Several observatories around the globe started regular full-disc imaging of the solar atmosphere in the Ca II K line in the early decades of the 20th century. These observations are continued today at a few sites with either old spectroheliographs or modern telescopes equipped with narrow-band filters. The Ca II K time series are unique in representing long-term variations of the Sun's chromospheric magnetic field. However, meaningful results from their analysis require accurate processing of the available data and robust merging of the information stored in different archives. This paper provides an overview of the historical and modern full-disc Ca II K observations, with focus on their quality and the main results obtained from their analysis over the last decade.
This article represents a short review of the variability characteristics of young stellar objects. Variability is a key property of young stars. Two major origins may be distinguished: a scaled-up version of the magnetic activity seen on main-sequence stars and various processes related to circumstellar disks, accretion and outflows.
The variation in the radiative output of the Sun, described in terms of solar irradiance, is important to climatology. A common assumption is that solar irradiance variability is driven by its surface magnetism. Verifying this assumption has, however, been hampered by the fact that models of solar irradiance variability based on solar surface magnetism have to be calibrated to observed variability. Making use of realistic three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic simulations of the solar atmosphere and state-of-the-art solar magnetograms from the Solar Dynamics Observatory, we present a model of t…
This article provides a review of X-ray variability from late-type stars with particular focus on the achievements of XMM-Newton and its potential for future studies in this field.
Solar five-minute oscillations have been detected in the power spectra of two six-day time intervals from soft X-ray measurements of the Sun observed as a star using the Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrophotometer (ESP) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE). The frequencies of the largest amplitude peaks were found matching within 3.7 microHz the known low-degree (l = 0--3) modes of global acoustic oscillations, and can be explained by a leakage of the global modes into the corona. Due to strong variability of the solar atmosphere between the p…
The solar brightness varies on timescales from minutes to decades. A clear identification of the physical processes behind such variations is needed for developing and improving physics-based models of solar brightness variability and reconstructing solar brightness in the past. This is, in turn, important for better understanding the solar-terrestrial and solar-stellar connections. We estimate the relative contributions of the continuum, molecular, and atomic lines to the solar brightness variations on different timescales. Our approach is based on the assumption that variability of the solar…
Understanding how the magnetic activity of low-mass stars depends on their fundamental parameters is an important goal of stellar astrophysics. Previous studies show that activity levels are largely determined by the stellar Rossby number which is defined as the rotation period divided by the convective turnover time. However, we currently have little information on the role that chemical composition plays. In this work, we investigate how metallicity affects magnetic activity using photometric variability as an activity proxy. Similarly to other proxies, we demonstrate that the amplitude of p…
The Sun and stars with low magnetic activity levels, become photometrically brighter when their activity increases. Magnetically more active stars display the opposite behaviour and get fainter when their activity increases. We reproduce the observed photometric trends in stellar variations with a model that treats stars as hypothetical Suns with coverage by magnetic features different from that of the Sun. The presented model attributes the variability of stellar spectra to the imbalance between the contributions from different components of the solar atmosphere, such as dark starspots and br…
Knowing the variability of total solar irradiance (TSI) at the top of the atmosphere is crucial for specifying solar influence to climate variability. Satellite measured TSI data are available only for the last 32 years. But there is an opportunity to estimate approximate daily TSI values on the basis of the observed variability of solar activity. A common approach is based using data for Wolf sunspot numbers. Series of daily data from the DAVOS based TSI starting from 1978 have been compared with daily values of Wolf numbers and with the corresponding estimates for daily summary sunspot area.…
The unprecedented precision of broadband stellar photometry achieved with the planet-hunting missions CoRoT and \textit{Kepler} initiated a new era in examining the magnetically-driven brightness variations of hundreds of thousands of stars. Such brightness variations are well studied and understood for the Sun. The plethora of data allows to accurately compare solar and stellar brightness variations. An intriguing question is whether the observed trends in the stellar photometric variability (e.g. the dependence of the variability on the stellar rotation period) can be explained by utilising …
The Sun provides the energy necessary to sustain our existence. While the Sun provides for us, it is also capable of taking away. The weather and climatic scales of solar evolution and the Sun-Earth connection are not well understood. There has been tremendous progress in the century since the discovery of solar magnetism - magnetism that ultimately drives the electromagnetic, particulate and eruptive forcing of our planetary system. There is contemporary evidence of a decrease in solar magnetism, perhaps even indicators of a significant downward trend, over recent decades. Are we entering a m…
It is shown that the long-term solar activity (represented by the dynamically covered monthly time series of the sunspot number for period 1750-2005yy) exhibits spectral properties of the Hamiltonian distributed chaos with spontaneously broken time translational symmetry.
The monthly average values of the main solar activity indices such as Wolf numbers (W), 10,7 cm radio flux (F10,7), 0,1-0,8 nm background, total solar irradiance and Mg II UV-index (280 nm core to wing ratio) were studied for 23 activity cycle. The correlation coefficients of linear regression for main solar activity indices versus F10,7 were analyzed for every year of 23 activity cycle. All the correlation coefficients for 23 activity cycle have the minimum values in 2001. We also analyzed the connection between monthly average values of the most popular indices W and F10,7 for 21, 22 and 23 …
The variability of the spectral solar irradiance (SSI) over the course of the 11-year solar cycle is one of the manifestations of solar magnetic activity. There is a strong evidence that the SSI variability has an effect on the Earth's atmosphere. The faster rotation of the Sun in the past lead to a more vigorous action of solar dynamo and thus potentially to larger amplitude of the SSI variability on the timescale of the solar activity cycle. This could led to a stronger response of the Earth's atmosphere as well as other solar system planets' atmospheres to the solar activity cycle. We calcu…
The analysis of the effect of the hysteresis, which manifests itself in an ambiguous relationship of radiation from the photosphere, chromosphere and corona on the rise and decline phases of the solar and stellar activity cycles have done. Some indices of solar activity: the flux of the hydrogen Lyman-alpha emission, the 10.7 cm flux, the sunspot number SSN, the flux in the coronal green line 530.3 nm, the solar constant TSI and the 280 nm Mg II flux were studied. The stars with the well-determined cycles were examined to detect the effect of hysteresis between the chromosphere's S-index CaII …
We present a new empirical model of total and spectral solar irradiance (TSI and SSI) variability entitled EMPirical Irradiance REconstruction (EMPIRE). As with existing empirical models, TSI and SSI variability is given by the linear combination of solar activity indices. In empirical models, UV SSI variability is usually determined by fitting the rotational variability in activity indices to that in measurements. Such models have to date relied on ordinary least squares regression, which ignores the uncertainty in the activity indices. In an advance from earlier efforts, the uncertainty in t…
We study the solar-activity and solar-polarity dependence of galactic cosmic-ray intensity (CRI) on the solar and heliospheric parameters playing a significant role in solar modulation. We utilize the data for cosmic-ray intensity as measured by neutron monitors, solar activity as measured by sunspot number (SSN), interplanetary plasma/field parameters, solar-wind velocity [V] and magnetic field [B], as well as the tilt of the heliospheric current sheet [Λ] and analyse these data for Solar Cycles 20 - 24 (1965 - 2011). We divide individual Solar Cycles into four phases, i.e. low, high, increas…
A two-wave dynamo model was recently proposed by Zharkova et al. (2015, Zh15 henceforth), which aims at long-term predictions of solar activity for millennia ahead and backwards. Here we confront the backward model predictions for the last 800 years with known variability of solar activity, using both direct sunspot observations since 1610 and reconstructions based on cosmogenic radionuclide data. We show that the Zh15 model fails to reproduce the well-established features of the solar activity evolution during the last millennium. This means that the predictive part for the future is not reli…
The evolution of the solar activity comprises, apart from the well-known 11-year cycle, various temporal scales ranging from months up to the secondary cycles known as mid-term oscillations. Its nature deserves a physical explanation. In this work, we consider the 5-to-6 year oscillations as derived both from sunspot and from solar magnetic dipole time series. Using the solar dynamo model, we deduced that these variations may be a manifestation of the dynamo nonlinearities and non-harmonic shape of the solar activity cycles. We conclude that the observed mid-term oscillations are related to th…
We analyze the effect of solar features on the variability of the solar irradiance in three different spectral ranges. Our study is based on two solar-cycles' worth of full-disk photometric images from the San Fernando Observatory, obtained with red, blue and Ca II K-line filters. For each image we measure the photometric sum, Sigma, which is the relative contribution of solar features to the disk-integrated intensity of the image. The photometric sums in the red and blue continuum, Sigma_r and Sigma_b, exhibit similar temporal patterns: they are negatively correlated with solar activity, with…
We present the assessment of a diffusion-dominated mean field axisymmetric dynamo model in reproducing historical solar activity and forecast for solar cycle 25. Previous studies point to the Sun's polar magnetic field as an important proxy for solar activity prediction. Extended research using this proxy has been impeded by reduced observational data record only available from 1976. However, there is a recognised need for a solar dynamo model with ample verification over various activity scenarios to improve theoretical standards. The present study aims to explore the use of helioseismology d…
We present our latest results on the solar-stellar connection by studying 18 solar analogs that we identified among the Kepler seismic sample (Salabert et al., 2016a). We measured their magnetic activity properties using observations collected by the Kepler satellite and the ground-based, high-resolution Hermes spectrograph. The photospheric (Sph) and chromospheric (S) magnetic activity proxies of these seismic solar analogs are compared in relation to solar activity. We show that the activity of the Sun is actually comparable to the activity of the seismic solar analogs. Furthermore, we repor…
The level of solar magnetic activity, as exemplified by the number of sunspots and by energetic events in the corona, varies on a wide range of time scales. Most prominent is the 11-year solar cycle, which is significantly modulated on longer time scales. Drawing from dynamo theory together with empirical results of past solar activity and of similar phenomena on solar-like stars, we show that the variability of the solar cycle can be essentially understood in terms of a weakly nonlinear limit cycle affected by random noise. In contrast to ad-hoc `toy models' for the solar cycle, this leads to…
Magnetic activity is a global property of the Sun; the complex processes of solar activity are connected with the solar magnetic fields. For solar-type stars and the Sun magnetic activity depends on the physical parameters of the star. In this article we study the relationships between the duration of activity cycle and effective temperature for solar-type stars and the Sun. We've tried to explain these relationships due to the existence of layer of laminar convection near the bottom of the convective zone of the star. In this layer the Rossby waves are formed. They generate the primary poloid…
The atmospheric activity of the Sun and solar-type stars is analysed involving observations from HK-project at the Mount Wilson Observatory, the California and Carnegie Planet Search Program at the Keck and Lick Observatories, and the Magellan Planet Search Program at the Las Campanas Observatory. We show that for stars of F, G and K spectral classes, the cyclic activity, similar to the 11-yr Solar cycles, is different: it becomes more prominent in K-stars. Comparative study of solar-type stars with different levels of the chromospheric and coronal activity confirms that the Sun belongs to sta…
We analyze intermediate degree p- and f-mode eigenfrequencies measured by GONG and MDI/SOHO for a complete solar cycle to study their correlation with solar activity. We demonstrate that the frequencies do vary linearly with the activity, however the degree of correlation differs from phase to phase of the cycle. During the rising and the declining phases, the mode frequencies are strongly correlated with the activity proxies whereas during the low- and high-activity periods, the frequencies have significantly lower correlation with all the activity proxies considered here.
We examine Kepler light curve variability on habitable zone transit timescales for a large uniform sample of spectroscopically studied Kepler exoplanet host stars. The stars, taken from Everett et al. (2013) are solar-like in their properties and each harbors at least one exoplanet (or candidate) of radius $\le$2.5\re. The variability timescale examined is typical for habitable zone planets orbiting solar-like stars and we note that the discovery of the smallest exoplanets ($\le$1.2\re) with corresponding transit depths of less than $\sim$0.18 mmag, occur for the brightest, photometrically qui…
The Sun has long been considered a constant star, to the extent that its total irradiance was termed the solar constant. It required radiometers in space to detect the small variations in solar irradiance on timescales of the solar rotation and the solar cycle. A part of the difficulty is that there are no other constant natural daytime sources to which the Sun's brightness can be compared. The discovery of solar irradiance variability rekindled a long-running discussion on how strongly the Sun affects our climate. A non-negligible influence is suggested by correlation studies between solar va…
Solar chromosphere and coronal heating is a big question for astrophysics. Daily measurement of 985 solar spectral irradiances (SSIs) at the spectral intervals 1-39 nm and 116-2416 nm during March 1 2003 to October 28 2017 is utilized to investigate phase relation respectively with daily sunspot number, the Mount Wilson Sunspot Index, and the Magnetic Plage Strength Index. All SSIs which form in the whole heated region: the upper photosphere, chromosphere, transition region, and corona are found to be significantly more correlated to weak magnetic activity than to strong magnetic activity, and…
We identify a set of 18 solar analogs among the seismic sample of solar-like stars observed by the Kepler satellite rotating between 10 and 40 days. This set is constructed using the asteroseismic stellar properties derived using either the global oscillation properties or the individual acoustic frequencies. We measure the magnetic activity properties of these stars using observations collected by the photometric Kepler satellite and by the ground-based, high-resolution Hermes spectrograph mounted on the Mercator telescope. The photospheric (Sph) and chromospheric (S index) magnetic activity …
Solar activity forecasting is an important topic for numerous scientific and technological areas, such as space mission operations, electric power transmission lines, power transformation stations and earth geophysical and climatic impact. Nevertheless, the well-known difficulty is how to accurately predict, on the basis of various recorded solar activity indices, the complete evolution of future solar cycles, due to highly complex dynamical and stochastic processes involved, mainly related to interaction of different components of internal magnetic fields. There are two main distinct classes …
Finding solar-analog stars with fundamental properties as close as possible to the Sun and studying the characteristics of their surface magnetic activity is a very promising way to understand the solar variability and its associated dynamo process. However, the identification of solar-analog stars depends on the accuracy of the estimated stellar parameters. Thanks to the photometric CoROT and Kepler space missions, the addition of asteroseismic data was proven to provide the most accurate fundamental properties that can be derived from stellar modeling today. Here, we present our latest resul…
The distribution of the sunspot group size (area) and its dependence on the level of solar activity is studied. It is shown that the fraction of small groups is not constant but decreases with the level of solar activity so that high solar activity is largely defined by big groups. We study the possible influence of solar activity on the ability of a realistic observer to see and report the daily number of sunspot groups. It is shown that the relation between the number of sunspot groups as seen by different observers with different observational acuity thresholds is strongly non-linear and ca…
Utilizing the excellent stability of the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI), we characterize both short-term (solar rotation) and long-term (solar cycle) changes of the solar spectral irradiance (SSI) between 265-500 nm during the on-going Cycle 24. We supplement the OMI data with concurrent observations from the GOME-2 and SORCE instruments and find fair-to-excellent, depending on wavelength, agreement among the observations and predictions of the NRLSSI2 and SATIRE-S models.
Total solar irradiance variations, about 0.1% between solar activity maximum and minimum, are available from accurate satellite measurements since 1978 and thus do not provide useful information on longer-term secular trends. Recently, Krivova et al., 2007 reconstructed, using suitable models, the total solar irradiance from the end of the Maunder minimum to the present, based on variations of the surface distribution of the solar magnetic field. The latter is calculated from the long historical record of the sunspot numbers using a simple but consistent physical model. There are many classes …
Pre-main sequence stars are variable sources. In diskless stars this variability is mainly due to the rotational modulation of dark photospheric spots and active regions, as in main sequence stars even if associated with a stronger magnetic activity. Aims. We aim at analyzing the simultaneous optical and X-ray variability in these stars to unveil how the activity in the photosphere is connected with that in the corona, to identify the dominant surface magnetic activity, and to correlate our results with stellar properties, such as rotation and mass. Methods. We analyzed the simultaneous optica…
The prediction of the evolution of individual solar cycles is a developing field, faced with divergence of forecasts even for a few years in the future. Specifically for solar flares, long-term modeling is practically absent even in rough terms. In this article a forecast for the evolution of solar cycle 25 in terms of solar flares activity is presented. It is derived from an existing phenomenological model based on the coupling of an internal solar component and a planetary component. In addition to competent temporal resolution, the predictions are characterized by features which both differ…
A stable cyclicity of correlation coefficients Kcorr for some solar activity indices versus F10,7 was found after monthly averages values analysis. These indices are: Wolf numbers, 10,7 cm radio flux F10,7, 0,1-0,8 nm background, the total solar irradiance, Mg II UV-index (280 nm core to wing ratio) and counts of flares. The correlation coefficients of the linear regression of these solar activity indices versus F10,7 were analyzed for every year in solar cycles 21 - 23. We found out that the values of yearly determined correlation coefficients Kcorr for solar activity indices versus F10,7 sho…
Context. Solar spectral irradiance (SSI) variability is one of the key inputs to models of the Earth's climate. Understanding solar irradiance fluctuations also helps to place the Sun among other stars in terms of their brightness variability patterns and to set detectability limits for terrestrial exo-planets. Aims. One of the most successful and widely used models of solar irradiance variability is SATIRE-S. It uses spectra of the magnetic features and surrounding quiet Sun computed with the ATLAS9 spectral synthesis code under the assumption of Local Thermodynamic Equilibrium (LTE). SATIRE-…
We consider the long-term behavior of the solar and heliospheric parameters and the GCR intensity in the periods of high solar activity and the inversions of heliospheric magnetic field (HMF). The classification of the HMF polarity structures and the meaning of the HMF inversion are discussed. The procedure is considered how to use the known HMF polarity distribution for the GCR intensity modeling during the periods of high solar activity. We also briefly discuss the development and the nearest future of the sunspot activity and the GCR intensity in the current unusual solar cycle 24.
In this paper, we study two sets of local geomagnetic indices from 26 stations using the principal component (PC) and the independent component (IC) analysis methods. We demonstrate that the annually averaged indices can be accurately represented as linear combinations of two first components with weights systematically depending on latitude. We show that the annual contributions of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and high speed streams (HSSs) to geomagnetic activity are highly correlated with the first and second IC. The first and second ICs are also found to be very highly correlated with the …
The sunspot position from Greenwich Photoheliographic Results (GPR), US Air Force Solar Optical Observing Network and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (USAF/NOAA), and Debrecen Photoheliographic Data (DPD) data bases in the period 1874 to 2016 were used to calculate yearly values of the solar differential-rotation parameters $A$ and $B$. The calculated differential-rotation parameters were compared with the solar-activity level. We found that the Sun rotates more differentially at the minimum than at the maximum of activity during the 1977 - 2016 epoch. An inverse correlation be…
Low-degree solar p-mode observations from the long-lived Birmingham Solar Oscillations Network (BiSON) stretch back further than any other single helioseismic data set. Results from BiSON have suggested that the response of the mode frequency to solar activity levels may be different in different cycles. In order to check whether such changes can also be seen at higher degrees, we compare the response of medium-degree solar p-modes to activity levels across three solar cycles using data from Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO), Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG), Michelson Doppler Imager (M…
In this article, we report an evidence of very high and statistically significant relationship between hemispheric asymmetry in solar coronal rotation rate and solar activity. Our approach is based on cross correlation of hemispheric asymmetry index (AI) in rotation rate with annual solar activity indicators. To obtain hemispheric asymmetry in solar rotation rate, we use solar full disc (SFD) images at 30.4 nm, 19.5 nm, and 28.4 nm wavelengths for 24th Solar Cycle i.e., for the period from 2008 to 2018, as recorded by the Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) space mission. Our anal…
Kepler observations revealed that hundreds of stars with near-solar fundamental parameters and rotation periods have much stronger and more regular brightness variations than the Sun. Here we identify one possible reason for the peculiar behaviour of these stars. Inspired by solar nests of activity, we assume that the degree of inhomogeneity of active-region (AR) emergence on such stars is higher than on the Sun. To test our hypothesis, we model stellar light curves by injecting ARs consisting of spots and faculae on stellar surfaces at various rates and nesting patterns, using solar AR proper…
The record of solar activity is reviewed here with emphasis on peculiarities. Since sunspot positions tell us a lot more about the solar dynamo than the various global sunspot numbers, we first focus on the records of telescopic observations of sunspots leading to positional information. Then we turn to the proxy record from cosmogenic isotope abundances, which shows recurrent grand minima over the last 9500 years. The apparent distinction between episodes of strong modulation, and intervening episodes with milder modulation and weaker overall activity, hints at the solar dynamo following a va…
We search for persistent and quasi-periodic release events of streamer blobs during 2007 with the Large Angle Spectrometric Coronagraph on the \textit{Solar and Heliospheric Observatory} and assess the velocity of the slow solar wind along the plasma sheet above the corresponding streamer by measuring the dynamic parameters of blobs. We find 10 quasi-periodic release events of streamer blobs lasting for three to four days. In each day of these events, we observe three-five blobs. The results are in line with previous studies using data observed near the last solar minimum. Using the measured b…
Aims. The Sun shows strong variability in its magnetic activity, from Grand minima to Grand maxima, but the nature of the variability is not fully understood, mostly because of the insufficient length of the directly observed solar activity records and of uncertainties related to long-term reconstructions. Here we present a new adjustment-free reconstruction of solar activity over three millennia and study its different modes. Methods. We present a new adjustment-free, physical reconstruction of solar activity over the past three millennia, using the latest verified carbon cycle, 14C productio…
Stellar mass loss rates are an important input ingredient for stellar evolution models since they determine stellar evolution parameters such as stellar spin-down and increase in stellar luminosity through the lifetime of a star. Due to the lack of direct observations of stellar winds from Sun-like stars stellar X-ray luminosity and stellar level of activity are commonly used as a proxy for estimating stellar mass loss rates. However, such an intuitive activity --- mass loss rate relation is not well defined. In this paper, I study the mass loss rate of the Sun as a function of its activity le…
Although chromospheric activity cycles have been studied in a larger number of late-type stars for quite some time, very little is known about coronal activity-cycles in other stars and their similarities or dissimilarities with the solar activity cycle. While it is usually assumed that cyclic activity is present only in stars of low to moderate activity, we investigate whether the ultra-fast rotator AB Dor, a K dwarf exhibiting signs of substantial magnetic activity in essentially all wavelength bands, exhibits a X-ray activity cycle in analogy to its photospheric activity cycle of about 17 y…
All p-mode parameters vary with time as a response to the changes induced by the cyclic behavior of solar magnetic activity. After the unusual long solar-activity minimum between cycles 23 and 24, where the p-mode parameters have shown a different behavior than the surface magnetic proxies, we analyze the temporal variation of low-degree p-mode parameters measured by GOLF (in velocity) and VIRGO (in intensity) Sun-as-a-star instruments on board SoHO. We then compared our results with other activity proxies.
Solar flares (SFs) are sudden brightening observed over the Sun surface which is associated with a large energy release. Flares with burst of Xray emission are normally followed by a mass ejection of electrons and ions from the solar atmosphere called Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). There is an evidence that solar magnetic field can change its configuration through reconnection and release energy, accelerating solar plasma causing SFs and CMEs. This study examines the SFs and CMEs data from SOHO and GOES satellites during the very low solar activity year of 2009 and moderately high solar activi…
Temporal offsets between the time series of solar activity indicators provide important clues regarding the physical processes responsible for the cyclic variability in the solar atmosphere. Hysteresis patterns generated between any two indicators were popularly used to study their morphological features and further to understand their inter relationships. We use time series of different solar indicators to understand the possible cause-and-effect criteria between their respective source regions. Sensitivity of the upper atmosphere to the activity underneath might play an important role in int…
The solar activity provides an important impact not only on the intensity of cosmic rays but also on the earth environment. In this paper, a coupled oscillator model is proposed to explain the solar activity. By this model the 89 year Gleissberg cycle can be naturally reduced. Furthermore as an application of the coupled oscillator model we try to apply it to the El Nino-La Nina phenomena (ENSO). The 22 year oscillation of the Pacific Ocean is naturally explained. Finally we search a possible substance of the coupled oscillators in actual solar activities.
We analyze and model total solar irradiance variability on time scales from minutes to months, excluding variations due to p-mode oscillations, using a combination of convective and magnetic components. These include granulation, the magnetic network, faculae and sunspots. Analysis of VIRGO data shows that on periods of a day or longer solar variability depends on magnetic activity, but is nearly independent at shorter periods. We assume that only granulation affects the solar irradiance variability on time scales from minutes to hours. Granulation is described as a large sample of bright cell…
Having advanced knowledge of solar activity is important because the Sun's magnetic output governs space weather and impacts technologies reliant on space. However, the irregular nature of the solar cycle makes solar activity predictions a challenging task. This is best achieved through appropriately constrained solar dynamo simulations and as such the first step towards predictions is to understand the underlying physics of the solar dynamo mechanism. In Babcock-Leighton type dynamo models, the poloidal field is generated near the solar surface whereas the toroidal field is generated in the s…
The 11-year solar cycle is the dominant pattern of solar activity reflecting the oscillatory dynamo mechanism in the Sun. Solar cycles were directly observed since 1700, while indirect proxies suggest their existence over a much longer period of time but generally without resolving individual cycles and their continuity. Here we reconstruct individual cycles for the last millennium using recent 14C data and state-of-the-art models. Starting with the 14C production rate determined from the so far most precise measurements of radiocarbon content in tree rings, solar activity is reconstructed in …
