Variations in the solar rotation rate derived from Ca⁺ K plage areas

Abstract

Daily calcium plage areas for the period 1951–1981 (which include the solar cycle 19 and 20) have been used to derive the rotation period of the Sun at latitude belts 10–15 ° N, 15–20 ° N, 10–15 ° S, and 15–20 ° S and also for the entire visible solar disk. The mean rotation periods derived from 10–20 ° S and N, total active area and sunspot numbers were 27.5, 27.9, and 27.8 days (synodic), respectively. A power spectral analysis of the derived rotation rate as a function of time indicates that the rotation rate in each latitude belt varies over time scales ranging from the solar activity cycle, down to about 2 years. Variations in adjacent latitude belts are in phase, whereas those in different hemispheres are not correlated. The rotation rates derived from sunspot numbers also behave similarly though the dependence over the solar cycle are not very apparent. The total plage areas, integrated over the entire visible hemisphere of the Sun shows a dominant periodicity of 7 years in rotation rate, while the other time scales are also discernible.