Identification

Title

Granular-scale magnetic flux cancellations in the photosphere

Abstract

We investigate the evolution of five granular-scale magnetic flux cancellations just outside the moat region of a sunspot by using accurate spectropolarimetric measurements and G-band images with the Solar Optical Telescope (SOT) aboard Hinode. The opposite-polarity magnetic elements approach a junction of the intergranular lanes and then collide with each other there. The intergranular junction has strong redshifts, darker intensities than the regular intergranular lanes, and surface converging flows. This clearly confirms that the converging and downward convective motions are essential for the approaching process of the opposite-polarity magnetic elements. However, the motion of the approaching magnetic elements does not always match with their surrounding surface flow patterns in our observations. This suggests that, in addition to the surface flows, subsurface downward convective motions and subsurface magnetic connectivities are important for understanding the approach and collision of the opposite-polarity elements observed in the photosphere. We find that the horizontal magnetic field appears between the canceling opposite-polarity elements in only one event. The horizontal fields are observed along the intergranular lanes with Doppler redshifts. This cancellation is most probably a result of the submergence (retraction) of low-lying photospheric magnetic flux. In the other four events, the horizontal field is not observed between the opposite-polarity elements at any time when they approach and cancel each other. These approaching magnetic elements are more concentrated rather than gradually diffused, and they have nearly vertical fields even while they are in contact each other. We thus infer that the actual flux cancellations are highly time-dependent events at scales less than a pixel of Hinode SOT (about 200 km) near the solar surface.

Resource type

document

Resource locator

Unique resource identifier

code

http://n2t.net/ark:/85065/d7bk1cts

codeSpace

Dataset language

eng

Spatial reference system

code identifying the spatial reference system

Classification of spatial data and services

Topic category

geoscientificInformation

Keywords

Keyword set

keyword value

Text

originating controlled vocabulary

title

Resource Type

reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2016-01-01T00:00:00Z

Geographic location

West bounding longitude

East bounding longitude

North bounding latitude

South bounding latitude

Temporal reference

Temporal extent

Begin position

End position

Dataset reference date

date type

publication

effective date

2010-04-01T00:00:00Z

Frequency of update

Quality and validity

Lineage

Conformity

Data format

name of format

version of format

Constraints related to access and use

Constraint set

Use constraints

Limitations on public access

None

Responsible organisations

Responsible party

contact position

OpenSky Support

organisation name

UCAR/NCAR - Library

full postal address

PO Box 3000

Boulder

80307-3000

email address

opensky@ucar.edu

web address

http://opensky.ucar.edu/

name: homepage

responsible party role

pointOfContact

Metadata on metadata

Metadata point of contact