Magnetoconvection on the Solar Surface
Abstract
The solar surface is the astrophysicist's best laboratory for the study of magnetoconvection. There exists equipartition of magnetic and kinetic energy. Higher up in the thin atmosphere of the solar corona, the gas is 'frozen' into the magnetic field lines, while below the surface the field must follow the motions of much denser ionized gas. First we give a historical review of observations of small-scale solar magnetic fields and convective flows, and then show remarkable new results obtained by 'seeing-free' (without distortion) cinematography of the solar surface from NASA's Spacelab 2 mission. Not only is the systematic outflows from sunspots seen, but also the quiet Sun appears to be covered by convective sources, sinks, and vortices. Simultaneously-obtained magnetic field motions show excellent correlation with the gas flows. A simple kinematical model is described for these motions, and discuss briefly the implication of these data for the study of flares. Keywords: Solar convection; Reprints; Magnetic fields; Solar flares.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 20, 1990
- Accession Number
- ADA223997
Entities
People
- George W. Simon
Organizations
- Air Force Systems Command