Events

The solar cycle is the magnetic cycle of the Sun produced by the dynamo process. A central idea of the solar dynamo is that the toroidal and the poloidal magnetic fields of the Sun sustain each other. After presenting the relevant observational data, I shall discuss how we can understand the formation of sunspots from the toroidal field due to magnetic buoyancy. Then I shall give an introduction to the flux transport dynamo model, the currently favoured theoretical model of the solar cycle, in which the poloidal field is generated by the Babcock-Leighton process and the meridional circulation plays a key role. The last part of the seminar will discuss the possible reasons behind irregularities of solar cycles and whether we can predict future cycles ahead of time.

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