Theoretical model for calculation of helicity in solar active regions
Abstract
We (Choudhuri, Chatterjee and Nandy, 2005) calculate helicities of solar active regions based on the idea of Choudhuri (2003) that poloidal flux lines get wrapped around a toroidal flux tube rising through the convection zone, thereby giving rise to the helicity. Rough estimates based on this idea compare favourably with the observed magnitude of helicity. We use our solar dynamo model based on the Babcock--Leighton α-effect to study how helicity varies with latitude and time. At the time of solar maximum, our theoretical model gives negative helicity in the northern hemisphere and positive helicity in the south, in accordance with observed hemispheric trends. However, we find that, during a short interval at the beginning of a cycle, helicities tend to be opposite of the preferred hemispheric trends. Next we (Chatterjee, Choudhuri and Petrovay 2006) use the above idea along with the sunspot decay model of Petrovay and Moreno-Insertis, (1997) to estimate the distribution of helicity inside a flux tube as it keeps collecting more azimuthal flux during its rise through the convection zone and as turbulent diffusion keeps acting on it. By varying parameters over reasonable ranges in our simple 1-d model, we find that the azimuthal flux penetrates the flux tube to some extent instead of being confined to a narrow sheath outside.
- Publication:
-
Proceedings of the ILWS Workshop
- Pub Date:
- 2006
- Bibcode:
- 2006ilws.conf...30C
- Keywords:
-
- Helicity;
- solar active regions.