of subgiants, giants, and bright giants was first detected. This, and investigations of other authors, confirmed the hypothesis that a magnetic field is generated at all the stages of evolution of late-type stars, including the stage of star formation. The emergence of large magnetic flux tubes at the surface of stars of V-IV-III luminosity classes (61 Cyg A, β Gem, β Aql) was first registered. In subgiants, the magnetic field behavior with the activity cycle was first established for β Aql. Using the long-term Crimean spectroscopic and spectropolarimetric observations of α Lyr, the 22-year variability cycle of the star, supposedly associated with meridional flows, is confirmed. Magnetic field variability with the pulsation period was first detected for different types of pulsating variables: the classical Cepheid β Aql, the low-amplitude β Cep-type variable γ Peg, and others. In this review we cover more than a half-century history of the formation of the Crimean scientific school for high-precision direct measurements of stellar magnetic fields.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document