Abstract
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 33–45 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Solar Physics |
| Volume | 278 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2012 |
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On signatures of twisted magnetic flux tube emergence. / Vargas Domínguez, Santiago; MacTaggart, David; Green, L.; van Driel-Gesztelyi, Lidia; Hood, Alan W.
In: Solar Physics, Vol. 278, No. 1, 2012, p. 33–45.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
TY - JOUR
T1 - On signatures of twisted magnetic flux tube emergence
AU - Vargas Domínguez,Santiago
AU - MacTaggart,David
AU - Green,L.
AU - van Driel-Gesztelyi,Lidia
AU - Hood,Alan W.
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Recent studies of NOAA active region 10953, by Okamoto et al. (Astrophys. J. Lett. 673, 215, 2008; Astrophys. J. 697, 913, 2009), have interpreted photospheric observations of changing widths of the polarities and reversal of the horizontal magnetic field component as signatures of the emergence of a twisted flux tube within the active region and along its internal polarity inversion line (PIL). A filament is observed along the PIL and the active region is assumed to have an arcade structure. To investigate this scenario, Mac- Taggart and Hood (Astrophys. J. Lett. 716, 219, 2010) constructed a dynamic flux emergence model of a twisted cylinder emerging into an overlying arcade. The photospheric signatures observed by Okamoto et al. (2008, 2009) are present in the model although their underlying physical mechanisms differ. The model also produces two additional signatures that can be verified by the observations. The first is an increase in the unsigned magnetic flux in the photosphere at either side of the PIL. The second is the behaviour of characteristic photospheric flow profiles associated with twisted flux tube emergence. We look for these two signatures in AR 10953 and find negative results for the emergence of a twisted flux tube along the PIL. Instead, we interpret the photospheric behaviour along the PIL to be indicative of photospheric magnetic cancellation driven by flows from the dominant sunspot. Although we argue against flux emergence within this particular region, the work demonstrates the important relationship between theory and observations for the successful discovery and interpretation of signatures of flux emergence.
AB - Recent studies of NOAA active region 10953, by Okamoto et al. (Astrophys. J. Lett. 673, 215, 2008; Astrophys. J. 697, 913, 2009), have interpreted photospheric observations of changing widths of the polarities and reversal of the horizontal magnetic field component as signatures of the emergence of a twisted flux tube within the active region and along its internal polarity inversion line (PIL). A filament is observed along the PIL and the active region is assumed to have an arcade structure. To investigate this scenario, Mac- Taggart and Hood (Astrophys. J. Lett. 716, 219, 2010) constructed a dynamic flux emergence model of a twisted cylinder emerging into an overlying arcade. The photospheric signatures observed by Okamoto et al. (2008, 2009) are present in the model although their underlying physical mechanisms differ. The model also produces two additional signatures that can be verified by the observations. The first is an increase in the unsigned magnetic flux in the photosphere at either side of the PIL. The second is the behaviour of characteristic photospheric flow profiles associated with twisted flux tube emergence. We look for these two signatures in AR 10953 and find negative results for the emergence of a twisted flux tube along the PIL. Instead, we interpret the photospheric behaviour along the PIL to be indicative of photospheric magnetic cancellation driven by flows from the dominant sunspot. Although we argue against flux emergence within this particular region, the work demonstrates the important relationship between theory and observations for the successful discovery and interpretation of signatures of flux emergence.
U2 - 10.1007/s11207-011-9789-3
DO - 10.1007/s11207-011-9789-3
M3 - Article
VL - 278
SP - 33
EP - 45
JO - Solar Physics
T2 - Solar Physics
JF - Solar Physics
SN - 0038-0938
IS - 1
ER -