Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-c654p Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-28T02:03:23.630Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Long Term Evolution of Solar Sector Structure

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 August 2015

Leif Svalgaard
Affiliation:
Institute for Plasma Research, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. 94305, U.S.A.
John M. Wilcox
Affiliation:
Institute for Plasma Research, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif. 94305, U.S.A.

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The large-scale structure of the solar magnetic field during the past five sunspot cycles (representing by implication a much longer interval of time) has been investigated using the polarity (toward or away from the Sun) of the interplanetary magnetic field as inferred from polar geomagnetic observations. The polarity of the interplanetary magnetic field has previously been shown to be closely related to the polarity (into or out of the Sun) of the large-scale solar magnetic field. It appears that a solar structure with four sectors per rotation persisted through the past five sunspot cycles, with a synodic rotation period near 27.0 days, and a small relative westward drift during the first half of each sunspot cycle and a relative eastward drift during the second half of each cycle. Superposed on this four-sector structure there is another structure with inward field polarity, a width in solar longitude of about 100° and a synodic rotation period of about 28 to 29 days. This 28.5 day structure is usually most prominent during a few years near sunspot maximum. Some preliminary comparisons of these observed solar structures with theoretical considerations are given.

Type
Part 1: Basic Observed Parameters of the Solar Cycle
Copyright
Copyright © Reidel 1976