Study of Single-lobed Circular Polarization Profiles in the Quiet Sun

Abstract

The existence of asymmetries in the circular polarization (Stokes V) profiles emerging from the solar photosphere has been known since the 1970s. These profiles require the presence of a velocity gradient along the line of sight (LOS), possibly associated with gradients of magnetic field strength, inclination, and/or azimuth. We have focused our study on the Stokes V profiles showing extreme asymmetry in the form of only one lobe. Using Hinode spectropolarimetric measurements, we have performed a statistical study of the properties of these profiles in the quiet Sun. We show their spatial distribution, their main physical properties, how they are related with several physical observables, and their behavior with respect to their position on the solar disk. The single-lobed Stokes V profiles occupy roughly 2% of the solar surface. For the first time, we have observed their temporal evolution and have retrieved the physical conditions of the atmospheres from which they emerged using an inversion code implementing discontinuities of the atmospheric parameters along the LOS. In addition, we use synthetic Stokes profiles from three-dimensional magnetoconvection simulations to complement the results of the inversion. The main features of the synthetic single-lobed profiles are in general agreement with the observed ones, lending support to the magnetic and dynamic topologies inferred from the inversion. The combination of all these different analyses suggests that most of the single-lobed Stokes V profiles are signals coming from the magnetic flux emergence and/or submergence processes taking place in small patches in the photosphere of the quiet Sun.