Automated Detection and Tracking of Solar Magnetic Bright Points

Abstract

Magnetic Bright Points (MBPs) in the internetwork are among the smallest objects in the solar photosphere and appear bright against the ambient environment. An algorithm is presented that can be used for the automated detection of the MBPs in the spatial and temporal domains. The algorithm works by mapping the lanes through intensity thresholding. A compass search, combined with a study of the intensity gradient across the detected objects, allows the disentanglement of MBPs from bright pixels within the granules. Object growing is implemented to account for any pixels that might have been removed when mapping the lanes. The images are stabilized by locating long-lived objects that may have been missed due to variable light levels and seeing quality. Tests of the algorithm employing data taken with the Swedish Solar Telescope (SST), reveal that ~90% of MBPs within a 75"x 75" field of view are detected.

References in corpus (5)

• Solar Magnetic Tracking. I. Software Comparison and Recommended Practices
• Do all Flares have White Light Emission?
• Magnetic properties of G-band bright points in a sunspot moat
• Relationships between magnetic foot points and G-band bright structures
• Relation between photospheric magnetic field and chromospheric emission

Cited by in corpus (8)

• Multiwavelength studies of MHD waves in the solar chromosphere: An overview of recent results
• Propagating Wave Phenomena Detected in Observations and Simulations of the Lower Solar Atmosphere
• The Area Distribution of Solar Magnetic Bright Points
• A study of Magnetic Bright Points in the Na I D1 line
• Microflare Activity driven by Forced Magnetic Reconnection
• Dynamic properties of bright points in an active region
• MHD wave modes resolved in fine-scale chromospheric magnetic structures
• Automated Detection Methods for Solar Activities and an Application for Statistic Analysis of Solar Filament