DOT tomography of the solar atmosphere

III. Observations and simulations of reversed granulation

¹ Sterrekundig Instituut, Utrecht University, Postbus 80 000, 3508 TA Utrecht, The Netherlands e-mail: j.leenaarts@astro.uu.nl
² Kiepenheuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik, Schöneckstrasse 6, 79104 Freiburg, Germany e-mail: wedemeyer@kis.uni-freiburg.de

Received: 22 July 2004
Accepted: 5 October 2004

Abstract

We compare high-quality image sequences from the Dutch Open Telescope (DOT) with synthetic image sequences obtained from 3D radiation-hydrodynamics simulations of the solar granulation. In particular, we study the subsonic brightness pattern observed in the wings of  H & K. The simulations reproduce the observed intensity contrast, time scales, and Fourier behaviour rather well. Most differences can be attributed to the resolution difference between the observations and the simulation and the small geometrical extent of the simulation. We conclude that magnetic fields play no major role in the formation of reversed granulation.