2004/03/24 by M. Schüssler, M. Schuessler, D. Schmitt · 2 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies #Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361:20041302-1
published as Astron.Astrophys. 421 (2004) 349-351 · 4 pages, 1 figure
arxiv created 2004/03/24 · openalex publication_date 2004/06/11 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2019/06/27 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
We address the question whether the properties of the observed latitude-time diagram of sunspot occurrence (the butterfly diagram) provide evidence for the operation of a flux-transport dynamo, which explains the migration of the sunspot zones and the period of the solar cycle in terms of a deep equatorward meridional flow. We show that the properties of the butterfly diagram are equally well reproduced by a conventional dynamo model with migrating dynamo waves, but without transport of magnetic flux by a flow. These properties seem to be generic for an oscillatory and migratory field of dipole parity and thus do not permit an observational distinction between different dynamo approaches.