IIT Kanpur creates first-ever 3D map of the Sun's internal magnetic field

IIT Kanpur creates first-ever 3D map of the Sun's internal magnetic field

Recently, researchers at IIT Kanpur have mapped the Sun's internal magnetic field for the first time by incorporating 30 years of observations of the Sun's surface magnetic field, obtained through satellites in space, into a three-dimensional (3D) computational model.

Main point

¨     These findings have been published in ‘The Astrophysical Journal Letters’ by the Department of Physics at IIT Kanpur.

¨     This data-driven 3D dynamo model can reconstruct the entire internal magnetic field of the Sun.

¨   The main premise is that the magnetic fields deep within the Sun shape the surface magnetism, and therefore their signatures are present in long-term surface observations.

¨  This study provides an unprecedented three-decade estimate of the magnitude, structure, and evolution of the Sun's internal magnetic fields.

¨  The Sun's cyclic magnetic behavior is driven by the solar dynamo, which generates magnetic fields deep within the solar interior and also causes periodic polarity reversals.

¨     Solar Dynamo: This is the process by which the Sun generates its magnetic field through differential rotation and convection, causing its magnetic polarity to reverse approximately every solar cycle.

Solar Cycle

¨    The Sun is a giant ball of electrically charged hot gas (plasma) whose movement generates powerful magnetic fields. This magnetic field changes over time, which is known as the solar cycle.

¨     Approximately every 11 years, the Sun's magnetic field reverses, causing its north and south poles to switch places; it takes another 11 years for them to return to their original positions.

¨     These magnetic changes lead to variations in solar surface activity, including the formation of sunspots.

Phases of the Cycl

¨     Solar Minimum: This marks the beginning of the solar cycle, when the Sun has the fewest sunspots and the lowest level of magnetic activity. This phase indicates a relatively quiet Sun. Solar Maximum: This occurs in the middle of the solar cycle, when solar activity is at its peak and the number of sunspots is highest. As the cycle progresses beyond this point, the activity gradually decreases, and a solar minimum is reached again before the start of a new cycle.