Abstract
The evolution of the large-scale magnetic field of the Sun has been studied using an algorithm of tomographic inversion. By analyzing line-of-sight magnetograms, we mapped the radial and toroidal components of the Sun’s large-scale magnetic field. The evolution of the radial and toroidal magnetic field components in the 11-year solar cycle has been studied in a time–latitude aspect. It is shown that the toroidal magnetic field of the Sun is causally related to sunspot activity; i.e., the sunspot formation zones drift in latitude and follow the toroidal magnetic fields. The results of our analysis support the idea that the high-latitude toroidal magnetic fields can serve as precursors of sunspot activity. The toroidal fields in the current cycle are anomalously weak and also show a barely noticeable equatorward drift. This behavior of the toroidal magnetic field suggests low activity levels in the current cycle and in the foreseeable future.
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Acknowledgements
The authors thank Dr. T. Hoeksema and Dr. P.H. Scherrer for making it possible to process the WSO magnetograms. The authors also thank the referee and the editors for helpful comments. This work was supported by RFBR grants N 11-02-00333, 11-02-92202-Mong a, and state contracts 02.740.11.0576, 16.518.11.7065 of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation.
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Advances in European Solar Physics
Guest Editors: Valery M. Nakariakov, Manolis K. Georgoulis, and Stefaan Poedts
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Mordvinov, A.V., Grigoryev, V.M. & Peshcherov, V.S. Large-Scale Magnetic Field of the Sun and Evolution of Sunspot Activity. Sol Phys 280, 379–387 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-012-0020-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11207-012-0020-y