Temporal and Structural Properties of Sunspot Small Short-living Group and Large Long-living Group Populations

We investigate the properties of two types of solar active regions: the small short-living groups (SSGs) and the large long-living groups (LLGs). The combined distribution of areas of active regions is bimodal. When deconvolved, the distributions of each population show a clear presence of cyclic va...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Yury A. Nagovitsyn, Alexei A. Pevtsov, Aleksandra A. Osipova
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ade13a
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849422341635833856
author Yury A. Nagovitsyn
Alexei A. Pevtsov
Aleksandra A. Osipova
author_facet Yury A. Nagovitsyn
Alexei A. Pevtsov
Aleksandra A. Osipova
author_sort Yury A. Nagovitsyn
collection DOAJ
description We investigate the properties of two types of solar active regions: the small short-living groups (SSGs) and the large long-living groups (LLGs). The combined distribution of areas of active regions is bimodal. When deconvolved, the distributions of each population show a clear presence of cyclic variations with LLG and SSG number varying in phase with each other. We see these in-phase variations and the lognormal distribution of SSG/LLG areas as indications that both types of groups originate from the same mechanism, the solar dynamo action. However, the data also suggest that near-surface convection may play a role. The maxima in the bimodal distribution of sunspot group areas (one for LLG and the other for SSG components) coincide with the typical sizes of the supergranules for the LLG population and mesogranules for the SSG population, which suggests that the large-scale convection patterns may affect the sunspot group formation.
format Article
id doaj-art-15286d1af9b049e884e1dbcde7451c11
institution Kabale University
issn 1538-4357
language English
publishDate 2025-01-01
publisher IOP Publishing
record_format Article
series The Astrophysical Journal
spelling doaj-art-15286d1af9b049e884e1dbcde7451c112025-08-20T03:31:07ZengIOP PublishingThe Astrophysical Journal1538-43572025-01-01987213610.3847/1538-4357/ade13aTemporal and Structural Properties of Sunspot Small Short-living Group and Large Long-living Group PopulationsYury A. Nagovitsyn0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8518-5160Alexei A. Pevtsov1https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0489-0920Aleksandra A. Osipova2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4029-2303Central Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at Pulkovo , Russia; St Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation , RussiaNational Solar Observatory , Boulder, USACentral Astronomical Observatory of the Russian Academy of Sciences at Pulkovo , RussiaWe investigate the properties of two types of solar active regions: the small short-living groups (SSGs) and the large long-living groups (LLGs). The combined distribution of areas of active regions is bimodal. When deconvolved, the distributions of each population show a clear presence of cyclic variations with LLG and SSG number varying in phase with each other. We see these in-phase variations and the lognormal distribution of SSG/LLG areas as indications that both types of groups originate from the same mechanism, the solar dynamo action. However, the data also suggest that near-surface convection may play a role. The maxima in the bimodal distribution of sunspot group areas (one for LLG and the other for SSG components) coincide with the typical sizes of the supergranules for the LLG population and mesogranules for the SSG population, which suggests that the large-scale convection patterns may affect the sunspot group formation.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ade13aSunspot groupsSunspot cycleSolar cycleSupergranulationMesogranulation
spellingShingle Yury A. Nagovitsyn
Alexei A. Pevtsov
Aleksandra A. Osipova
Temporal and Structural Properties of Sunspot Small Short-living Group and Large Long-living Group Populations
The Astrophysical Journal
Sunspot groups
Sunspot cycle
Solar cycle
Supergranulation
Mesogranulation
title Temporal and Structural Properties of Sunspot Small Short-living Group and Large Long-living Group Populations
title_full Temporal and Structural Properties of Sunspot Small Short-living Group and Large Long-living Group Populations
title_fullStr Temporal and Structural Properties of Sunspot Small Short-living Group and Large Long-living Group Populations
title_full_unstemmed Temporal and Structural Properties of Sunspot Small Short-living Group and Large Long-living Group Populations
title_short Temporal and Structural Properties of Sunspot Small Short-living Group and Large Long-living Group Populations
title_sort temporal and structural properties of sunspot small short living group and large long living group populations
topic Sunspot groups
Sunspot cycle
Solar cycle
Supergranulation
Mesogranulation
url https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ade13a
work_keys_str_mv AT yuryanagovitsyn temporalandstructuralpropertiesofsunspotsmallshortlivinggroupandlargelonglivinggrouppopulations
AT alexeiapevtsov temporalandstructuralpropertiesofsunspotsmallshortlivinggroupandlargelonglivinggrouppopulations
AT aleksandraaosipova temporalandstructuralpropertiesofsunspotsmallshortlivinggroupandlargelonglivinggrouppopulations