Bibcode
DOI
Westendorp Plaza, C.; del Toro Iniesta, J. C.; Ruiz Cobo, B.; Martínez Pillet, V.; Lites, B. W.; Skumanich, A.
Bibliographical reference
The Astrophysical Journal, Volume 547, Issue 2, pp. 1130-1147.
Advertised on:
2
2001
Journal
Citations
139
Refereed citations
114
Description
An observational determination of the three-dimensional magnetic and
thermal structure of a sunspot is presented. It has been obtained
through the application of the SIR inversion technique (Stokes Inversion
based on Response functions) on a low-noise, full Stokes profile
two-dimensional map of the sunspot as observed with the Advanced Stokes
Polarimeter. As a result of the inversion, maps of the magnetic field
strength, B, zenith angle, γ, azimuth, χ, and temperature, T,
over 25 layers at given optical depths (i.e., an optical tomography) are
obtained, of which those between logτ5=0 and
logτ5=-2.8 are considered to provide accurate information
on the physical parameters. All over the penumbra γ increases with
depth, while B is larger at the bottom layers of the inner penumbra (as
in the umbra) but larger at the top layers of the outer penumbra (as in
the canopy). The corrugation of the penumbral magnetic field already
observed by other authors has been confirmed by our different inversion
technique. Such a corrugation is especially evident in the zenith angle
maps of the intermediate layers, featuring the presence of the so-called
spines that we further characterize: spines are warmer and have a less
inclined magnetic field than the spaces between them and tend to have a
smaller gradient of γ with optical depth over the entire penumbra,
but with a field strength which is locally stronger in the middle
penumbra and locally weaker in the outer penumbra and beyond in the
canopy. In the lower layers of these external parts of the sunspot, most
of the field lines are seen to return to the solar surface, a result
that is closely connected with the Evershed effect (e.g., Westendorp et
al., the third paper in this series). The Stokes V net area asymmetry
map as well as the average B, γ, and T radial distributions (and
that of the line-of-sight velocities; see the third paper in this
series) show a border between an inner and an outer penumbra with
different three-dimensional structure. We suggest that it is in this
middle zone where most of a new family of penumbral flux tubes (some of
them with Evershed flow) emerge interlaced (both horizontally and
vertically) among themselves and with the ``background'' magnetic field
of the penumbra. The interlacing along the line of sight is witnessed by
the indication of many points in the outer penumbra showing rapid
transitions with height between two structures, one with very weak and
inclined magnetic field at the bottom of the photosphere and the other
with a stronger and less inclined magnetic field. Over the whole
penumbra, and at all optical layers, a constant but weak deviation from
radiality of some 5° is detected for the azimuth of the vector
magnetic field, which may be in agreement with former detections but
which is not significantly higher than the size of the errors for this
parameter.