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The mean magnetic field of the Sun: Observations at Stanford

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Abstract

A solar telescope has been built at Stanford University to study the organization and evolution of large-scale solar magnetic fields and velocities. The observations are made using a Babcock-type magnetograph which is connected to a 22.9 m vertical Littrow spectrograph. Sun-as-a-star integrated light measurements of the mean solar magnetic field have been made daily since May 1975. The typical mean field magnitude has been about 0.15 G with typical measurement error less than 0.05 G. The mean field polarity pattern is essentially identical to the interplanetary magnetic field sector structure (see near the Earth with a 4 day lag). The differences in the observed structures can be understood in terms of a ‘warped current sheet’ model.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Plasma Research, Stanford University, Stanford, Calif., USA

    Philip H. Scherrer, John M. Wilcox, Leif Svalgaard, Thomas L. Duvall Jr., Phil H. Dittmer & Eric K. Gustafson

Authors
  1. Philip H. Scherrer
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  2. John M. Wilcox
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  3. Leif Svalgaard
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  4. Thomas L. Duvall Jr.
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  5. Phil H. Dittmer
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  6. Eric K. Gustafson
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Scherrer, P.H., Wilcox, J.M., Svalgaard, L. et al. The mean magnetic field of the Sun: Observations at Stanford. Sol Phys 54, 353–361 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00159925

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00159925

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