Characterization of magneto-convection in sunspots -- The Gough & Tayler stability criterion in MURaM sunspot simulations

TL;DR

This study applies the Gough & Tayler stability criterion to MURaM sunspot simulations, revealing the distinct regimes of magneto-convection in sunspots and their sub-photospheric structures.

Contribution

It demonstrates the effectiveness of the GT criterion in diagnosing the tripartite magneto-convective regimes within realistic sunspot simulations.

Findings

Identification of a highly unstable shallow layer beneath the surface.

Deep umbral core stabilized against overturning convection.

Vigorous magneto-convection in the penumbra driven by deep-rooted instabilities.

Abstract

We analyse a sunspot simulation in an effort to understand the origin of the convective instabilities giving rise to the penumbral and umbral distinct regimes. We applied the criterion from Gough \& Tayler (1966), accounting for the stabilising effect of the vertical magnetic field to investigate the convective instabilities in a MURaM sunspot simulation. We find: (1) a highly unstable shallow layer right beneath the surface extending all over the simulation box in which convection is triggered by radiative cooling in the photosphere; (2) a deep umbral core (beneath -5 Mm) stabilised against overturning convection that underlies a region with stable background values permeated by slender instabilities coupled to umbral dots; (3) filamentary instabilities below the penumbra nearly parallel to the surface and undulating instabilities coupled to the penumbra which originate in the deep layers. These deep-rooted instabilities result in the vigorous magneto-convection regime characteristic of the penumbra; (4) convective downdrafts in the granulation, penumbra, and umbra develop at about 2 km/s, 1 km/s, and 0.1 km/s, respectively, indicating that the granular regime of convection is more vigorous than the penumbra convection regime which, in turn, is more vigorous than the close-to-steady umbra; (5) the GT criterion outlines both the sunspot magnetopause and peripatopause, highlighting the tripartite nature of the sub-photospheric layers of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) sunspot models; and, finally, (6) the Jur\v{c}\'ak criterion is the photospheric counterpart of the GT criterion in deep layers. The GT criterion as a diagnostic tool reveals the tripartite nature of sunspot structure with distinct regimes of magneto-convection in the umbra, penumbra, and granulation operating in realistic MHD simulations.