Some historical records, which have held since the beginning of modern solar activity cycles, are being broken by the present Sun： cycle 23 records the longest cycle length and fall time; latitudes of high-latitude sunspots belonging to a new cycle around the minimum time of the cycle are statistically the lowest at present, compared with those of other cycles; there are only one or no sunspots in a month appearing at high latitudes for 58 months, which is the first time that such a long duration has been observed. The solar dynamo is believed to be slowing down due to： （1） the minimum smoothed monthly mean sunspot number is the smallest since cycle 16 onwards, and even probably among all modern solar cycles; and （2） once the time interval between the first observations of two neighboring sunspot groups is larger than 14 d, it should be approximately regarded as an observation of no sunspots on the visible solar disk, called a spotless event. Spotless events occur with the highest frequency around the minimum time of cycle 24, and the longest spotless event also appears around the minimum time for observations of the Sun since cycle 16. Cycle 24 is expected to have the lowest level of sunspot activity from cycle 16 onwards and even probably for all of the modern solar cycles.
Ke-Jun Li1,2 1 National Astronomical Observatories /Yunnan Observatory,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Kunming 650011,China
We present simultaneous observations of three recurring jets in EUV and soft X-ray （SXR）, which occurred in an active region on 2007 June 5. By comparing their morphological and kinematic characteristics in these two different wavelengths, we found that EUV and SXR jets had similar locations, directions, sizes and velocities. We also analyzed their spectral properties by using six spectral lines from the EUV Imaging Spectrometer （EIS） onboard Hinode and found that these jets had temperatures from 0.05 to 2.0MK and maximum electron densities from 6.6× 10^9 to 3.4× 10^10cm^-3. For each jet, an elongated blue-shifted component and a red- shifted component at the jet base were simultaneously observed in the Fe XII A195 and the He II A256 lines. The three jets had maximum Doppler velocities from 25 to 121 km s-1 in the FexII A195 line and from 115 to 232 km s -1 in the HeII A256 line. They had maximum non-thermal velocities from 98 to 181 km s-1 in the Fe xII A195 line and from 196 to 399 km s-1 in the He II A256 line. We also examined the relationship between averaged Doppler velocities and maximum ionization temperatures of these three jets and found that averaged Doppler velocities decreased with the increase of maximum ionization temperatures. In the photosphere, magnetic flux emergences and cancelations continuously took place at the jet base. These observa- tional results were consistent with the magnetic reconnection jet model, implying that magnetic reconnection between emerging magnetic flux and ambient magnetic field occurred in the lower atmosphere.
Li-Heng Yang Yun-Chun Jiang Jia-Yan Yang Yi Bi Rui-Sheng Zheng
目前观测得到的日冕物质抛射(coronal mass ejection,CME)只是其在天空平面的投影,其观测参量与真实参量之间存在一定的差异。而CME的速度是对其地磁效应有决定性影响的参量,因此对CME测量速度作投影效应改正是一个重要的研究课题。综述了近年来对CME测量速度进行投影效应改正的方法,并指出了这些投影效应改正方法中存在的一些问题和进一步的研究方向。
利用Carte Synoptique solar filament archive的暗条观测资料研究了高纬度太阳活动的纬度漂移.定量分析了高纬度活动的两种漂移:已知的太阳活动从中纬度(40°)向太阳两极的纬度漂移,以及新发现的从太阳两极向太阳中纬度的纬度漂移.在一个太阳活动周内从中纬度向太阳两极的纬度漂移的时间(约4.4a)比从太阳两极向太阳中纬度的纬度漂移的时间(约6.6a)要短约2.2a,这两种漂移的转换发生在太阳活动的极大期.将来,太阳活动发电机理论要考虑这种从太阳两极向太阳中纬度的纬度漂移.太阳活动延伸周是从太阳两极向太阳赤道的连续纬度漂移活动周的一部分.
We investigate the cyclic evolutionary behavior of CME accelerations for accelerating and decelerating CME events in cycle 23 from 1997 January to 2007 December. It is found that the absolute values of semiannual mean accelerations of both accelerating and decelerating CME events roughly wax and wane in a cycle, delaying the sunspot cycle in time phase. We also investigate the semiannual number of CMEs with positive and neg- ative acceleration and find that there are more decelerating CME events than accelerating CME events during the maximum period of a cycle （about three years）, but there are more accelerating CME events than decelerating CME events during the rest of the time interval of the cycle. Our results seem to suggest that the different driving mechanisms may be acting accelerate and decelerate CME events; for accelerating CME events, the propelling force （Fp） statistically seems to play a significant role in pushing CMEs outward; for decelerating CME events, the drag （Fd） statistically seems to play a more effective role in determining CME kinematic evolution in the outer corona. During the maximum period of a cycle, because of the V^2 dependence, Fd is generally stronger; because of the magnetic field dependence, Fp is also generally stronger. Thus, the absolute values of both the negative and positive accelerations are generally larger during that time. Because of the V^2 dependence, Fd may be more effective during the maximum period of a cycle. Hence, there are more decelerating CME events than accelerating CME events during that time. During the minimum time interval of a cycle, CMEs have relatively small speeds, and Fp may be more effective. Therefore, there are more accelerating CME events than decelerating CME events during that time.
Sunspot groups observed by the Royal Greenwich Observatory/US Air Force/NOAA from 1874 May to 2008 November and the Carte Synoptique solar filaments from 1919 March to 1989 December are used to investigate the relative phase shift of the paired wings of butterfly diagrams of sunspot and filament activi- ties. Latitudinal migration of sunspot groups （or filaments） does asynchronously occur in the northern and southern hemispheres, and there is a relative phase shift between the paired wings of their butterfly diagrams in a cycle, making the paired wings spa- tially asymmetrical on the solar equator. It is inferred that hemispherical solar activity strength should evolve in a similar way within the paired wings of a butterfly diagram in a cycle, demonstrating the paired wings phenomenon and showing the phase rela- tionship between the northern and southern hemispherical solar activity strengths, as well as a relative phase shift between the paired wings of a butterfly diagram, which should bring about almost the same relative phase shift of hemispheric solar activity strength.
