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On the large-scale diffuse magnetic field of the sun

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Abstract

Although the sunspots migrate towards the equator, the large-scale weak diffuse magnetic fields of the Sun migrate poleward with the solar cycle, the polar field reversing at the time of the sunspot maxima. We apply the vector model of Dikpati and Choudhuri (1994, Paper I) to fit these observations. The dynamo layer at the base of the convection zone is taken to be the source of the diffuse field, which is then evolved in the convection zone subject to meridional circulation and turbulent diffusion. We find that the longitudinally averaged observational data can be fitted reasonably well both for positive and negative values of theα-effect by adjusting the subsurface meridional flow suitably. The model will be extended in a future paper to include the decay of active regions as an extra source of the diffuse field, which may be necessary to explain the probable phase lag betweenB r andB φ at lower latitudes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Science, 560012, Bangalore, India

    Mausumi Dikpati & Arnab Rai Choudhuri

  2. Indian Institute of Astrophysics, 560034, Bangalore, India

    Mausumi Dikpati

  3. Kiepenheuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik, D-79104, Freiburg, Germany

    Arnab Rai Choudhuri

Authors
  1. Mausumi Dikpati
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  2. Arnab Rai Choudhuri
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Dikpati, M., Choudhuri, A.R. On the large-scale diffuse magnetic field of the sun. Sol Phys 161, 9–27 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00732081

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00732081

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