Searching for overturning convection in penumbral filaments: slit spectroscopy at 0.2 arcsec resolution

Recent numerical simulations of sunspots suggest that overturning convection is responsible for the existence of penumbral filaments and the Evershed flow, but there is little observational evidence of this process. Here we carry out a spectroscopic search for small-scale convective motions in the penumbra of a sunspot located 5 deg away from the disk center. The position of the spot is very favorable for the detection of overturning downflows at the edges of penumbral filaments. Our analysis is based on measurements of the Fe I 709.0 nm line taken with the Littrow spectrograph of the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope under excellent seeing conditions. We compute line bisectors at different intensity levels and derive Doppler velocities from them. The velocities are calibrated using a nearby telluric line, with systematic errors smaller than 150 m/s. Deep in the photosphere, as sampled by the bisectors at the 80%-88% intensity levels, we always observe blueshifts or zero velocities. The maximum blueshifts reach 1.2 km/s and tend to be cospatial with bright penumbral filaments. In the line core we detect blueshifts for the most part, with small velocities not exceeding 300 m/s. Redshifts also occur, but at the level of 100-150 m/s, and only occasionally. The fact that they are visible in high layers casts doubts on their convective origin. Overall, we do not find indications of downflows that could be associated with overturning convection at our detection limit of 150 m/s. Either no downflows exist, or we have been unable to observe them because they occur beneath tau=1 or the spatial resolution/height resolution of the measurements is still insufficient.Comment: Accepted for publication in Ap

Temporal evolution of the Evershed flow in sunspots. II. Physical properties and nature of Evershed clouds

Context: Evershed clouds (ECs) represent the most conspicuous variation of the Evershed flow in sunspot penumbrae. Aims: We determine the physical properties of ECs from high spatial and temporal resolution spectropolarimetric measurements. Methods: The Stokes profiles of four visible and three infrared spectral lines are subject to inversions based on simple one-component models as well as more sophisticated realizations of penumbral flux tubes embedded in a static ambient field (uncombed models). Results: According to the one-component inversions, the EC phenomenon can be understood as a perturbation of the magnetic and dynamic configuration of the penumbral filaments along which these structures move. The uncombed inversions, on the other hand, suggest that ECs are the result of enhancements in the visibility of penumbral flux tubes. We conjecture that the enhancements are caused by a perturbation of the thermodynamic properties of the tubes, rather than by changes in the vector magnetic field. The feasibility of this mechanism is investigated performing numerical experiments of thick penumbral tubes in mechanical equilibrium with a background field. Conclusions: While the one-component inversions confirm many of the properties indicated by a simple line parameter analysis (Paper I of this series), we tend to give more credit to the results of the uncombed inversions because they take into account, at least in an approximate manner, the fine structure of the penumbra.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&

Models and Observations of Sunspot Penumbrae

The mysteries of sunspot penumbrae have been under an intense scrutiny for the past 10 years. During this time, some models have been proposed and refuted, while the surviving ones had to be modified, adapted and evolved to explain the ever-increasing array of observational constraints. In this contribution I will review two of the present models, emphasizing their contributions to this field, but also pinpointing some of their inadequacies to explain a number of recent observations at very high spatial resolution. To help explaining these new observations I propose some modifications to each of them. These modifications bring those two seemingly opposite models closer together into a general picture that agrees well with recent 3D magneto-hydrodynamic simulations.Comment: 9 pages, 1 color figure. Review talk to appear in the proceedings of the International Workshop of 2008 Solar Total Eclipse: Solar Magnetism, Corona and Space Weather--Chinese Space Solar Telescope Scienc

Penumbral thermal structure below the visible surface

$Context$. The thermal structure of the penumbra below its visible surface (i.e., $\tau_5 \ge 1$) has important implications for our present understanding of sunspots and their penumbrae: their brightness and energy transport, mode conversion of magneto-acoustic waves, sunspot seismology, and so forth. $Aims$. We aim at determining the thermal stratification in the layers immediately beneath the visible surface of the penumbra: $\tau_5 \in [1,3]$ ($\approx 70-80$ km below the visible continuum-forming layer). $Methods$. We analyzed spectropolarimetric data (i.e., Stokes profiles) in three Fe \textsc{i} lines located at 1565 nm observed with the GRIS instrument attached to the 1.5-meter solar telescope GREGOR. The data are corrected for the smearing effects of wide-angle scattered light and then subjected to an inversion code for the radiative transfer equation in order to retrieve, among others, the temperature as a function of optical depth $T(\tau_5)$. $Results$. We find that the temperature gradient below the visible surface of the penumbra is smaller than in the quiet Sun. This implies that in the region $\tau_5 \ge 1$ the penumbral temperature diverges from that of the quiet Sun. The same result is obtained when focusing only on the thermal structure below the surface of bright penumbral filaments. We interpret these results as evidence of a thick penumbra, whereby the magnetopause is not located near its visible surface. In addition, we find that the temperature gradient in bright penumbral filaments is lower than in granules. This can be explained in terms of the limited expansion of a hot upflow inside a penumbral filament relative to a granular upflow, as magnetic pressure and tension forces from the surrounding penumbral magnetic field hinder an expansion like this.Comment: 5 pages; 2 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letter

Runup and rundown generated by three-dimensional sliding masses

To study the waves and runup/rundown generated by a sliding mass, a numerical simulation model, based on the large-eddy-simulation (LES) approach, was developed. The Smagorinsky subgrid scale model was employed to provide turbulence dissipation and the volume of fluid (VOF) method was used to track the free surface and shoreline movements. A numerical algorithm for describing the motion of the sliding mass was also implemented. To validate the numerical model, we conducted a set of large-scale experiments in a wave tank of 104m long, 3.7m wide and 4.6m deep with a plane slope (1:2) located at one end of the tank. A freely sliding wedge with two orientations and a hemisphere were used to represent landslides. Their initial positions ranged from totally aerial to fully submerged, and the slide mass was also varied over a wide range. The slides were instrumented to provide position and velocity time histories. The time-histories of water surface and the runup at a number of locations were measured. Comparisons between the numerical results and experimental data are presented only for wedge shape slides. Very good agreement is shown for the time histories of runup and generated waves. The detailed three-dimensional complex flow patterns, free surface and shoreline deformations are further illustrated by the numerical results. The maximum runup heights are presented as a function of the initial elevation and the specific weight of the slide. The effects of the wave tank width on the maximum runup are also discussed

Trace metal levels and toxicity in the Huelva Estuary (Spain): A case study with comparisons to historical levels from the past decades

The Huelva Estuary, in the south of Spain, is a highly polluted area subject to heavy anthropogenic pressures such as coastal urbanization, fishing and tourism activities, commercial transports, as well as petrochemical, agrichemical and intense mining industry. Trace metal levels in sediments from the Huelva Estuary have been largely investigated over the last decades, but an evaluation through the years has not been considered yet. This study analyzed the current concentrations for Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn, Fe and organic matter content in sediments from two sampling sites (Muelle Capesa and Mazagón) and toxicity on fertilization and embryogenesis of sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus). Results were compared with data from the past decades. Zn and Cu displayed higher levels and enrichment in sediments from the Muelle Capesa close to the Huelva industrial area. Mazagón sediment, despite moderate levels and enrichment in Zn and Cu, is proved to be affected by anthropogenic impacts, due to continuous inputs from acid mine drainage and alongshore current transport. In our experiments, sea urchin fertilization rates and larval development were significantly affected by exposure to elutriates from Huelva Estuary sediments. Therefore, the Huelva Estuary area shows a declining but chronic contamination in Zn and Cu, originating from point and diffused anthropic activities, which in turn, are likely to cause adverse effects on the coastal ecosystem. Keywords: Trace metals, Sediment, Paracentrotus lividus bioassay, Huelva Estuary, Toxicit

Electronic depth profiles with atomic layer resolution from resonant soft x-ray reflectivity

The analysis of x-ray reflectivity data from artificial heterostructures usually relies on the homogeneity of optical properties of the constituent materials. However, when the x-ray energy is tuned to an absorption edge, this homogeneity no longer exists. Within the same material, spatial regions containing elements at resonance will have optical properties very different from regions without resonating sites. In this situation, models assuming homogeneous optical properties throughout the material can fail to describe the reflectivity adequately. As we show here, resonant soft x-ray reflectivity is sensitive to these variations, even though the wavelength is typically large as compared to the atomic distances over which the optical properties vary. We have therefore developed a scheme for analyzing resonant soft x-ray reflectivity data, which takes the atomic structure of a material into account by "slicing" it into atomic planes with characteristic optical properties. Using LaSrMnO4 as an example, we discuss both the theoretical and experimental implications of this approach. Our analysis not only allows to determine important structural information such as interface terminations and stacking of atomic layers, but also enables to extract depth-resolved spectroscopic information with atomic resolution, thus enhancing the capability of the technique to study emergent phenomena at surfaces and interfaces.Comment: Completely overhauled with respect to the previous version due to peer revie

Theoretical Models of Sunspot Structure and Dynamics

Recent progress in theoretical modeling of a sunspot is reviewed. The observed properties of umbral dots are well reproduced by realistic simulations of magnetoconvection in a vertical, monolithic magnetic field. To understand the penumbra, it is useful to distinguish between the inner penumbra, dominated by bright filaments containing slender dark cores, and the outer penumbra, made up of dark and bright filaments of comparable width with corresponding magnetic fields differing in inclination by some 30 degrees and strong Evershed flows in the dark filaments along nearly horizontal or downward-plunging magnetic fields. The role of magnetic flux pumping in submerging magnetic flux in the outer penumbra is examined through numerical experiments, and different geometric models of the penumbral magnetic field are discussed in the light of high-resolution observations. Recent, realistic numerical MHD simulations of an entire sunspot have succeeded in reproducing the salient features of the convective pattern in the umbra and the inner penumbra. The siphon-flow mechanism still provides the best explanation of the Evershed flow, particularly in the outer penumbra where it often consists of cool, supersonic downflows.Comment: To appear in "Magnetic Coupling between the Interior and the Atmosphere of the Sun", eds. S.S. Hasan and R.J. Rutten, Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg, Berlin, 200

Spectral Inversion of Multi-Line Full-Disk Observations of Quiet Sun Magnetic Fields

Spectral inversion codes are powerful tools to analyze spectropolarimetric observations, and they provide important diagnostics of solar magnetic fields. Inversion codes differ by numerical procedures, approximations of the atmospheric model, and description of radiative transfer. Stokes Inversion based on Response functions (SIR) is an implementation widely used by the solar physics community. It allows to work with different atmospheric components, where gradients of different physical parameters are possible, e.g., magnetic field strength and velocities. The spectropolarimetric full-disk observations were carried out with the Stokesmeter of the Solar Telescope for Operative Predictions (STOP) at the Sayan Observatory on 3 February 2009, when neither an active region nor any other extended flux concentration was present on the Sun. In this study of quiet Sun magnetic fields, we apply the SIR code simultaneously to 15 spectral lines. A tendency is found that weaker magnetic field strengths occur closer to the limb. We explain this finding by the fact that close to the limb, we are more sensitive to higher altitudes in an expanding flux tube, where the field strength should be smaller since the magnetic flux is conserved with height. Typically, the inversions deliver two populations of magnetic elements: (1) high magnetic field strengths (1500-2000 G) and high temperatures (5500-6500 K) and (2) weak magnetic fields (50-150 G) and low temperatures (5000-5300 K).Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, accepted for Solar Physic