Origin of the hemispheric asymmetry of solar activity

The frequency spectrum of the hemispheric asymmetry of solar activity shows enhanced power for the period ranges around 8.5 years and between 30 and 50 years. This can be understood as the sum and beat periods of the superposition of two dynamo modes: a dipolar mode with a (magnetic) period of about 22 years and aquadrupolar mode with a period between 13 and 15 years. An updated Babcock-Leighton-type dynamo model with weak driving as indicated by stellar observations shows an excited dipole mode and a damped quadrupole mode in the correct range of periods. Random excitation of the quadrupole by stochastic fluctuations of the source term for the poloidal field leads to a time evolution of activity and asymmetry that is consistent with the observational results.Comment: Astronomy & Astrophysics, accepte

Penumbral structure and outflows in simulated sunspots

Sunspots are concentrations of magnetic field on the visible solar surface that strongly affect the convective energy transport in their interior and surroundings. The filamentary outer regions (penumbrae) of sunspots show systematic radial outward flows along channels of nearly horizontal magnetic field. These flows were discovered 100 years ago and are present in all fully developed sunspots. Using a comprehensive numerical simulation of a sunspot pair, we show that penumbral structures with such outflows form when the average magnetic field inclination to the vertical exceeds about 45 degrees. The systematic outflows are a component of the convective flows that provide the upward energy transport and result from anisotropy introduced by the presence of the inclined magnetic field.Comment: 19 pages, 8 figures, main Science article + supporting online material combined into one fil

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.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur

Magnetic field intensification: comparison of 3D MHD simulations with Hinode/SP results

Recent spectro-polarimetric observations have provided detailed measurements of magnetic field, velocity and intensity during events of magnetic field intensification in the solar photosphere. We consider the temporal evolution of the relevant physical quantities for three cases of magnetic field intensification in a numerical simulation. We determine the evolution of the intensity, magnetic flux density and zero-crossing velocity derived from the synthetic Stokes parameters by taking into account the spectral and spatial resolution of the spectropolarimeter (SP) on board Hinode. The three events considered show a similar evolution: advection of magnetic flux to a granular vertex, development of a strong downflow, evacuation of the magnetic feature, increase of the field strength and the appearance of the bright point. We find that synthetic and real observations are qualitatively consistent and, for one of the cases considered, agree very well also quantitatively. The effect of finite resolution (spatial smearing) is most pronounced in the case of small features, for which the synthetic Hinode/SP observations miss the bright point formation and also the high-velocity downflows during the formation of the smaller magnetic features.Comment: accepted in A&

Simulating solar MHD

International audienceTwo aspects of solar MHD are discussed in relation to the work of the MHD simulation group at KIS. Photospheric magneto-convection, the nonlinear interaction of magnetic field and convection in a strongly stratified, radiating fluid, is a key process of general astrophysical relevance. Comprehensive numerical simulations including radiative transfer have significantly improved our understanding of the processes and have become an important tool for the interpretation of observational data. Examples of field intensification in the solar photosphere ('convective collapse') are shown. The second line of research is concerned with the dynamics of flux tubes in the convection zone, which has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the solar dynamo. Simulations indicate that the field strength in the region where the flux is stored before erupting to form sunspot groups is of the order of 105 G, an order of magnitude larger than previous estimates based on equipartition with the kinetic energy of convective flows

Surface flux transport modeling for solar cycles 15--21: effects of cycle-dependent tilt angles of sunspot groups

We model the surface magnetic field and open flux of the Sun from 1913 to 1986 using a surface flux transport model, which includes the observed cycle-to-cycle variation of sunspot group tilts. The model reproduces the empirically derived time evolution of the solar open magnetic flux, and the reversal times of the polar fields. We find that both the polar field and the axial dipole moment resulting from this model around cycle minimum correlate with the strength of the following cycle.Comment: Accepted for publication by Ap

Shock-wave therapy of gastric outlet syndrome caused by a gallstone

A patient with gastric outlet syndrome (Bouveret's syndrome) caused by a large gallstone impacted in the duodenal bulb was successfully treated by extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy. Thus, open abdominal surgery could be avoided. For disintegration of the stone, three consecutive lithotripsy procedures were necessary. Thereafter, stone fragments could be extracted endoscopically. Extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy could become a non-surgical alternative in patients with obstruction of the duodenum caused by a gallstone