Ca II K Polar Network Index of the Sun: A Proxy for Historical Polar Magnetic Field

TL;DR

This study demonstrates that the Ca II K polar network index (PNI) derived from historical and modern observations is a reliable proxy for the Sun's polar magnetic field, enabling long-term reconstruction and solar cycle prediction.

Contribution

The paper introduces a new method to derive the polar network index from calibrated Ca II K observations, extending polar magnetic field estimates back over 119 years.

Findings

PNI correlates strongly with direct polar field measurements (r > 0.93).

PNI series can reconstruct polar magnetic fields over 119 years.

Reconstructed polar fields relate to subsequent solar cycle amplitudes.

Abstract

The Sun's polar magnetic field is pivotal in understanding solar dynamo processes and forecasting future solar cycles. However, direct measurements of the polar field is only available since the 1970s. The chromospheric Ca II K polar network index (PNI; the fractional area of the chromospheric network regions above a certain latitude) has recently emerged as a reliable proxy for polar magnetic fields. In this study, we derive PNI estimates from newly calibrated, rotation-corrected Ca II K observations from the Kodaikanal Solar Observatory (1904-2007) and modern data from the Rome Precision Solar Photometric Telescope (2000-2022). We use both of those Ca II K archives to identify polar network regions with an automatic adaptive threshold segmentation technique and calculate the PNI. The PNI obtained from both the archives shows a significant correlation with the measured polar field from WSO (Pearson correlation coefficient r > 0.93) and the derived polar field based on an Advective Flux Transport Model (r > 0.91). The PNI series also shows a significant correlation with faculae counts derived from Mount Wilson Observatory observations (r > 0.87) for both KoSO and Rome-PSPT data. Finally, we use the PNI series from both archives to reconstruct the polar magnetic field over a 119-year-long period, which includes last 11 solar cycles (Cycle 14-24). We also obtain a relationship between the amplitude of solar cycles (in 13-month smoothed sunspot number) and the strength of the reconstructed polar field at the preceding solar cycle minimum to validate the prediction of the ongoing solar cycle, Cycle 25.