QUASI-BIENNIAL OSCILLATIONS IN THE SOLAR TACHOCLINE CAUSED BY MAGNETIC ROSSBY WAVE INSTABILITIES

Abstract

Quasi-biennial oscillations (QBOs) are frequently observed in solar activity indices. However, no clear physical mechanism for the observed variations has been suggested so far. Here, we study the stability of magnetic Rossby waves in the solar tachocline using the shallow water magnetohydrodynamic approximation. Our analysis shows that the combination of typical differential rotation and a toroidal magnetic field with a strength of >= 10(5) G triggers the instability of the m = 1 magnetic Rossby wave harmonic with a period of similar to 2 years. This harmonic is antisymmetric with respect to the equator and its period (and growth rate) depends on the differential rotation parameters and magnetic field strength. The oscillations may cause a periodic magnetic flux emergence at the solar surface and consequently may lead to the observed QBO in solar activity features. The period of QBOs may change throughout a cycle, and from cycle to cycle, due to variations of the mean magnetic field and differential rotation in the tachocline.