A. G. Tlatov

The MASTER-II network of robotic optical telescopes. First results

The main stages in the creation of the Russian segment of the MASTER network of robotic telescopes is described. This network is designed for studies of the prompt optical emission of gammaray bursts (GRBs; optical emission synchronous with the gamma-ray radiation) and surveys of the sky aimed at discovering uncataloged objects and photometric studies for various programs. The first results obtained by the network, during its construction and immediately after its completion in December 2010, are presented. Eighty-nine alert pointings at GRBs (in most cases, being the first ground telescopes to point at the GRBs) were made from September 2006 through July 2011. The MASTER network holds first place in the world in terms of the total number of first pointings, and currently more than half of first pointings at GRBs by ground telescopes are made by the MASTER network. Photometric light curves of GRB 091020, GRB 091127, GRB 100901A, GRB 100906A, GRB 10925A, GRB 110106A, GRB 110422A, and GRB 110530A are presented. It is especially important that prompt emission was observed for GRB 100901A and GRB 100906A, and thar GRB 091127, GRB 110422A, and GRB 110106A were observed from the first seconds in two polarizations. Very-wide-field cameras carried out synchronous observations of the prompt emission of GRB 081102, GRB 081130B, GRB 090305B, GRB 090320B, GRB 090328, and GRB 090424. Discoveries of Type Ia supernovae are ongoing (among them the brightest supernova in 2009): 2008gy, 2009nr, 2010V, and others. In all, photometry of 387 supernovae has been carried out, 43 of which were either discovered or first observed with MASTER telescopes; more than half of these are Type Ia supernovae. Photometric studies of the open clusters NGC 7129 and NGC 7142 have been conducted, leading to the discovery of 38 variable stars. Sixty-nine optical transients have been discovered.

The Large-Scale Solar Magnetic Field and 11-Year Activity Cycles

Magnetic Hα synoptic maps of the Sun for 1915–1999 are analyzed and the intensities of spherical harmonics of the large-scale solar magnetic field computed. The possibility of using these Hα maps as a database for investigations of long-term variations of solar activity is demonstrated. As an example, the magnetic-field polarity distribution for the Hα maps and the analogous polarity distribution for the magnetographic maps of the Stanford observatory for 1975–1999 are compared. An activity index A(t) is introduced for the large-scale magnetic field, which is the sum of the magnetic-moment intensities for the dipole and octupole components. The 11-year cycle of the large-scale solar magnetic field leads the 11-year sunspot cycle by, on average, 5.5 years. It is concluded that the observed weak large-scale solar magnetic field is not the product of the decay of strong active-region fields. Based on the new data, the level of the current (23rd) solar-activity cycle and some aspects of solar-cycle theory are discussed.

Optical polarization observations with the MASTER robotic net

Abstract We present results of optical polarization observations performed with the MASTER robotic net (Lipunov et al., 2004, 2010; Kornilov et al., 2012) for three types of objects: gamma-ray bursts, supernovae, and blazars. For the gamma-ray bursts GRB100906A, GRB110422A, GRB121011A, polarization observations were obtained Shift during very early stages of optical emission. For GRB100906A it was the first prompt optical polarization observation in the world. Photometry in polarizers is presented for Type Ia Supernova 2012bh during 20xa0days, starting on March 27, 2012. We find that the linear polarization of SN 2012bh at the early stage of the envelope expansion was less than 3%. Polarization measurements for the blazars OC 457, 3C 454.3, QSO B1215+303, 87GB 165943.2+395846 at single nights are presented. We infer the degree of the linear polarization and polarization angle. The blazars OC 457 and 3C 454.3 were observed during their periods of activity. The results show that MASTER is able to measure substantially polarized light; at the same time it is not suitable for determining weak polarization (less than 5%) of dim objects (fainter than 16 m ). Polarimetric observations of the optical emission from gamma-ray bursts and supernovae are necessary to investigate the nature of these transient objects.

22-year variations of the solar rotation and solar activity cycles

We have performed a comparative analysis of the results of our study of the 22-year rotation variations obtained from data on large-scale magnetic fields in the Hα line, magnetographic observations, and spectral-corona observations. All these types of data suggest that the rotation rate at low latitudes slows down at an epoch close to the maximum of odd activity cycles. The 22-year waves of rotation-rate deviation from the mean values drift from high latitudes toward the equator in a time comparable to the magnetic-cycle duration. We discuss the possibility of the generation of a solar magnetic cycle by the interaction of 22-year torsional oscillations with the slowly changing or relic magnetic field. We consider the generation mechanisms of the high-latitude magnetic field through a superposition of the magnetic fields produced by the decay and dissipation of bipolar groups and the relic or slowly changing magnetic field and a superposition of the activity wave from the next activity cycle at high latitudes.

Long-term variations in sunspot characteristics

Relative variations in the number of sunspots and sunspot groups in activity cycles have been analyzed based on data from the Kislovodsk Mountain Astronomical Station and international indices. The following regularities have been established: (1) The relative fraction of small sunspots decreases linearly and that of large sunspots increase with increasing activity cycle amplitude. (2) The variation in the average number of sunspots in one group has a trend, and this number decreased from ∼12 in cycle 19 to ∼7.5 in cycle 24. (3) The ratio of the sunspot index (Ri) to the sunspot group number index (Ggr) varies with a period of about 100 years. (4) An analysis of the sunspot group number index (Ggr) from 1610 indicates that the Gnevyshev-Ohl rule reverses at the minimums of secular activity cycles. (5) Ratio of the total area to area of Ssp/Sum nuclei has long-term variation with a period approximately 8 cycles. Minimum ratio falls on 16–17 cycles of activity. (6) It has been indicated that the magnetic field intensity and sunspot area in the current cycle are related to the amplitude of the next activity cycle.

The area and absolute magnetic flux of sunspots over the past 400 years

A new series of yearly-mean relative sunspot numbers SN2 that has been extrapolated into the past (to 1610) is presented. The Kislovodsk series with the scale factor b = 1.0094 ± 0.0059 represents a reasonable continuation of the mean-monthly and mean-yearly total sunspot areas of the Greenwich series after 1976. The second maximum of the 24th solar-activity cycle was not anomalously low, and was no lower than 6 of the past 13 cycles. A series A2 of values for the total sunspot area in 1610–2015 has been constructed, and is complementary to new versions of the series of the relative number of sunspots SN2 and the number of sunspot groups GN2. When needed, this series can be reduced to yield a quantity having a clear physical meaning—the spot absolute magnetic flux ΦΣ(t)[Mx] = 2.16 × 1019A(t) [mvh]. The maximum sunspot area during the Maunder minimum is much higher in the new series compared to the previous version. This at least partially supports the validity of arguments that cast doubt on the anomalously low ampltude of the solar cycles during the Maunder minimum that has been assumed by many researchers earlier.

Two populations of sunspots and secular variations of their characteristics

We investigate the magnetic fields and total areas of mid- and low-latitude sunspots based on observations at the Greenwich and Kislovodsk (sunspot areas) and Mount Wilson, Crimean, Pulkovo, Ural, IMIS, Ussuriysk, IZMIRAN, and Shemakha (magnetic fields) observatories. We show that the coefficients in the linear form of the dependence of the logarithm of the total sunspot area S on its maximum magnetic field H change with time. Two distinct populations of sunspots are identified using the twodimensional H–log S occurrence histogram: small and large, separated by the boundaries log S = 1.6 (S = 40 MSH) and H = 2050 G. Analysis of the sunspot magnetic flux also reveals the existence of two lognormally distributed populations with the mean boundary between them Φ = 1021 Mx. At the same time, the positions of the flux occurrence maxima for the populations change on a secular time scale: by factors of 4.5 and 1.15 for small and large sunspots, respectively. We have confirmed that the sunspots form two physically distinct populations and show that the properties of these populations change noticeably with time. This finding is consistent with the hypothesis about the existence of two magnetic field generation zones on the Sun within the framework of a spatially distributed dynamo.

Reconstruction of sunspot characteristics for 1853–1879

The Carrington (1853–1861) and Spörer (1861–1879) catalogs of sunspot drawings have been digitized. In the Carrington catalog, 9831 sunspots and 4946 umbrages were detected on daily drawings and 3762 sunspots and 1730 umbrages on synoptic maps. This allowed us to reconstruct the characteristics of 3069 sunspot groups for the period from November 9, 1853, to April 1, 1861. In the Spörer catalogs, 12402 sun-spots and about 5000 umbrages were detected for 1861–1879.Sunspots and umbrages were detected semiautomatically, a heliographic grid was plotted, and sunspot groups were formed when the images were processed.The digitized data made it possible to determine the coordinates, areas, relative position, and other geometric parameters of individual sunspots, umbrages, and sunspot groups. These data make it possible to study in detail the fine structure at the end of cycle 9 and in cycles 10 and 11. An electron database of the detected structures has been created.

Study of some characteristics of large-scale solar magnetic fields during the global field polarity reversal according to observations at the telescope-magnetograph Kislovodsk Observatory

The data obtained at the Routine Prediction Solar Telescope (RPST), which was designed and manufactured mainly at ISTP SB RAS and was installed at Kislovodsk MAS MAO RAN. The telescope is used to register weak large-scale fields throughout the solar disk with an angular resolution about 30 arcsec. The means square error of measurements is ~0.44 G in this case. The MAS MAO RPST observations have been compared with the magnetic fields and other solar activity parameters measured at different ground and space observatories. It was shown that the characteristics of the magnetic fields of active regions and largescale magnetic fields are interrelated. The evolution of the polar magnetic field was considered, and it was shown that the polarity in cycle 24 was reversed in June–July 2013 in the Northern Hemisphere and in December 2014–January 2015 in the Southern Hemisphere. At the same time, it has been noted that the magnetic field strength in the Northern Hemisphere at latitudes higher than 50° varied around zero in 2014, which indicates that the global field sign was reversed for a long time in the Northern Hemisphere.

Synoptic and fast events on the sun according to observations at the center and wings of the Ca II K line at the Kislovodsk Mountain station patrol telescope

Observations performed at the solar telescope–spectroheliograph, which has continuously automatically operated at MAS MAO RAS, were analyzed. Measurements of the activity index in the Ca II K line, which were performed according to the program of synoptic observations, are presented. The development of the solar flares observed at the center and on the wings of the Ca II K line was compared with observations in the X-ray and radio bands. It was shown that the time variations in the intensity in the 1–8 Å range according to the Geostationary Orbiting Environmental Satellites’ (GOES) data and in the Ca II K line are close to each other and that the total X-ray flux and Ca II K intensity amplitude substantially correlate during the entire flare.