| Term: | Solar magnetic fields |
| Definition: |
The Sun's magnetic field which is probably created by the differential rotation of the Sun together with the movement of charged particles in the convective zone. Understanding how the solar magnetic field comes about is the fundamental problem of Solar Physics. The solar magnetic field is responsible for all solar magnetic phenomena, such as sunspots, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, and the solar wind. The solar magnetic fields are observed from the Zeeman broadening of spectral lines, polarization effects on radio emission, and from the channeling of charged particles into visible coronal streamers. The strength of Sun's average magnetic field is 1 gauss (twice the average field on the surface of Earth, around 0.5 gauss), and can be as strong as 4,000 Gauss in the neighborhood of a large sunspot. |