Open AccessDid plasma flow falter to stretch solar minimum?
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
astronomy & geophysics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.168
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 1468-4004
pISSN - 1366-8781
DOI - 10.1111/j.1468-4004.2011.52204_11.x
Subject(s) - plasma , flow (mathematics) , physics , mechanics , aerospace engineering , environmental science , atmospheric sciences , engineering , quantum mechanics
The recent solar minimum was longer and lower than expected, with a low polar field and an unusually large number of days with no sunspots visible. Models of the magnetic field and plasma flow within the Sun suggest that fast, then slow meridional flow could account for this pattern.