1. Estimation of the lifetime of slow-decaying unipolar active regions in the framework of the turbulent erosion model
- Author
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Plotnikov, Andrei, Abramenko, Valentina, and Kutsenko, Alexander
- Subjects
Astrophysics - Solar and Stellar Astrophysics - Abstract
We explore properties and behavior of slow-decaying unipolar sunspot groups in the framework of the turbulent erosion model suggested by Petrovay and Moreno-Insertis (1997). The basic concept of the model is the suppression of a turbulent diffusivity inside a magnetic flux tube by strong magnetic fields. As a result, the outer turbulent plasma detaches magnetic features primarily from the external border of a magnetic flux tube. The radius of the tube exhibits inward progression at a constant rate. The model predicts older sunspots to decay slower and it seems to be very promising to explain the slow decay of long-living unipolar sunspot groups. By analyzing the magnetic structure associated with a sunspot, we did reveal a gradual decrease of the magnetic structure radius at a constant rate implying the validity of the model. However, in some cases the derived velocity of the radius decrease was too low: our calculations provided implausibly high estimations for the lifetime and maximal area of such sunspots. We discuss possible additional mechanisms affecting the decay rate of such peculiar sunspots., Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures
- Published
- 2024
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