Changes in the near-surface shear layer of the Sun

Abstract

We use helioseismic data obtained over two solar cycles to determine whether there are changes in the near-surface shear layer (NSSL). We examine this by determining the radial gradient of the solar rotation rate. The radial gradient itself shows a solar-cycle dependence, and the changes are more pronounced in the active latitudes than at adjoining higher latitudes; results at the highest latitudes (greater than about70 degrees) are unreliable. The pattern changes with depth, even within the NSSL. We find that the near-surface shear layer is deeper at lower latitudes than at high latitudes and that the extent of the layer also shows a small solar-cycle related change.

Accepted for publication in ApJ

References in corpus (6)

• The case for a distributed solar dynamo shaped by near-surface shear
• Solar rotation rate and its gradients during cycle 23
• The radial gradient of the near-surface shear layer of the Sun
• Solar dynamo models with alpha-effect and turbulent pumping from local 3D convection calculations
• Solar-cycle variation of the rotational shear near the solar surface
• A Theoretical Model of the Near Surface Shear Layer of the Sun

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Leptocline as a Shallow Substructure of Near-Surface Shear Layer in 3D Radiative Hydrodynamic Simulations
• Solar-cycle variations in meridional flows and rotational shear within the Sun's near-surface shear layer
• Active-region Modulation of Subsurface Meridional Flows and Magnetic Flux Transport on the Sun