Sunspot dynamics

Abstract

This report describes recent results of our theoretical and observational work on dynamical phenomena in sunspots. The overall goal of this research has been a better understanding of the various oscillatory, transient, and steady motions in a sunspot and their relation to the basic structure of the sunspot. The principal topics of the research reported here are the following: (1) sunspot seismology, i.e., the study of the interaction of solar p-modes with a sunspot as a probe of the subsurface structure of a sunspot; (2) local sources of acoustic waves in the solar photosphere; and (3) siphon flows in isolated magnetic flux tubes and their relation to the photospheric Evershed flow and to intense magnetic elements outside of sunspots.