The Area Distribution of Solar Magnetic Bright Points

TL;DR

This study analyzes the size distribution of Solar Magnetic Bright Points using observations and simulations, revealing a log-normal distribution centered around 45,000 km² and suggesting flux fragmentation as a dominant process.

Contribution

It introduces an automatic detection method for MBPs and demonstrates their area distribution is independent of magnetic flux density, supported by both observations and simulations.

Findings

MBP areas peak at approximately 45,000 km²

Area distribution follows a log-normal pattern

Distribution is independent of magnetic flux density

Abstract

Magnetic Bright Points (MBPs) are among the smallest observable objects on the solar photosphere. A combination of G-band observations and numerical simulations is used to determine their area distribution. An automatic detection algorithm, employing 1-dimensional intensity profiling, is utilized to identify these structures in the observed and simulated datasets. Both distributions peak at an area of $\approx$45000 km$^2$, with a sharp decrease towards smaller areas. The distributions conform with log-normal statistics, which suggests that flux fragmentation dominates over flux convergence. Radiative magneto-convection simulations indicate an independence in the MBP area distribution for differing magnetic flux densities. The most commonly occurring bright point size corresponds to the typical width of intergranular lanes.