Solar Mean Magnetic Field (SMMF)

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Why in the news?

According to the Department of Science and Technology, scientists now are one step closer to identifying the source of the Solar Mean Magnetic Field (SMMF).

About Solar Mean Magnetic Field:

It is the mean value of the line-of-sight (LOS) component of the solar vector magnetic field averaged over the visible hemisphere as well as its relationship with Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF).
The sun contains the corona (the outer shell of the sun’s atmosphere), the photosphere (the visible surface), and the chromosphere (near-transparent layer, just above the photosphere) with the magnetic field generated by electrical currents acting as a magnetic dynamo inside the sun.
However, so far, the studies on the SMMF have mostly been confined to the magnetic field measurements at the photosphere.
New Findings:
- Scientists in their quest to understand if and how the SMMF at chromospheric heights is related to the SMMF at photospheric heights have found a very good similarity between the two.
- The value of chromospheric SMMF is lower than the photospheric SMMF, thereby suggesting that the primordial magnetic field inside the sun could be a source of the SMMF.
- They calculated and analysed the SMMF using magnetic field measurements at the chromosphere, in conjunction with that of photospheric measurements.
- These electrical currents are generated by the flow of hot, ionised gases in the sun’s convection zone.

Q) What is Solar flare?
A solar flare is a sudden and intense eruption of energy from the Sun’s surface. It is a result of the release of a large amount of magnetic energy in a relatively short period of time. Solar flares are most commonly observed in the vicinity of sunspots, which are regions of intense magnetic activity on the Sun’s surface.

Source: Scientists now one step closer to identifying the source of solar mean magnetic field: Indian Institute of Astrophysics study