[en] The Physikalisch Meteorologisches Observatorium Davos total solar irradiance (TSI), Active Cavity Radiometer Irradiance Monitoring TSI, and Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium TSI are three typical TSI composites. Magnetic Plage Strength Index (MPSI) and Mount Wilson Sunspot Index (MWSI) should indicate the weak and strong magnetic field activity on the solar full disk, respectively. Cross-correlation (CC) analysis of MWSI with three TSI composites shows that TSI should be weakly correlated with MWSI, and not be in phase with MWSI at timescales of solar cycles. The wavelet coherence (WTC) and partial wavelet coherence (PWC) of TSI with MWSI indicate that the inter-solar-cycle variation of TSI is also not related to solar strong magnetic field activity, which is represented by MWSI. However, CC analysis of MPSI with three TSI composites indicates that TSI should be moderately correlated and accurately in phase with MPSI at timescales of solar cycles, and that the statistical significance test indicates that the correlation coefficient of three TSI composites with MPSI is statistically significantly higher than that of three TSI composites with MWSI. Furthermore, the cross wavelet transform (XWT) and WTC of TSI with MPSI show that the TSI is highly related and actually in phase with MPSI at a timescale of a solar cycle as well. Consequently, the CC analysis, XWT, and WTC indicate that the solar weak magnetic activity on the full disk, which is represented by MPSI, dominates the inter-solar-cycle variation of TSI

[en] Solar photospheric magnetic field plays a dominant role in the variability of total solar irradiance (TSI). The modulation of magnetic flux at six specific ranges on TSI is characterized for the first time. The daily flux values of magnetic field at four ranges are extracted from MDI/SOHO, together with daily flux of active regions (MF${}_{\text{ar}}$) and quiet regions (MF${}_{\text{qr}}$); the first four ranges (MF${}_{1\text{--}4}$) are: 1.5–2.9, 2.9–32.0, 32.0–42.7, and 42.7–380.1 ($\times <!--\; ??\; -->{10}^{18}$ Mx per element), respectively. Cross-correlograms show that MF₄, MF${}_{\text{qr}}$, and MF${}_{\text{ar}}$ are positively correlated with TSI, while MF₂ is negatively correlated with TSI; the correlations between MF₁, MF₃ and TSI are insignificant. The bootstrapping tests confirm that the impact of MF₄ on TSI is more significant than that of MF${}_{\text{ar}}$ and MF${}_{\text{qr}}$, and MF${}_{\text{ar}}$ leads TSI by one rotational period. By extracting the rotational variations in the MFs and TSI, the modulations of the former on the latter at the solar rotational timescale are clearly illustrated and compared during solar maximum and minimum times, respectively. Comparison of the relative amplitudes of the long-term variation show that TSI is in good agreement with the variation of MF₄ and MF${}_{\text{ar}}$; besides, MF₂ is in antiphase with TSI, and it lags the latter by about 1.5 years.

[en] We present a study of the two successive M-class flares associated with two coronal mass ejections (CMEs) triggered by the collision of two small sunspots with opposite magnetic polarities and motional directions in NOAA active region (AR) 10484 on 2003 October 22. From the evolution of this AR in the TRACE white-light images and 96 minute line-of-sight magnetograms observed by the Michelson Doppler Imager on board SOHO, a large sunspot and a small sunspot with negative polarity rotated clockwise about 33° and 18°, respectively, from the northeast of a quiescent sunspot with negative polarity to the southeast from 15:00 UT on October 21 to 16:24 UT on October 23. During the process of their motion, the small sunspot with negative polarity collided with the small sunspot with positive polarity and opposite motional direction. In the collision, this AR produced two successive M-class flares and CMEs according to the observations of GOES and the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph. By analyzing the magnetic fields at polarity inversion lines (PILs) between the two small sunspot, it is found that a sudden squeeze occurred near the onset of the two M-class flares and then recovered itself after the flares. We ruled out the emergence of the magnetic fields near the PIL. According to the brightenings in TRACE 1600 Å and the hard X-ray sources of the RHESSI of two M-class flares, we found that the locations of the two flares are almost situated in the same location at the PIL between the two small sunspots. We suggest that the sudden squeeze between the opposite magnetic polarities is caused by the pressure of the collision of the two small sunspots and resulted in the magnetic reconnection. These results could contribute to understanding the mechanism of flares and CMEs.

[en] Cross-correlation analysis and wavelet transform methods are used to investigate whether high-latitude solar activity leads low-latitude solar activity in time phase or not, using the data of the Carte Synoptique solar filaments archive from 1919 March to 1989 December. From the cross-correlation analysis, high-latitude solar filaments have a time lead of 12 Carrington solar rotations with respect to low-latitude ones. Both the cross-wavelet transform and wavelet coherence indicate that high-latitude solar filaments lead low-latitude ones in time phase. Furthermore, low-latitude solar activity is better correlated with high-latitude solar activity of the previous cycle than with that of the following cycle, which is statistically significant. Thus, the present study confirms that high-latitude solar activity in the polar regions is indeed better correlated with the low-latitude solar activity of the following cycle than with that of the previous cycle, namely, leading in time phase.

[en] We find that a sunspot with positive polarity had an obvious counterclockwise rotation and resulted in the formation and eruption of an inverse S-shaped filament in NOAA Active Region 08858 from 2000 February 9 to 10. The sunspot had two umbrae which rotated around each other by 195° within about 24 hr. The average rotation rate was nearly 8° hr^–1. The fastest rotation in the photosphere took place during 14:00 UT to 22:01 UT on February 9, with a rotation rate of nearly 16° hr^–1. The fastest rotation in the chromosphere and the corona took place during 15:28 UT to 19:00 UT on February 9, with a rotation rate of nearly 20° hr^–1. Interestingly, the rapid increase of the positive magnetic flux occurred only during the fastest rotation of the rotating sunspot, the bright loop-shaped structure, and the filament. During the sunspot rotation, the inverse S-shaped filament gradually formed in the EUV filament channel. The filament experienced two eruptions. In the first eruption, the filament rose quickly and then the filament loops carrying the cool and the hot material were seen to spiral counterclockwise into the sunspot. About 10 minutes later, the filament became active and finally erupted. The filament eruption was accompanied with a C-class flare and a halo coronal mass ejection. These results provide evidence that sunspot rotation plays an important role in the formation and eruption of the sigmoidal active-region filament.

[en] To better understand the structures of active region filaments and the eruption process, we study an active region filament eruption in active region NOAA 11082 in detail on 2010 June 22. Before the filament eruption, the opposite unidirectional material flows appeared in succession along the spine of the filament. The rising of the filament triggered two B-class flares at the upper part of the filament. As the bright material was injected into the filament from the sites of the flares, the filament exhibited a rapid uplift accompanying the counterclockwise rotation of the filament body. From the expansion of the filament, we can see that the filament consisted of twisted magnetic field lines. The total twist of the filament is at least 5π obtained by using a time slice method. According to the morphology change during the filament eruption, it is found that the active region filament was a twisted flux rope and its unwinding motion was like a solar tornado. We also find that there was a continuous magnetic helicity injection before and during the filament eruption. It is confirmed that magnetic helicity can be transferred from the photosphere to the filament. Using the extrapolated potential fields, the average decay index of the background magnetic fields over the filament is 0.91. Consequently, these findings imply that the mechanism of solar filament eruption could be due to the kink instability and magnetic helicity accumulation.

[en] Two different pedestal turbulence structures have been observed in edge localized mode-free phase of H-mode heated by lower hybrid wave and RF wave in ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) on experimental advanced superconducting tokamak. When the fraction of ICRF power P_ICRF/P_total exceeds 0.7, coherent mode is observed. The mode is identified as an electromagnetic mode, rotating in electron diamagnetic direction with a frequency around 50 kHz and toroidal mode number n = −3. Whereas when P_ICRF/P_total is less than 0.7, harmonic mode with frequency f = 40–300 kHz appears instead. The characteristics of these two modes are demonstrated preliminarily. The threshold value of heating power and also the plasma parameters are distinct

[en] The Date Compensated Discrete Fourier Transform and CLEANest algorithm are used to study the temporal variations of the solar radius observed at Rio de Janeiro Observatory from 1998 March 2 to 2009 November 6. The CLEANest spectra show several significant periodicities around 400, 312, 93.5, 86.2, 79.4, 70.9, 53.2, and 26.3 days. Then, combining the data on the daily solar radius measured at Calern Observatory and Rio de Janeiro Observatory and the corresponding daily sunspot areas, we study the short-term periodicity of the solar radius and the role of magnetic field in the variation of the solar radius. The rotation period of the daily solar radius is determined to be statistically significant. Moreover, its temporal evolution is anti-phase with that of sunspot activity, and it is found anti-phase with solar activity. Generally, the stronger solar activity is, the more obvious is the anti-phase relation of radius with solar activity. This indicates that strong magnetic fields have a greater inhibitive effect than weak magnetic fields on the variation of the radius

[en] To better understand the properties of solar active-region filaments, we present a detailed study on the formation and magnetic structures of two active-region filaments in active region NOAA 11884 during a period of four days. It is found that the shearing motion of the opposite magnetic polarities and the rotation of the small sunspots with negative polarity play an important role in the formation of two active-region filaments. During the formation of these two active-region filaments, one foot of the filaments was rooted in a small sunspot with negative polarity. The small sunspot rotated not only around another small sunspot with negative polarity, but also around the center of its umbra. By analyzing the nonlinear force-free field extrapolation using the vector magnetic fields in the photosphere, twisted structures were found in the two active-region filaments prior to their eruptions. These results imply that the magnetic fields were dragged by the shearing motion between opposite magnetic polarities and became more horizontal. The sunspot rotation twisted the horizontal magnetic fields and finally formed the twisted active-region filaments

[en] Kink instability is a possible mechanism for solar filament eruption. However, it is very difficult to directly measure the twist of the solar filament from observation. In this paper, we measured the twist of a solar filament by analyzing its leg rotation. An inverse S-shaped filament in the active region NOAA 11485 was observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly of the Solar Dynamics Observatory on 2012 May 22. During its eruption, the leg of the filament exhibited a significant rotation motion. The 304 Å images were used to uncurl the circles, the centers of which are the axis of the filament's leg. The result shows that the leg of the filament rotated up to about 510° (about 2.83π) around the axis of the filament within 23 minutes. The maximal rotation speed reached 100 degrees/minute (about 379.9 km s^–1 at radius 18''), which is the fastest rotation speed reported. We also calculated the decay index along the polarity inversion line in this active region and found that the decline of the overlying field with height is not fast enough to trigger the torus instability. According to the kink instability condition, this indicates that the kink instability is the trigger mechanism for the solar filament eruption.