Penumbral fine structure and driving mechanisms of large-scale flows in simulated sunspots

TL;DR

This study uses radiative MHD simulations to analyze penumbral fine structures and the driving mechanisms of large-scale flows in sunspots, revealing the roles of magnetic forces and convection in shaping observed flow patterns.

Contribution

It provides a detailed simulation-based analysis of penumbral structures and flow mechanisms, highlighting the roles of Lorentz force and pressure gradients in driving sunspot flows.

Findings

Penumbral fine structure matches observational interlocking comb pattern.

Fast outflows exceeding 8 km/s are aligned with horizontal magnetic fields.

Evershed flow peaks near tau=1 and diminishes with height.

Abstract

We analyze in detail the penumbral structure found in a recent radiative MHD simulation. Near tau=1, the simulation produces penumbral fine structure consistent with the observationally inferred interlocking comb structure. Fast outflows exceeding 8 km/s are present along almost horizontal stretches of the magnetic field; in the outer half of the penumbra, we see opposite polarity flux indicating flux returning beneath the surface. The bulk of the penumbral brightness is maintained by small-scale motions turning over on scales shorter than the length of a typical penumbral filament. The resulting vertical rms velocity at tau=1 is about half of that found in the quiet Sun. Radial outflows in the sunspot penumbra have two components. In the uppermost few 100 km, fast outflows are driven primarily through the horizontal component of the Lorentz force, which is confined to narrow boundary layers beneath tau=1, while the contribution from horizontal pressure gradients is reduced in comparison to granulation as a consequence of anisotropy. The resulting Evershed flow reaches its peak velocity near tau=1 and falls off rapidly with height. Outflows present in deeper layers result primarily from a preferred ring-like alignment of convection cells surrounding the sunspot. These flows reach amplitudes of about 50% of the convective rms velocity rather independent of depth. A preference for the outflow results from a combination of Lorentz force and pressure driving. While the Evershed flow dominates by velocity amplitude, most of the mass flux is present in deeper layers and likely related to a large-scale moat flow.