Theory of the Solar 22-Year Cycle

If there were no solar magnetic fields, then the most active feature observable on the Sun would be the hydrodynamic convection. There would be no sunspots, flares, prominences, plage, spicules, and no copious emissions of X-rays, energetic particles or radio bursts. These effects are all due to the presence of a changing pattern of magnetic fields which repeats every 22 years. While observations of electromagnetic phenomena are limited to the solar surface and atmosphere, a full understanding of these effects must include a satisfactory theory of the solar cycle and of the fields which evolve beneath the surface as a result of plasma velocity fields.