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Sunspot

Oscillations in sunspots occur due to concentrated magnetic fields that form barriers to convection. There are two types of characteristic oscillations observed in sunspots - 5-minute oscillations in the photosphere and 3-minute oscillations in the chromosphere. Waves above sunspots also behave differently in the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, with varying amplitudes and periods. The umbra shows reduced power oscillations similar to the quiet sun, while the penumbra displays 5-minute oscillations in the outer photosphere that propagate radially outward in the chromosphere. The study aims to better understand the excitation mechanisms of different wave modes in sunspots and their fine structures, and where penumbral waves go at sunspot boundaries.

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VRINDA JOSHI
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116 views10 pages

Sunspot

Oscillations in sunspots occur due to concentrated magnetic fields that form barriers to convection. There are two types of characteristic oscillations observed in sunspots - 5-minute oscillations in the photosphere and 3-minute oscillations in the chromosphere. Waves above sunspots also behave differently in the photosphere, chromosphere, and corona, with varying amplitudes and periods. The umbra shows reduced power oscillations similar to the quiet sun, while the penumbra displays 5-minute oscillations in the outer photosphere that propagate radially outward in the chromosphere. The study aims to better understand the excitation mechanisms of different wave modes in sunspots and their fine structures, and where penumbral waves go at sunspot boundaries.

Uploaded by

VRINDA JOSHI
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Oscillations in Sunspots

Vrinda Joshi
• Sun is a like a hot bowl of plasma boiling at
tremendously high temperatures.
• The core is the place where the nuclear fusion of
hydrogen occurs.
• The energy generated moves towards the outer
surface in form of radiations.
• The outermost layer of Sun’s interior is the
Convection zone, here the heat is transferred by
convection.
• Outer layer consist of Photosphere the densest or the last
optically visible layer.
• Chromosphere made up of Hydrogen and Helium plasma
which ionise to produce red visible light making it appear
red.
• The Transition region is the thinnest of all, here the
temperature rises abruptly.
• Last is the Corona, the hottest of all its density is so low
that its visible only at times of total solar eclipse. 2
Sunspots
Formations of Sunspots
• Sunspots are the result of small concentrations of
magnetic field that pop up on the solar surface from
the deeper layers of the Sun with sizes of less than
about 700 km.
• The concentrated magnetic field forms barrier in
the convection of hot gas in reaching photosphere.
• The number of sunspots goes up and down as the
Sun goes through its natural 11-year cycle, thus
used to keep a track of this cycle.
• Sunspots have two regions Umbra and the
Penumbra
• The temperature of sunspot is lesser than the
surrounding.
Waves and oscillation
• Waves and oscillations are important solar phenomena not only because they
can propagate and dissipate energy in the chromosphere, but also because they
carry information about the structure of the atmosphere in which they propagate
• The continuously moving magnetohydrodynamic waves are the considered
cause of generation of the characteristic waves.
• There are two types of characteristic oscillations in sunspots, the 5-minute
oscillation observed in the photosphere and the 3-minute oscillation observed in
the chromosphere
• It has been clearly established that umbral and penumbral waves have different
properties, due to there different magnetic configuration.

20XX presentation title 5


• Waves above sunspots have also been shown to have a different
behavior at the photosphere, chromosphere and above, where the
amplitudes or periods of the disturbances have different values.
• Magnetoacoustics and Alfven waves are found here, these waves
generates due to disturbances in magnetic field across plasma.
• The plasma parameter 𝛽, defined as the ratio between the gas pressure
and the magnetic pressure. Below the photosphere, the plasma 𝛽 is
larger than one, while the opposite happens in the upper photosphere,
chromosphere and corona.

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Umbra
• The frequency spectrum and the temporal behavior of waves in the umbra is very
similar to the quiet Sun, except for their reduced power.
• Spectra of the phase difference between the photospheric and chromospheric
velocity oscillations give evidence for the upward propagation of waves.
• Umbral regions of sunspots are not homogeneous and show fine structure, such as
umbral dots, light bridges, etc.
• Wave and oscillations vary in different layers of atmosphere of sun.
• Photospheric oscillations are caused by the variations in temperature and density
induced by the waves
• Periodic intensity disturbances in the umbra of sunspots are significantly more
prominent in the chromosphere than in the photosphere, and are known as
chromospheric flashes.
• Sunspots shows significant oscillations in line of sight velocity with periods in the
range 2 – 3 min, in transition and corona region.

20XX presentation title 7


Penumbra
• The penumbra is the outer, relatively light region of a sun
spot.
• It is a filamented in structure and cover the umbra.
• Observational properties of oscillations in penumbra also
differ from one layer to another.
• It is found oscillations with a maximum around five minutes
dominates in the outer penumbra at photospheric heights.
• In the chromosphere, penumbral waves are detected as
brightness disturbances propagating radially outwards from
the inner to the outer penumbral boundary and extend beyond
its observable boundary

20XX presentation title 8


Objectives of the study
Here we will be addressing some open and most targeted questions regarding
presence of sunspot on the sun disk, such as:
• What is the dominant excitation mechanism of different wave modes in
sunspots? Is it mainly external driving or weak convection?
• What is the relation between the fine structure of the umbra and waves?
• Why do running penumbral waves apparently disappear at the boundary of
the visible penumbra? Where do they go?
• What are the excitation mechanisms of waves at the foot points of coronal
loops above sunspots?

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thank you

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