A Substantial Amount of Hidden Magnetic Energy in the Quiet Sun

Center-to-limb variation of the Q/I scattering amplitudes of the photospheric line of Sr I at 4607 Angstroms. The symbols correspond to various observations taken during a minimum and a maximum of the solar activity cycle. The colored lines show scatterin
Center-to-limb variation of the Q/I scattering amplitudes of the photospheric line of Sr I at 4607 Angstroms. The symbols correspond to various observations taken during a minimum and a maximum of the solar activity cycle. The colored lines show scatterin
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References
letters to nature - NATURE |VOL 430 | 15 JULY 2004 - www.nature.com/nature

An investigation carried out at the IAC has demonstrated that the apparently non-magnetic regions of the solar photosphere (the innermost region of the atmosphere of the Sun) are instead permeated by a "chaotic" magnetic field of very significant intensity, which implies the presence of a vast amount of "hidden" magnetic energy in the quiet solar photosphere. This investigation required to develop first a novel diagnostic technique of magnetic fields, which is based on three-dimensional numerical simulations of the Hanle effect in atomic and molecular lines.

For more information see the following review article:
http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0612678

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Research news

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