Vortex tubes of turbulent solar convection

Kitiashvili, Irina; Kosovichev, A. G.; Mansour, Nagi N.; Lele, Sanjiva K.; Wray, A. A.

doi:10.1088/0031-8949/86/01/018403

Cited by 41 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…The strongest vertical vortices are detected on small granules. This is in accordance with findings in Kitiashvili et al (2012) where vertical vortex tubes were found to be formed inside granules as a result of the local instability caused by small upflowing plumes. In the scatter plot, two concentrations of vertical vortices are visible at the location of granules with 700 km and 1400 km in diameter, further supporting the idea of the existence of two populations of granules.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Dynamics of small-scale convective motions

Lemmerer

Hanslmeier

Muthsam

et al. 2017

A&A

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Context. Previous studies have discovered a population of small granules with diameters less than 800 km located in the intergranular lanes showing differing physical properties. High resolution simulations and observations of the solar granulation, in combination with automated segmentation and temporal tracking algorithms, allow us to study the evolution of the structural and physical properties of these granules and surrounding vortex motions with high temporal and spatial accuracy. Aims. We focus on the dynamics of granules, that is, the lifetime of granular cells, the fragmentation behavior, the variation of size, position, emergent intensity and vertical velocity over time and the influence of strong vortex motions. Of special interest are the dynamics of small granules compared to regular-sized granules. Methods. We developed a temporal tracking algorithm based on our previously developed segmentation algorithm for solar granulation. This was applied to radiation hydrodynamics simulations and high resolution observations of the quiet Sun by SUNRISE/IMaX. Results. The dynamics of small granules differ in regard to their diameter, intensity and depth evolution compared to the population of regular granules. The tracked granules in the simulation and observations reveal similar dynamics regarding their lifetime, evolution of size, vertical velocity and intensity. The fragmentation analysis shows that the majority of granules in the simulations do not fragment, while the opposite was found in the observations. Strong horizontal and vertical vortex motions were detected at the location of small granules. Compared to granules, regions of strong vertical vorticity show higher intensities and higher downflow velocities, and live up to several minutes. Conclusions. The analysis of granules separated according to their diameter in different groups reveals strongly differing behaviors. The largest discrepancies can be found within the groups of small, medium-sized and large granules. Therefore, these groups have to be analyzed independently. The predominant location of vortex motions on and close to small granules indicates a strong influence on the dynamics of granules.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Dynamics of small-scale convective motions

Lemmerer

Hanslmeier

Muthsam

et al. 2017

A&A

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“…Small-scale vortices in the quiet Sun regions are widely accepted to form due to turbulent convection and the bathtub effect (e.g. Shelyag et al 2011;Kitiashvili et al 2012a;Shelyag et al 2012). Solar photospheric vortex flows have drawn the attention of researchers as they have the potential to excite a wide range of MHD waves, e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vortex Flows in the Solar Atmosphere: Automated Identification and Statistical Analysis

Giagkiozis

Fedun

Scullion

et al. 2018

ApJ

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Aims. Due to the fundamental importance of vortices on the photosphere, in this work we aim to fully automate the process of intensity vortex identification to facilitate a more robust statistical analysis of their properties. Methods. Using on-disk observational data of the Fe i continuum, the process of vortex identification is fully automated, for the first time in solar physics, with the help of an established method from hydrodynamics initially employed for the study of eddies in turbulent flows (Graftieaux et al. 2001).Results. We find that the expected lifetime of intensity vortices is much shorter (≈ 17s) compared with previously observed magnetic bright point swirls. Our findings suggest that at any time there are 1.4 × 10 6 such small-scale intensity vortices covering about 2.8% of the total surface of the solar photosphere.

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“…Granular-scale vortical flows in quiet Sun regions are thought to be generated mainly by turbulent convection in subsurface layers of the Sun and its interaction with the solar atmosphere (e.g., Stein & Nordlund 2000;Kitiashvili et al 2012a). These smallscale vortical flows have caught significant attention in relation to the formation of magnetic or nonmagnetic vortex tubes (e.g., Moll et al 2011;Shelyag et al 2011;Kitiashvili et al 2012b), the formation of acoustic/Alfvén/shock waves (e.g., Fedun et al 2011;Kitiashvili et al 2011), and the heating of the upper solar atmosphere (e.g., Sturrock & Uchida 1981;Zirker 1993).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

First simultaneous SST/CRISP and IRIS observations of a small-scale quiet Sun vortex

Park

Tsiropoula

Kontogiannis

et al. 2016

A&A

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Context. Ubiquitous small-scale vortices have recently been found in the lower atmosphere of the quiet Sun in state-of-the-art solar observations and in numerical simulations. Aims. We investigate the characteristics and temporal evolution of a granular-scale vortex and its associated upflows through the photosphere and chromosphere of a quiet Sun internetwork region. (2) an expanding motion at a rate of 4-6 km s −1 . Furthermore, the spectral analysis of Mg II k and Mg II subordinate lines in the vortex region indicates an upward velocity of up to ∼8 km s −1 along with a higher temperature compared to the nearby quiet Sun chromosphere. Conclusions. The consecutive small-scale vortex events can heat the upper chromosphere by driving continuous high-speed upflows through the lower atmosphere.

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Vortex tubes of turbulent solar convection

Cited by 41 publications

References 22 publications

Dynamics of small-scale convective motions

Dynamics of small-scale convective motions

Vortex Flows in the Solar Atmosphere: Automated Identification and Statistical Analysis

First simultaneous SST/CRISP and IRIS observations of a small-scale quiet Sun vortex

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