Discriminating between Babcock-Leighton-type solar dynamo models by torsional oscillations

TL;DR

This paper compares three Babcock-Leighton solar dynamo models by analyzing their torsional oscillations, aiming to identify which model best matches observed solar rotation variations to understand the Sun's magnetic cycle.

Contribution

It introduces a method to discriminate between dynamo models using torsional oscillation properties, especially the latitudinal origin and phase relationships of magnetic field components.

Findings

Poleward and equatorward branches originate near ±55° latitudes.

Phase difference between radial and toroidal fields should be about π/2.

Alternating acceleration bands help distinguish models.

Abstract

The details of the dynamo process in the Sun are an important aspect of research in solar-terrestrial physics and astrophysics. The surface part of the dynamo can be constrained by direct observations, but the subsurface part lacks direct observational constraints. The torsional oscillations, a small periodic variation of the Sun's rotation with the solar cycle, are thought to result from the Lorentz force of the cyclic magnetic field generated by the dynamo. In this study, we aim to discriminate between three Babcock-Leighton (BL) dynamo models by comparing the zonal acceleration of the three models with the observed one. The property that the poleward and equatorward branches of the torsional oscillations originate from about $\pm 55^\circ$ latitudes with their own migration time periods serves as an effective discriminator that could constrain the configuration of the magnetic field in the convection zone. The toroidal field, comprising poleward and equatorward branches separated at about $\pm 55^\circ$ latitudes can generate the two branches of the torsional oscillations. The alternating acceleration and deceleration bands in time is the other property of the torsional oscillations that discriminate between the dynamo models. To reproduce this property, the phase difference between the radial ($B_{r}$) and toroidal ($B_{\phi}$) components of the magnetic field near the surface should be about $\pi/2$.