Statistical Study of the Magnetic Field Orientation in Solar Filaments

TL;DR

This study statistically analyzes the magnetic field orientations in over 400 solar filaments, revealing a hemispheric pattern consistent with filament chirality and confirming the magnetic field's alignment with filament structures.

Contribution

It provides the first direct observational confirmation of the hemispheric pattern of magnetic field orientation in solar filaments using spectropolarimetric data.

Findings

Magnetic field deviations are mostly between 10-30 degrees.

Northern and southern hemisphere filaments show opposite deviation directions.

Some filaments exhibit magnetic fields opposite to the hemispheric pattern, linked to local magnetic polarity.

Abstract

We have carried out a statistical study of the average orientation of the magnetic field in solar filaments with respect to their axes for more than 400 samples, based on data taken with daily full-Sun, full-Stokes spectropolarimetric observations using the He I 1083.0 nm line. The major part of the samples are the filaments in the quiet areas, but those in the active areas are included as well. The average orientation of the magnetic field in filaments shows a systematic property depending on the hemisphere; the direction of the magnetic field in filaments in the northern (southern) hemisphere mostly deviates clockwise (counterclockwise) from their axes, which run along the magnetic polarity inversion line. The deviation angles of the magnetic field from the axes, are concentrated between 10--30 deg. This hemispheric pattern is consistent with that revealed for chirality of filament barbs, filament channels and for other solar features found to possess chirality. For some filaments it was confirmed that their magnetic field direction is locally parallel to their structure seen in Halpha images. Our results for the first time confirmed this hemispheric pattern with the direct observation of the magnetic field in filaments. Interestingly, the filaments which show the opposite magnetic field deviation to the hemispheric pattern, are in many cases found above the polarity inversion line whose ambient photospheric magnetic field has the polarity alignment being opposite to that of active regions following the Hale-Nicholson law.