North-south asymmetry of solar dynamo in the current activity cycle

TL;DR

This paper investigates the north-south asymmetry in solar magnetic field reversal during the current cycle, attributing it to hemispheric differences in the Babcock-Leighton mechanism's contribution, and predicts a weak polar field for the next minimum.

Contribution

It provides a hemispheric analysis of the Babcock-Leighton mechanism's role in polar field reversal, highlighting cycle-to-cycle variations and their impact on solar activity predictions.

Findings

Northern hemisphere contribution exceeded southern in early cycle

Estimated contributions are smaller than in previous cycles

A weak polar magnetic field is expected at next minimum

Abstract

An explanation is suggested for the north-south asymmetry of the polar magnetic field reversal in the current cycle of solar activity. The contribution of the Babcock-Leighton mechanism to the poloidal field generation is estimated using sunspot data for the current activity cycle. Estimations are performed separately for the northern and southern hemispheres. The contribution of the northern hemisphere exceeded considerably that of the southern hemisphere during the initial stage of the cycle. This is the probable reason for the earlier reversal of the northern polar field. The estimated contributions of the Babcock-Leighton mechanism are considerably smaller than similar estimations for the previous activity cycles. A relatively weak (<1G) large-scale polar field can be expected for the next activity minimum.