We report two-dimensional MHD simulations which demonstrate that photospheric 5 minute oscillations can leak into the chromosphere inside small-scale vertical magnetic flux tubes. The results of our numerical experiments are compatible with those inferred from simultaneous spectropolarimetric observations of the photosphere and chromosphere

Based on IMaX/SUNRISE data, we report on a previously undetected phenomenon in solar granulation. We show that in a very narrow region separating granules and intergranular lanes, the spectral line width of the Fe I 5250.2 Å line becomes extremely small. We offer an explanation of this observation with the help of magneto-convection simulations

We present the first observations of the transverse component of a photospheric magnetic field acquired by the imaging magnetograph SUNRISE/IMaX. Using an automated detection method, we obtain statistical properties of 4536 features with significant linear polarization signal. We obtain a rate of occurrence of 7 × 10-4 s-1 arcsec-2, which is 1-2

The first science flight of the balloon-borne Sunrise telescope took place in June 2009 from ESRANGE (near Kiruna/Sweden) to Somerset Island in northern Canada. We describe the scientific aims and mission concept of the project and give an overview and a description of the various hardware components: the 1-m main telescope with its postfocus

The Imaging Magnetograph eXperiment (IMaX) is a spectropolarimeter built by four institutions in Spain that flew on board the Sunrise balloon-borne solar observatory in June 2009 for almost six days over the Arctic Circle. As a polarimeter, IMaX uses fast polarization modulation (based on the use of two liquid crystal retarders), real-time image

We report on the photospheric evolution of an intermediate-scale (≈4 Mm footpoint separation) magnetic bipole, from emergence to decay, observed in the quiet Sun at high spatial (0farcs3) and temporal (33 s) resolution. The observations were acquired by the Imaging Magnetograph Experiment imaging magnetograph during the first science flight of the

We describe the design of the Sunrise Filter Imager (SuFI) and the Image Stabilization and Light Distribution (ISLiD) unit onboard the Sunrise balloon borne solar observatory. This contribution provides the necessary information which is relevant to understand the instruments' working principles, the relevant technical data, and the necessary

Solar oscillations are expected to be excited by turbulent flows in the intergranular lanes near the solar surface. Time series recorded by the IMaX instrument on board the SUNRISE observatory reveal solar oscillations at high spatial resolution, which allow the study of the properties of oscillations with short wavelengths. We analyze two time

Using the IMaX instrument on board the SUNRISE stratospheric balloon telescope, we have detected extremely shifted polarization signals around the Fe I 5250.217 Å spectral line within granules in the solar photosphere. We interpret the velocities associated with these events as corresponding to supersonic and magnetic upflows. In addition, they are

The SUNRISE balloon-borne solar observatory consists of a 1 m aperture Gregory telescope, a UV filter imager, an imaging vector polarimeter, an image stabilization system, and further infrastructure. The first science flight of SUNRISE yielded high-quality data that revealed the structure, dynamics, and evolution of solar convection, oscillations

We characterize the observational properties of the convectively driven vortex flows recently discovered on the quiet Sun, using magnetograms, Dopplergrams, and images obtained with the 1 m balloon-borne SUNRISE telescope. By visual inspection of time series, we find some 3.1 × 10-3 vortices Mm-2 minute-1, which is a factor of ~1.7 larger than

Context. The design of modern instruments does not only imply thorough studies of instrumental effects but also a good understanding of the scientific analysis planned for the data. Aims: We investigate the reliability of Milne-Eddington (ME) inversions of high-resolution magnetograph measurements such as those to be obtained with the Imaging

We present high-resolution images of the Sun in the near-ultraviolet spectral range between 214 nm and 397 nm as obtained from the first science flight of the 1 m SUNRISE balloon-borne solar telescope. The quiet-Sun rms intensity contrasts found in this wavelength range are among the highest values ever obtained for quiet-Sun solar surface

High-resolution time series of sunspots have been obtained with the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope between 2003 and 2006 at different locations on the solar disk. Proper motions in seven different active regions have been studied. The analysis was performed by applying local correlation tracking to every series of sunspots, each of them more than 40

The relation of the solar surface magnetic field with mesogranular cells is studied using high spatial (≈100 km) and temporal (≈30 s) resolution data obtained with the IMaX instrument on board SUNRISE. First, mesogranular cells are identified using Lagrange tracers (corks) based on horizontal velocity fields obtained through local correlation

We investigate the fine structure of magnetic fields in the atmosphere of the quiet Sun. We use photospheric magnetic field measurements from SUNRISE/IMaX with unprecedented spatial resolution to extrapolate the photospheric magnetic field into higher layers of the solar atmosphere with the help of potential and force-free extrapolation techniques

We report on magnetic field emergences covering significant areas of exploding granules. The balloon-borne mission Sunrise provided high spatial and temporal resolution images of the solar photosphere. Continuum images, longitudinal and transverse magnetic field maps and Dopplergrams obtained by IMaX onboard Sunrise are analyzed by local

Until today, the small size of magnetic elements in quiet-Sun areas has required the application of indirect methods, such as the line-ratio technique or multi-component inversions, to infer their physical properties. A consistent match to the observed Stokes profiles could only be obtained by introducing a magnetic filling factor that specifies

We study the energy flux carried by acoustic waves excited by convective motions at sub-photospheric levels. The analysis of high-resolution spectropolarimetric data taken with IMaX/SUNRISE provides a total energy flux of ~6400-7700 W m-2 at a height of ~250 km in the 5.2-10 mHz range, i.e., at least twice the largest energy flux found in previous

Context. Though there is increasing evidence linking the moat flow and the Evershed flow along the penumbral filaments, there is not a clear consensus regarding the existence of a moat flow around umbral cores and pores, and the debate is still open. Solar pores appear to be a suitable scenario to test the moat-penumbra relation as they correspond