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Solar Physics

, Volume 98, Issue 2, pp 241–253 | Cite as

The smallest observable elements of magnetic flux

  • Jingxiu Wang
  • Harold Zirin
  • Zhongxian Shi
Article
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Revised:

Abstract

We have followed disappearing elements of magnetic flux to determine the smallest elements detectable with the Big Bear videomagnetograph. All the elements followed were disappearing through interaction with elements of opposite polarity. The last remaining visible segment of magnectic field of such features can be used to infer the total magnetic flux of these and other small flux elements visible on the magnetograms.

We used both photographic and digital videomagnetograms combining 4096 Zeeman frames made at Big Bear. Fifteen elements were measured near the vanishing point, in a 2–8 hr period. The minimum observable fluxes fall in the range of 1.0 × 1016 to 1.4 × 1017 Mx, and the apparent size of these elements is in the range of 1 to 9 square arc sec. The process of disappearance appears to be a smooth one. The smallest detectable elements of network field and ephemeral regions (ER) appear to be the same as the small intra-network (IN) field elements. The present limit is still instrumental; elements smaller than 1 × 1016 would not have been detected.

Keywords

Magnetic Flux Opposite Polarity Small Element Apparent Size Detectable Element 
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Copyright information

© D. Reidel Publishing Company 1985

Authors and Affiliations

  • Jingxiu Wang
    • 1
  • Harold Zirin
    • 1
  • Zhongxian Shi
    • 1
  1. 1.California Institute of Technology, Solar AstronomyPasadenaU.S.A.

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