Penumbral models in the light of Hinode spectropolarimetric observations

Abstract

Aims.The realism of current models of the penumbra is assessed by comparing their predictions with the plasma properties of penumbral filaments as retrieved from spectropolarimetric observations.Methods.The spectropolarimeter onboard Hinode allows us, for the first time, to distinguish the fine structure of the penumbra. Therefore, we can use one-component inversions to obtain the stratifications of plasma parameters in each pixel. The correlations between the plasma parameters and the continuum intensity are studied.Results.We find that, in the outer penumbra, the stronger flows and higher values of magnetic field inclination tend to be located in dark filaments. This finding does not seem to be compatible with the scenario of a field-free gappy penumbra. © 2008 ESO.