Inhomogeneous magnetic field in penumbra

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The magnetic activity of the Sun is most visible in sunspots. They are characterized by strong magnetic fields, and a vigorous interaction of magnetism, radiation and plasma motion. The penumbrae of sunspots with their radially oriented filamentary structure and interlaced magnetic field are ideal objects to study and understand magneto-hydrodynamic processes in a hot astrophysical plasma. In penumbrae, motion of magnetized gas with a speed of several kilometers per second, and strong magnetic fields with different orientations coexist and interact on small spatial scales.High-resolution spectro-polarimetric observations of these magneto-convective processes obtained with the Japanese-US-American HINODE satellite allow us to gain new insights into the mechanisms of energy transport in penumbrae. These observations have the capability to lead to a new understanding of those magneto-convective processes, which are crucial for understanding the nature of sunspots.