Solar poloidal magnetic field generation rate from observations and mean-field dynamos

TL;DR

This study combines solar magnetic field observations with mean-field dynamo models to estimate the flux generation rate, highlighting the significant role of radial turbulent diffusion in surface magnetic field evolution.

Contribution

It demonstrates how surface flux-transport models can reconcile observed magnetic flux generation rates by incorporating radial turbulent diffusion effects.

Findings

Radial turbulent diffusion significantly impacts surface magnetic field evolution.

Surface flux-transport models can match observed flux generation rates.

Lower diffusion coefficients improve model-observation agreement.

Abstract

To estimate the hemispheric flux generation rate of the large-scale radial magnetic field in the Solar Cycles 23 and 24, we use the photospheric observations of the solar magnetic fields and results of the mean-field dynamo models. Results of the dynamo model show the strong impact of the radial turbulent diffusion on the surface evolution of the large-scale poloidal magnetic field and on the hemispheric magnetic flux generation rate. To process the observational data set we employ the parameters of the meridional circulation and turbulent diffusion from the Surface Flux-Transport (SFT) models. We find that the observed evolution of the axisymmetric vector potential contains the time--latitude patterns which can result from the effect of turbulent diffusion of the large-scale poloidal magnetic field in the radial direction. We think that, the SFT models can reconcile the observed rate of hemispheric magnetic flux generation by considering radial turbulent diffusion and lower values of the diffusion coefficient.