First Simultaneous Detection of Moving Magnetic Features in Photospheric Intensity and Magnetic Field Data

TL;DR

This study presents the first simultaneous observation of bipolar moving magnetic features in photospheric intensity and magnetic field data, revealing their structure, magnetic configuration, and connection to penumbral filaments.

Contribution

It provides new insights into the structure and magnetic configuration of bipolar MMFs through combined high-resolution intensity and spectropolarimetric observations.

Findings

Bipolar MMF observed simultaneously in intensity and magnetic data.

Detected a U-shaped magnetic field configuration in MMFs.

Established connection between MMFs and penumbral filaments.

Abstract

The formation and the temporal evolution of a bipolar moving magnetic feature (MMF) was studied with high spatial and temporal resolution. The photometric properties were observed with the New Solar Telescope at Big Bear Solar Observatory using a broadband TiO filter (705.7 nm), while the magnetic field was analyzed using the spectropolarimetric data obtained by Hinode. For the first time, we observed a bipolar MMF simultaneously in intensity images and magnetic field data, and studied the details of its structure. The vector magnetic field and the Doppler velocity of the MMF were also studied. A bipolar MMF having its positive polarity closer to the negative penumbra formed being accompanied by a bright, filamentary structure in the TiO data connecting the MMF and a dark penumbral filament. A fast downflow (<2km/s) was detected at the positive polarity. The vector magnetic field obtained from the full Stokes inversion revealed that a bipolar MMF has a U-shaped magnetic field configuration. Our observations provide a clear intensity counterpart of the observed MMF in the photosphere, and strong evidence of the connection between the MMF and the penumbral filament as a serpentine field.