Evidence That a Deep Meridional Flow Sets the Sunspot Cycle Period
| Autor: | Dibyendu Nandy, Edwin J. Reichmann, Robert M. Wilson, David H. Hathaway |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2003 |
| Předmět: |
Physics
Sunspot Equator Astronomy and Astrophysics Zonal and meridional Atmospheric sciences Latitude Convection zone Space and Planetary Science Meridional flow Physics::Space Physics Astrophysics::Solar and Stellar Astrophysics Stochastic drift Astrophysics::Earth and Planetary Astrophysics Physics::Atmospheric and Oceanic Physics Thermal equator |
| Zdroj: | The Astrophysical Journal. 589:665-670 |
| ISSN: | 1538-4357 0004-637X |
| DOI: | 10.1086/374393 |
| Popis: | Sunspots appear on the Sun in two bands on either side of the equator that drift toward lower latitudes as each sunspot cycle progresses. We examine the drift of the centroid of the sunspot area toward the equator in each hemisphere from 1874 to 2002 and find that the drift rate slows as the centroid approaches the equator. We compare the drift rate at sunspot cycle maximum with the period of each cycle for each hemisphere and find a highly significant anticorrelation: hemispheres with faster drift rates have shorter periods. These observations are consistent with a meridional counterflow deep within the Sun as the primary driver of the migration toward the equator and the period associated with the sunspot cycle. We also find that the drift rate at maximum is significantly correlated with the amplitude of the following cycle, a prediction of dynamo models that employ a deep meridional flow toward the equator. Our results indicate an amplitude of about 1.2 m s 1 for the meridional flow velocity at the base of the solar convection zone. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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