Subdiffusive transport in intergranular lanes on the Sun. The Leighton model revisited

TL;DR

This paper investigates the subdiffusive behavior of magnetic bright points on the Sun's surface, modeling their transport with fractional Fokker-Planck dynamics to extend Leighton's classical model.

Contribution

It introduces a fractional Fokker-Planck approach to describe subdiffusive magnetic flux transport, generalizing Leighton's model for the first time.

Findings

Magnetic bright points exhibit subdiffusive motion in the first 20 minutes.

The fractional Fokker-Planck formalism effectively models magnetic flux accumulation.

The model provides a rigorous framework for understanding magnetic field transport on the solar surface.

Abstract

In this paper we consider a random motion of magnetic bright points (MBP) associated with magnetic fields at the solar photosphere. The MBP transport in the short time range [0-20 minutes] has a subdiffusive character as the magnetic flux tends to accumulate at sinks of the flow field. Such a behavior can be rigorously described in the framework of a continuous time random walk leading to the fractional Fokker-Planck dynamics. This formalism, applied for the analysis of the solar subdiffusion of magnetic fields, generalizes the Leighton's model.