Searching for overturning convection in penumbral filaments: slit spectroscopy at 0.2 arcsec resolution

TL;DR

This study used high-resolution spectroscopic observations to search for overturning convection in sunspot penumbral filaments, finding no clear evidence of downflows at the detection limit of 150 m/s, thus challenging some numerical models.

Contribution

The paper provides the first high-resolution spectroscopic search for small-scale convective motions in sunspot penumbrae, setting observational constraints on overturning convection.

Findings

No clear downflows detected at the penumbral edges.

Blueshifts associated with bright filaments observed.

Redshifts are rare and likely not convective in origin.

Abstract

Recent numerical simulations of sunspots suggest that overturning convection is responsible for the existence of penumbral filaments and the Evershed flow, but there is little observational evidence of this process. Here we carry out a spectroscopic search for small-scale convective motions in the penumbra of a sunspot located 5 deg away from the disk center. The position of the spot is very favorable for the detection of overturning downflows at the edges of penumbral filaments. Our analysis is based on measurements of the Fe I 709.0 nm line taken with the Littrow spectrograph of the Swedish 1 m Solar Telescope under excellent seeing conditions. We compute line bisectors at different intensity levels and derive Doppler velocities from them. The velocities are calibrated using a nearby telluric line, with systematic errors smaller than 150 m/s. Deep in the photosphere, as sampled by the bisectors at the 80%-88% intensity levels, we always observe blueshifts or zero velocities. The maximum blueshifts reach 1.2 km/s and tend to be cospatial with bright penumbral filaments. In the line core we detect blueshifts for the most part, with small velocities not exceeding 300 m/s. Redshifts also occur, but at the level of 100-150 m/s, and only occasionally. The fact that they are visible in high layers casts doubts on their convective origin. Overall, we do not find indications of downflows that could be associated with overturning convection at our detection limit of 150 m/s. Either no downflows exist, or we have been unable to observe them because they occur beneath tau=1 or the spatial resolution/height resolution of the measurements is still insufficient.