Supersonic Downflows in a Sunspot Light Bridge

Details Supersonic Downflows in a Sunspot Light Bridge Supersonic Downflows in a Sunspot Light Bridge

2009-08-24

arxiv.org/abs/0908.3465v3

2009, ApJ, 704, L29-L33

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astrophysics

Solar and Stellar Astrophysics

4 pages, 5 figures, Published in ApJ Letters

Scientific paper

We report the discovery of supersonic downflows in a sunspot light bridge using measurements taken with the spectropolarimeter on board the Hinode satellite. The downflows occur in small patches close to regions where the vector magnetic field changes orientation rapidly, and are associated with anomalous circular polarization profiles. An inversion of the observed Stokes spectra reveals velocities of up to 10 km/s, making them the strongest photospheric flows ever measured in light bridges. Some (but not all) of the downflowing patches are cospatial and cotemporal with brightness enhancements in chromospheric Ca II H filtergrams. We suggest that these flows are due to magnetic reconnection in the upper photosphere/lower chromosphere, although other mechanisms cannot be ruled out.

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