Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †

Context. Light bridges are convective intrusions in sunspots that often show enhanced chromospheric activity. Aims. We seek to determine the nature of flux emergence in a light bridge and the processes related to its evolution in the solar atmosphere. Methods. We analyse a sequence of high-resolutio...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Louis, R.E., Bellot Rubio, Luis R., de la Cruz Rodríguez, J., Socas-Navarro, H., Ortiz, A.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/133818
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/133818
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Techniques: high angular resolution
Sun: chromosphere
Techniques: polarimetric
Sunspots
Sun: photosphere
Techniques: imaging spectroscopy
id ES_fba29d0c2c2d3fffe9813098bc275bb7
oai_identifier_str oai:digital.csic.es:10261/133818
network_acronym_str ES
network_name_str España
repository_id_str
spelling Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †Louis, R.E.Bellot Rubio, Luis R.de la Cruz Rodríguez, J.Socas-Navarro, H.Ortiz, A.Techniques: high angular resolutionSun: chromosphereTechniques: polarimetricSunspotsSun: photosphereTechniques: imaging spectroscopyContext. Light bridges are convective intrusions in sunspots that often show enhanced chromospheric activity. Aims. We seek to determine the nature of flux emergence in a light bridge and the processes related to its evolution in the solar atmosphere. Methods. We analyse a sequence of high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of a sunspot taken at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. The data consist of spectral scans of the photospheric Fe i line pair at 630 nm and the chromospheric Ca ii 854.2 nm line. Bisectors were used to construct Dopplergrams from the Fe i 630.15 nm measurements. We employed LTE and non-LTE inversions to derive maps of physical parameters in the photosphere and chromosphere, respectively. Results. We observe the onset of blueshifts of about 2 km s.1 near the entrance of a granular light bridge on the limbward side of the spot. The blueshifts lie immediately next to a strongly redshifted patch that appeared six minutes earlier. Both patches can be seen for 25 min until the end of the sequence. The blueshifts coincide with an elongated emerging granule, while the redshifts appear at the end of the granule. In the photosphere, the development of the blueshifts is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in field strength of about 400 G. The field inclination increases by some 25., becoming nearly horizontal. At the position of the redshifts, the magnetic field is equally horizontal but of opposite polarity. An intense brightening is seen in the Ca ii filtergrams over the blueshifts and redshifts, about 17 min after their detection in the photosphere. The brightening is due to emission in the blue wing of the Ca ii 854.2 nm line, close to its knee. Non-LTE inversions reveal that this kind of asymmetric emission is caused by a temperature enhancement of ~700 K between -5.0 ≥ log τ ≥ -3.0 and a blueshift of 3 km s.1 at log τ = -2.3 that decreases to zero at log τ = -6.0 Conclusions. The photospheric blueshifts and redshifts observed in a granular light bridge seem to be caused by the emergence of a small-scale, flat ¥ ∅-loop with highly inclined footpoints of opposite polarity that brings new magnetic field to the surface. The gas motions detected in the two footpoints are reminiscent of a siphon flow. The rising loop is probably confined to the lower atmosphere by the overlying sunspot magnetic field and the interaction between the two flux systems may be responsible for temperature enhancements in the upper photosphere/lower chromosphere. This is the first time that magnetic flux is observed to emerge in the strongly magnetised environment of sunspots, pushed upwards by the convective flows of a granular light bridge.inancial support by the German Science Foundation under grant DE 787/3-1, the European Commission's FP7 Capacities Programme under Grant Agreement number 312495 (SOLARNET project), and by the Spanish Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad through projects AYA2012-39636-C06-05 and ESP2013-47349-C6-1-R (including a percentage from European FEDER funds) is gratefully acknowledged.Peer ReviewedEDP SciencesGerman Research FoundationEuropean CommissionMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad (España)Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]2016201620152016info:eu-repo/semantics/articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501Publisher's versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersionhttp://hdl.handle.net/10261/133818reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSICinstname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)Inglés#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MINECO/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2013-2016/ESP2013-47349-C6-1-RSíinfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessoai:digital.csic.es:10261/1338182026-05-22T06:33:51Z
dc.title.none.fl_str_mv Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †
title Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †
spellingShingle Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †
Louis, R.E.
Techniques: high angular resolution
Sun: chromosphere
Techniques: polarimetric
Sunspots
Sun: photosphere
Techniques: imaging spectroscopy
title_short Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †
title_full Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †
title_fullStr Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †
title_full_unstemmed Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †
title_sort Small-scale magnetic flux emergence in a sunspot light bridge †
dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv Louis, R.E.
Bellot Rubio, Luis R.
de la Cruz Rodríguez, J.
Socas-Navarro, H.
Ortiz, A.
author Louis, R.E.
author_facet Louis, R.E.
Bellot Rubio, Luis R.
de la Cruz Rodríguez, J.
Socas-Navarro, H.
Ortiz, A.
author_role author
author2 Bellot Rubio, Luis R.
de la Cruz Rodríguez, J.
Socas-Navarro, H.
Ortiz, A.
author2_role author
author
author
author
dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv German Research Foundation
European Commission
Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España)
Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas [https://ror.org/02gfc7t72]
dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv Techniques: high angular resolution
Sun: chromosphere
Techniques: polarimetric
Sunspots
Sun: photosphere
Techniques: imaging spectroscopy
topic Techniques: high angular resolution
Sun: chromosphere
Techniques: polarimetric
Sunspots
Sun: photosphere
Techniques: imaging spectroscopy
description Context. Light bridges are convective intrusions in sunspots that often show enhanced chromospheric activity. Aims. We seek to determine the nature of flux emergence in a light bridge and the processes related to its evolution in the solar atmosphere. Methods. We analyse a sequence of high-resolution spectropolarimetric observations of a sunspot taken at the Swedish 1-m Solar Telescope. The data consist of spectral scans of the photospheric Fe i line pair at 630 nm and the chromospheric Ca ii 854.2 nm line. Bisectors were used to construct Dopplergrams from the Fe i 630.15 nm measurements. We employed LTE and non-LTE inversions to derive maps of physical parameters in the photosphere and chromosphere, respectively. Results. We observe the onset of blueshifts of about 2 km s.1 near the entrance of a granular light bridge on the limbward side of the spot. The blueshifts lie immediately next to a strongly redshifted patch that appeared six minutes earlier. Both patches can be seen for 25 min until the end of the sequence. The blueshifts coincide with an elongated emerging granule, while the redshifts appear at the end of the granule. In the photosphere, the development of the blueshifts is accompanied by a simultaneous increase in field strength of about 400 G. The field inclination increases by some 25., becoming nearly horizontal. At the position of the redshifts, the magnetic field is equally horizontal but of opposite polarity. An intense brightening is seen in the Ca ii filtergrams over the blueshifts and redshifts, about 17 min after their detection in the photosphere. The brightening is due to emission in the blue wing of the Ca ii 854.2 nm line, close to its knee. Non-LTE inversions reveal that this kind of asymmetric emission is caused by a temperature enhancement of ~700 K between -5.0 ≥ log τ ≥ -3.0 and a blueshift of 3 km s.1 at log τ = -2.3 that decreases to zero at log τ = -6.0 Conclusions. The photospheric blueshifts and redshifts observed in a granular light bridge seem to be caused by the emergence of a small-scale, flat ¥ ∅-loop with highly inclined footpoints of opposite polarity that brings new magnetic field to the surface. The gas motions detected in the two footpoints are reminiscent of a siphon flow. The rising loop is probably confined to the lower atmosphere by the overlying sunspot magnetic field and the interaction between the two flux systems may be responsible for temperature enhancements in the upper photosphere/lower chromosphere. This is the first time that magnetic flux is observed to emerge in the strongly magnetised environment of sunspots, pushed upwards by the convective flows of a granular light bridge.
publishDate 2015
dc.date.none.fl_str_mv 2015
2016
2016
2016
dc.type.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/article
http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501
Publisher's version
info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
format article
status_str publishedVersion
dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv http://hdl.handle.net/10261/133818
url http://hdl.handle.net/10261/133818
dc.language.none.fl_str_mv Inglés
language_invalid_str_mv Inglés
dc.relation.none.fl_str_mv #PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/MINECO/Plan Estatal de Investigación Científica y Técnica y de Innovación 2013-2016/ESP2013-47349-C6-1-R

dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
eu_rights_str_mv openAccess
dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDP Sciences
publisher.none.fl_str_mv EDP Sciences
dc.source.none.fl_str_mv reponame:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
instname:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
instname_str Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
reponame_str DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
collection DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
repository.name.fl_str_mv
repository.mail.fl_str_mv
_version_ 1869425347885268992
score 15,81155