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Sunspot activity and reversal of polar fields in the current cycle 24

Sunspot activity and reversal of polar fields in the current cycle 24 A.V. Mordvinov 1 , A.A. Pevtsov 2 1 Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of SB RAS, Irkutsk, Russia 2 National Solar Observatory, Sunspot, NM, United States

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Sunspot activity and reversal of polar fields in the current cycle 24

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  1. Sunspot activity and reversal of polar fields in the current cycle 24 • A.V. Mordvinov1, A.A. Pevtsov2 • 1 Institute of Solar-Terrestrial Physics of SB RAS, Irkutsk, Russia 2 National Solar Observatory, Sunspot, NM, United States • The reversal of the Sun’s polar magnetic field is going to its completion. • The reversal is asynchronous in the northern and southern hemispheres. • At the North Pole the polar field changed its polarity from negative to positive by May 2013. • At the South Pole magnetic field of positive polarity has been diminishing to zero, but the reversal has not yet completed !

  2. Hemispheric sunspot areas quantify North-South asymmetry of magnetic flux http://solarscience.msfc.nasa.gov • North-south asymmetry of the magnetic flux is well defined; • Magnetic fluxes (An, As) vary in a pulsed regime; • The marked peaks play an important role in the current cycle.

  3. The Sun’s magnetogram on July 27 2014 (Baikal Solar Obs.) • There are vast Unipolar Magnetic Regions (UMRs); • Mixed polarities are observed near the Sun’s poles (2013-2014);

  4. The background magnetic fields (red-blue) in relation to activity complexes (black) CR 2102 (October 2010) CR 2149 (April 2014) black spots show magnetic fields >200 G summarized over 9 preceding CRs • A causal relation between ACs, their remnant magnetic fields and high-latitude UMRs is evident in the beginning of the current cycle; • Multiple UMRs of the following polarities approached the poles.

  5. Evolution of solar magnetic fields and ACs in cycle 24 Negative polarity (red) dominatesat the North Pole while Positive polarity(blue) at the South Pole. • This movie demonstrates: • After decay of ACs their remnant fields resulted in UMRs; • UMRs are shaped by the differential rotation, diffusion and meridional flows; • UMRs of predominantly following polarities are transported to high latitudes; • Long-lived ACs produced UMRs that reached the Sun’s poles and led to the polar-fields reversals.

  6. Evolution of solar magnetic fields and ACs in cycle 24

  7. Time-latitude diagram of magnetic fields (red-blue) and zones of intense sunspot activity (black) UMRs of the following polarities are transported from zones of intense sunspot activity and lead to polar-field reversals (Mordvinov & Yazev, Sol. Ph. 289, 1971, 2014)

  8. Time-latitude diagram of solar magnetic fields andzones of intense sunspot activity in cycles 23-24 It took 1.6 / 2 years the UMRs reached the North/South Pole of the Sun sunspot activity in S-hemisphere continued longer, and helped the polar field to last longer The observed transport time agrees with its estimate  t =2π·7·1010/(6·15·100·365.24·86400)  1.55 yr (velocity 15 m/s)

  9. Patterns of magnetic field (left) are visible in EUV 19.5 nm emission (right) CRs 2102 2107 2121 PCFs 2130 2140 • As a rule, Coronal Holes (CHs) appear within UMRs. • CHs and polar-crown filaments (PCFs) trace the poleward migration of UMRs.

  10. North-south asymmetry in appearance of high-latitude CHs • Over the reversal time there were no stable CHs near the North Pole: because mixed magnetic fields are unfavorable for CH formation; • Large CHs appeared near the South Pole due to the vast UMRs of the following (negative) polarity; • As the UMRs are transported poleward the Polarity Inversion Line (PIL) moves to the South Pole; • The southern boundary of CHs approached to the pole; • Polar CH might appear first at the South Pole despite the later reversal here.

  11. Conclusions • The north-south asymmetry of sunspot activity in the current cycle led to the asynchrony of the polar fields reversal. • At the North Pole the polar field reversed by May 2013. It took about 1.6 years the remnant fields reached the pole. The northern polar field is composed of mixed magnetic polarities and demonstrates short-term changes during 2013-2014. • Later activity in the southern hemisphere has led to the reversal delay here. It took about two years the negative polarity UMRs approached the South Pole. • The north-south asymmetry in appearance of high-latitude CHs resulted from the asymmetric zonal structure of the Sun’s magnetic fields.

  12. Thank you! Acknowledgements Data were acquired by SOLIS instruments operated by NISP/NSO/AURA/NSF. The authors also employ synoptic maps of solar magnetic fields and the EUV emission prepared by the HMI/SDO and EUVI/SECCHI teams.

  13. The empirical Babcock-Leighton concept: • After decay of ACs their magnetic fields are dispersed in the photosphere; • UMRs of the following polarities are transported polewards due to the meridional flows; • Tilt angles of magnetic bipoles (the Joy’s law) initiate separation of magnetic polarities ; • The cancellation / reconnection of ‘new’ UMRs with the ‘old’ polar fields lead to their reversal.

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