Rapid changes of sunspot structure associated with solar eruptions

Abstract

AbstractIn this paper we summarize the studies of flare-related changes of photospheric magnetic fields. When vector magnetograms are available, we always find an increase of transverse field at the polarity inversion line (PIL). We also discuss 1 minute cadence line-of-sight MDI magnetogram observations, which usually show prominent changes of magnetic flux contained in the flaring δ spot region. The observed limb-ward flux increases while disk-ward flux decreases rapidly and irreversibly after flares. These observations provides evidences, either direct or indirect, for the theory and prediction of Hudson, Fisher & Welsch (2008) that the photospheric magnetic fields would respond to coronal field restructuring and turn to a more horizontal state near the PIL after eruptions. From the white-light observations, we find that at flaring PIL, the structure becomes darker after an eruption, while the peripheral penumbrae decay. Using high-resolution Hinode data, we find evidence that only dark fibrils in the “uncombed” penumbral structure disappear while the bright grains evolve to G-band bright points after flares.