On Molecular Hydrogen Formation and the Magnetohydrostatic Equilibrium of Sunspots

TL;DR

This study investigates how molecular hydrogen formation influences the magnetic and thermodynamic properties of sunspots, revealing that H2 formation may explain observed magnetic field behaviors and impact sunspot evolution.

Contribution

It introduces the role of molecular hydrogen in sunspot equilibrium, supported by IR observations and chemical modeling, offering new insights into sunspot magnetic field variations.

Findings

Large sunspots show non-linear magnetic pressure increases.

Molecular hydrogen (H2) exists significantly in cool sunspot regions.

H2 formation affects thermodynamics and magnetic field concentration.

Abstract

We have investigated the problem of sunspot magnetohydrostatic equilibrium with comprehensive IR sunspot magnetic field survey observations of the highly sensitive Fe I lines at 15650 \AA\ and nearby OH lines. We have found that some sunspots show isothermal increases in umbral magnetic field strength which cannot be explained by the simplified sunspot model with a single-component ideal gas atmosphere assumed in previous investigations. Large sunspots universally display non-linear increases in magnetic pressure over temperature, while small sunspots and pores display linear behavior. The formation of molecules provides a mechanism for isothermal concentration of the umbral magnetic field, and we propose that this may explain the observed rapid increase in umbral magnetic field strength relative to temperature. Existing multi-component sunspot atmospheric models predict that a significant amount of molecular hydrogen (H2) exists in the sunspot umbra. The formation of H2 can significantly alter the thermodynamic properties of the sunspot atmosphere and may play a significant role in sunspot evolution. In addition to the survey observations, we have performed detailed chemical equilibrium calculations with full consideration of radiative transfer effects to establish OH as a proxy for H2, and demonstrate that a significant population of H2 exists in the coolest regions of large sunspots.