No universal connection between the vertical magnetic field and the umbra-penumbra boundary in sunspots

TL;DR

This study challenges the idea of a universal vertical magnetic field strength at sunspot boundaries, showing that properties vary with spot size and are not linked to a single critical magnetic value.

Contribution

It provides a statistical analysis demonstrating the non-universality of the vertical magnetic field at the umbra-penumbra boundary in sunspots.

Findings

Vertical magnetic field at the boundary varies with spot size.

Spines and filaments show different properties depending on spot size.

The invariance of magnetic field strength is due to filament and spine filling factors.

Abstract

Context. It has been reported that the boundary between the umbra and the penumbra of sunspots occurs at a canonical value of the strength of the vertical magnetic field, independently of the size of the spot. This critical field strength is interpreted as to be the threshold for the onset of magnetoconvection. Aims. Here we investigate the reasons why this criterion, also called the Jur\v{c}\'ak criterion in the literature, does not always identify the boundary between umbra and penumbra. Methods. We perform a statistical analysis of 23 sunspots observed with Hinode/SOT. We compare the properties of the continuum intensity and the vertical magnetic field between filaments and spines and how they vary between spots of different sizes. Results. We find that the inner boundary of the penumbra is not related to a universal value of the vertical magnetic field. The properties of spines and filaments vary between spots of different sizes. Both components are darker in larger spots and the spines exhibit stronger vertical magnetic field. These variations of the properties of filaments and spines with spot size are also the reason for the reported invariance of the averaged vertical magnetic field at 50% of the mean continuum intensity. Conclusions. The formation of filaments and the onset of magnetoconvection are not related to a canonical value of the strength of the vertical magnetic field. Such a seemingly unique magnetic field strength is rather an effect of the filling factor of spines and penumbral filaments.