Dynamics of Subsurface Flows in Solar Active Regions during the 2024 May Storm

In 2024 May, the Sun exhibited intense magnetic activity, marked by numerous high-intensity flares resulting from the interaction and merging of NOAA active regions (ARs) 13664 and 13668 in the southern hemisphere and AR 13663 in the northern hemisphere. Notably, AR 13664 displayed an extended lifet...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: B. Lekshmi, Sushanta Tripathy, Kiran Jain, Alexei Pevtsov
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: IOP Publishing 2025-01-01
Series:The Astrophysical Journal
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ade2e3
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Summary:In 2024 May, the Sun exhibited intense magnetic activity, marked by numerous high-intensity flares resulting from the interaction and merging of NOAA active regions (ARs) 13664 and 13668 in the southern hemisphere and AR 13663 in the northern hemisphere. Notably, AR 13664 displayed an extended lifetime, remaining visible after a full solar rotation and continuing to produce significant flaring activity. In this study, we investigate the evolution of subphotospheric plasma flows associated with these ARs during their disk passage using ring-diagram analysis of Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager Dopplergrams. We analyze flow divergence, vorticity, and kinetic helicity across depths from the surface to 25 Mm, revealing pronounced temporal and depth-dependent variations. Our observations indicate that the majority of flares occur on the days when the Normalized Helicity Gradient Variance, a measure of kinetic helicity spread, peaks or on the following day. Furthermore, we examine the relationship between subsurface flow dynamics and surface magnetic properties of these complex ARs to understand the interaction between them.
ISSN:1538-4357