arXiv subjects

M. Schuessler

Publications and source records attributed to M. Schuessler.

34 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2009

A comparison of measured and simulated solar network contrast

Long-term trends in the solar spectral irradiance are important to determine the impact on Earth's climate. These long-term changes are thought to be caused mainly by changes in the surface area covered by small-scale magnetic elements. The direct measurement of the contrast to determine the impact of these small-scale magnetic elements is, however, limited to a few wavelengths, and is, even for space instruments, affected by scattered light and instrument defocus. In this work we calculate emergent intensities from 3-D simulations of solar magneto-convection and validate the outcome by comparing with observations from Hinode/SOT. In this manner we aim to construct the contrast at wavelengths ranging from the NUV to the FIR.

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arXiv2008

Solar surface emerging flux regions: a comparative study of radiative MHD modeling and Hinode SOT observations

We present results from numerical modeling of emerging flux regions on the solar surface. The modeling was carried out by means of 3D radiative MHD simulations of the rise of buoyant magnetic flux tubes through the convection zone and into the photosphere. Due to the strong stratification of the convection zone, the rise results in a lateral expansion of the tube into a magnetic sheet, which acts as a reservoir for small-scale flux emergence events at the scale of granulation. The interaction of the convective downflows and the rising magnetic flux undulates it to form serpentine field lines emerging into the photosphere. Observational characteristics including the pattern of emerging flux regions, the cancellation of surface flux and associated high speed downflows, the convective collapse of photospheric flux tubes, the appearance of anomalous darkenings, the formation of bright points and the possible existence of transient kilogauss horizontal fields are discussed in the context of new observations from the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope. Implications for the local helioseismology of emerging flux regions are also discussed.

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arXiv2008

Radiative MHD simulation of sunspot structure

Results of a 3D MHD simulation of a sunspot with a photospheric size of about 20 Mm are presented. The simulation has been carried out with the MURaM code, which includes a realistic equation of state with partial ionization and radiative transfer along many ray directions. The largely relaxed state of the sunspot shows a division in a central dark umbral region with bright dots and a penumbra showing bright filaments of about 2 to 3 Mm length with central dark lanes. By a process similar to the formation of umbral dots, the penumbral filaments result from magneto-convection in the form of upflow plumes, which become elongated by the presence of an inclined magnetic field: the upflow is deflected in the outward direction while the magnetic field is weakened and becomes almost horizontal in the upper part of the plume near the level of optical depth unity. A dark lane forms owing to the piling up of matter near the cusp-shaped top of the rising plume that leads to an upward bulging of the surfaces of constant optical depth. The simulated penumbral structure corresponds well to the observationally inferred interlocking-comb structure of the magnetic field with Evershed outflows along dark-laned filaments with nearly horizontal magnetic field and overturning perpendicular (`twisting') motion, which are embedded in a background of stronger and less inclined field. Photospheric spectral lines are formed at the very top and somewhat above the upflow plumes, so that they do not fully sense the strong flow as well as the large field inclination and significant field strength reduction in the upper part of the plume structures.

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arXiv2007

Flow instabilities of magnetic flux tubes II. Longitudinal flow

Flow-induced instabilities are relevant for the storage and dynamics of magnetic fields in stellar convection zones and possibly also in other astrophysical contexts. We continue the study started in the first paper of this series by considering the stability properties of longitudinal flows along magnetic flux tubes. A linear stability analysis was carried out to determine criteria for the onset of instability in the framework of the approximation of thin magnetic flux tubes. In the non-dissipative case, we find Kelvin-Helmholtz instability for flow velocities exceeding a critical speed that depends on the Alfv{é}n speed and on the ratio of the internal and external densities. Inclusion of a friction term proportional to the relative transverse velocity leads to a friction-driven instability connected with backward (or negative energy) waves. We discuss the physical nature of this instability. In the case of a stratified external medium, the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability and the friction-driven instability can set in for flow speeds significantly lower than the Alfv{é}n speed. Dissipative effects can excite flow-driven instability below the thresholds for the Kelvin-Helmholtz and the undulatory (Parker-type) instabilities. This may be important for magnetic flux storage in stellar convection zones and for the stability of astrophysical jets.

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arXiv2007

Stokes diagnostics of simulated solar magneto-convection

We present results of synthetic spectro-polarimetric diagnostics of radiative MHD simulations of solar surface convection with magnetic fields. Stokes profiles of Zeeman-sensitive lines of neutral iron in the visible and infrared spectral ranges emerging from the simulated atmosphere have been calculated in order to study their relation to the relevant physical quantities and compare with observational results. We have analyzed the dependence of the Stokes-I line strength and width as well as of the Stokes-V signal and asymmetries on the magnetic field strength. Furthermore, we have evaluated the correspondence between the actual velocities in the simulation with values determined from the Stokes-I (Doppler shift of the centre of gravity) and Stokes-V profiles (zero-crossing shift). We confirm that the line weakening in strong magnetic fields results from a higher temperature (at equal optical depth) in the magnetic flux concentrations. We also confirm that considerable Stokes-V asymmetries originate in the peripheral parts of strong magnetic flux concentrations, where the line of sight cuts through the magnetopause of the expanding flux concentration into the surrounding convective donwflow.

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arXiv2007

A solar surface dynamo

Context: Observations indicate that the `quiet' solar photosphere outside active regions contains considerable amounts of magnetic energy and magnetic flux, with mixed polarity on small scales. The origin of this flux is unclear. Aims: We test whether local dynamo action of the near-surface convection (granulation) can generate a significant contribution to the observed magnetic flux. Methods: We have carried out MHD simulations of solar surface convection, including the effects of strong stratification, compressibility, partial ionization, radiative transfer, as well as an open lower boundary. Results: Exponential growth of a weak magnetic seed field (with vanishing net flux through the computational box) is found in a simulation run with a magnetic Reynolds number of about 2600. The magnetic energy approaches saturation at a level of a few percent of the total kinetic energy of the convective motions. Near the visible solar surface, the (unsigned) magnetic flux density reaches at least a value of about 25 G. Conclusions: A realistic flow topology of stratified, compressible, non-helical surface convection without enforced recirculation is capable of turbulent local dynamo action near the solar surface.

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arXiv2006

Solar cycle prediction using precursors and flux transport models

We study the origin of the predictive skill of some methods to forecast the strength of solar activity cycles. A simple flux transport model for the azimuthally averaged radial magnetic field at the solar surface is used, which contains a source term describing the emergence of new flux based on observational sunspot data. We consider the magnetic flux diffusing over the equator as a predictor, since this quantity is directly related to the global dipole field from which a Babcock-Leighton dynamo generates the toroidal field for the next activity cycle. If the source is represented schematically by a narrow activity belt drifting with constant speed over a fixed range of latitudes between activity minima, our predictor shows considerable predictive skill with correlation coefficients up to 0.95 for past cycles. However, the predictive skill is completely lost when the actually observed emergence latitudes are used. This result originates from the fact that the precursor amplitude is determined by the sunspot activity a few years before solar minimum. Since stronger cycles tend to rise faster to their maximum activity (known as the Waldmeier effect), the temporal overlapping of cycles leads to a shift of the minimum epochs that depends on the strength of the following cycle. This information is picked up by precursor methods and also by our flux transport model with a schematic source. Therefore, their predictive skill does not require a memory, i.e., a physical connection between the surface manifestations of subsequent activity cycles.

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arXiv2006

The origin of the reversed granulation in the solar photosphere

We study the structure and reveal the physical nature of the reversed granulation pattern in the solar photosphere by means of 3-dimensional radiative hydrodynamics simulations. We used the MURaM code to obtain a realistic model of the near-surface layers of the convection zone and the photosphere. The pattern of horizontal temperature fluctuations at the base of the photosphere consists of relatively hot granular cells bounded by the cooler intergranular downflow network. With increasing height in the photosphere, the amplitude of the temperature fluctuations diminishes. At a height of z=130-140 km in the photosphere, the pattern of horizontal temperature fluctuations reverses so that granular regions become relatively cool compared to the intergranular network. Detailed analysis of the trajectories of fluid elements through the photosphere reveal that the motion of the fluid is non-adiabatic, owing to strong radiative cooling when approaching the surface of optical depth unity followed by reheating by the radiation field from below. The temperature structure of the photosphere results from the competition between expansion of rising fluid elements and radiative heating. The former acts to lower the temperature of the fluid whereas the latter acts to increase it towards the radiative equilibrium temperature with a net entropy gain. After the fluid overturns and descends towards the convection zone, radiative energy loss again decreases the entropy of the fluid. Radiative heating and cooling of fluid elements that penetrate into the photosphere and overturn do not occur in equal amounts. The imbalance in the cumulative heating and cooling of these fluid elements is responsible for the reversal of temperature fluctuations with respect to height in the photosphere.

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arXiv2006

Magneto-convection in a sunspot umbra

Results from a realistic simulation of 3D radiative magneto-convection in a strong background magnetic field corresponding to the conditions in sunspot umbrae are shown. The convective energy transport is dominated by narrow upflow plumes with adjacent downflows, which become almost field-free near the surface layers. The strong external magnetic field forces the plumes to assume a cusp-like shape in their top parts, where the upflowing plasma loses its buoyancy. The resulting bright features in intensity images correspond well (in terms of brightness, size, and lifetime) to the observed umbral dots in the central parts of sunspot umbrae. Most of the simulated umbral dots have a horizontally elongated form with a central dark lane. Above the cusp, most plumes show narrow upflow jets, which are driven by the pressure of the piled-up plasma below. The large velocities and low field strengths in the plumes are effectively screened from spectroscopic observation because the surfaces of equal optical depth are locally elevated, so that spectral lines are largely formed above the cusp. Our simulations demonstrate that nearly field-free upflow plumes and umbral dots are a natural result of convection in a strong, initially monolithic magnetic field.

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arXiv2005

A necessary extension of the surface flux transport model

Customary two-dimensional flux transport models for the evolution of the magnetic field at the solar surface do not account for the radial structure and the volume diffusion of the magnetic field. When considering the long-term evolution of magnetic flux, this omission can lead to an unrealistic long-term memory of the system and to the suppression of polar field reversals. In order to avoid such effects, we propose an extension of the flux transport model by a linear decay term derived consistently on the basis of the eigenmodes of the diffusion operator in a spherical shell. A decay rate for each eigenmode of the system is determined and applied to the corresponding surface part of the mode evolved in the flux transport model. The value of the volume diffusivity associated with this decay term can be estimated to be in the range 50--100 km^2/s by considering the reversals of the polar fields in comparison of flux transport simulations with observations. We show that the decay term prohibits a secular drift of the polar field in the case of cycles of varying strength, like those exhibited by the historical sunspot record.

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arXiv2005

The dynamical disconnection of sunspots from their magnetic roots

After a dynamically active emergence phase, magnetic flux at the solar surface soon ceases to show strong signs of the subsurface dynamics of its parent magnetic structure. This indicates that some kind of disconnection of the emerged flux from its roots in the deep convection zone should take place. We propose a mechanism for the dynamical disconnection of the surface flux based upon the buoyant upflow of plasma along the field lines. Such flows arise in the upper part of a rising flux loop during the final phases of its buoyant ascent towards the surface. The combination of the pressure buildup by the upflow and the cooling of the upper layers of an emerged flux tube by radiative losses at the surface lead to a progressive weakening of the magnetic field in several Mm depth. When the field strength has become sufficiently low, convective motions and the fluting instability disrupt the flux tube into thin, passively advected flux fragments, thus providing a dynamical disconnection of the emerged part from its roots. We substantiate this scenario by considering the quasi-static evolution of a sunspot model under the effects of radiative cooling, convective energy transport, and pressure buildup by a prescribed inflow at the bottom of the model. For inflow speeds in the range shown by simulations of thin flux tubes, we find that the disconnection takes place in a depth between 2 and 6 Mm for disconnection times up to 3 days.

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arXiv2004

Does the butterfly diagram indicate asolar flux-transport dynamo?

We address the question whether the properties of the observed latitude-time diagram of sunspot occurence (the butterfly diagram) provide evidence for the operation of a flux-transport dynamo, which explains the migration of the sunspot zones and the period of the solar cycle in terms of a deep equatorward meridional flow. We show that the properties of the butterfly diagram are equally well reproduced by a conventional dynamo model with migrating dynamo waves, but without transport of magnetic flux by a flow. These properties seem to be generic for an oscillatory and migratory field of dipole parity and thus do not permit an observational distinction between different dynamo approaches.

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arXiv2004

Distribution of magnetically confined circumstellar matter in oblique rotators

We consider the mechanical equilibrium and stability of matter trapped in the magnetosphere of a rapidly rotating star. Assuming a dipolar magnetic field and arbitrary inclination of the magnetic axis with respect to the axis of rotation we find stable equilibrium positions a) in a (warped) disk roughly aligned with the magnetic equatorial plane and b) at two locations above and below the disk, whose distance from the star increases with decreasing inclination angle between dipole and rotation axis. The distribution of matter is not strongly affected by allowing for a spatial offset of the magnetic dipole. These results provide a possible explanation for some observations of corotating localized mass concentrations in hot magnetic stars.

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arXiv2003

Reconstruction of solar activity for the last millennium using $^{10}$Be data

In a recent paper (Usoskin et al., 2002a), we have reconstructed the concentration of the cosmogenic $^{10}$Be isotope in ice cores from the measured sunspot numbers by using physical models for $^{10}$Be production in the Earth's atmosphere, cosmic ray transport in the heliosphere, and evolution of the Sun's open magnetic flux. Here we take the opposite route: starting from the $^{10}$Be concentration measured in ice cores from Antarctica and Greenland, we invert the models in order to reconstruct the 11-year averaged sunspot numbers since 850 AD. The inversion method is validated by comparing the reconstructed sunspot numbers with the directly observed sunspot record since 1610. The reconstructed sunspot record exhibits a prominent period of about 600 years, in agreement with earlier observations based on cosmogenic isotopes. Also, there is evidence for the century scale Gleissberg cycle and a number of shorter quasi-periodicities whose periods seem to fluctuate in the millennium time scale. This invalidates the earlier extrapolation of multi-harmonic representation of sunspot activity over extended time intervals.

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arXiv2003

Dynamics of magnetic flux tubes in close binary stars I. Equilibrium and stability properties

Surface reconstructions of active close binary stars based on photometric and spectroscopic observations reveal non-uniform starspot distributions, which indicate the existence of preferred spot longitudes (with respect to the companion star). We consider the equilibrium and linear stability of toroidal magnetic flux tubes in close binaries to examine whether tidal effects are capable to initiate the formation of rising flux loops at preferred longitudes near the bottom of the stellar convection zone. The tidal force and the deviation of the stellar structure from spherical symmetry are treated in lowest-order perturbation theory assuming synchronised close binaries with orbital periods of a few days. The frequency, growth time, and spatial structure of linear eigenmodes are determined by a stability analysis. We find that, despite their small magnitude, tidal effects can lead to a considerable longitudinal asymmetry in the formation probability of flux loops, since the breaking of the axial symmetry due to the presence of the companion star is reinforced by the sensitive dependence of the stability properties on the stellar stratification and by resonance effects. The orientation of preferred longitudes of loop formation depends on the equilibrium configuration and the wave number of the dominating eigenmode. The change of the growth times of unstable modes with respect to the case of a single star is very small.

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arXiv2003

Dynamics of magnetic flux tubes in close binary stars II. Nonlinear evolution and surface distributions

Observations of magnetically active close binaries with orbital periods of a few days reveal the existence of starspots at preferred longitudes (with respect to the direction of the companion star). We numerically investigate the non-linear dynamics and evolution of magnetic flux tubes in the convection zoneof a fast-rotating component of a close binary system and explore whether the tidal effects are able to generate non-uniformities in the surface distribution of erupting flux tubes. Assuming a synchronised system with a rotation period of two days and consisting of two solar-type components, both the tidal force and the deviation of the stellar structure from spherical shape are considered in lowest-order perturbation theory. The magnetic field is initially stored in the form of toroidal magnetic flux rings within the stably stratified overshoot region beneath the convection zone. Once the field has grown sufficiently strong, instabilities initiate the formation of rising flux loops, which rise through the convection zone and emerge at the stellar surface. We find that although the magnitude of tidal effects is rather small, they nevertheless lead to the formation of clusters of flux tube eruptions at preferred longitudes on opposite sides of the star, which result from the cumulative and resonant character of the action of tidal effects on rising flux tubes. The longitude distribution of the clusters depends on the initial parameters of flux tubes in the overshoot region like magnetic field strength and latitude, implying that there is no globally unique preferred longitude along a fixed direction.

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