From Flux Emergence to Decay – A High-resolution Study of Sunspots

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Understanding the ever changing Sun is a challenge in modern astrophysics and has direct consequences for mankind of which space weather effects and influences on Earth’s climate are the most prominent ones. Sunspots are the prime objects contributing to the time-varying properties of the Sun. High-resolution observations of growth and decay of sunspots – starting from simple spots to complex active regions, which are embedded in complex photospheric plasma flows – are needed to advance our knowledge of generating and dissipating magnetic fields. This interaction of plasma and magnetic fields will be studied with a new generation of telescopes and post-focus instruments specifically tailored towards observing the fundamental magnetic structure size. Dedicated observing strategies will be employed to obtain the multi-wavelength observations of sunspots with the aim to scrutinize the associated flows and magnetic fields in various solar atmospheric layers. These high-resolution observations will be complemented with observations from space mission. The main goal of this research project is to construct a comprehensive picture of a sunspot’s growth and decay in terms of flows and magnetic field properties.