Tessellation of SoHO Magnetograms

Abstract

A gradient based algorithm which divides arbitrary images into non-overlapping surface filling tiles of opposite polarity is used to study the flux and size distributions of large scale magnetic flux concen-trations in solar and heliospheric observatory (SoHO) magnetograms. The mean absolute flux and size of the concentrations at the considered scale is found to be about 1.7 × 10/sup18/Mx and 5.2Mm for both polarities. The form of the flux distribution is characterized by a skewness of α3 = 4.9 and a kurtosis of α4, = 42.8. The fall in the distribution in the range 6.5 × 10/sup17/Mx to 5 × 10/sup18/Mx is described by an exponential fit, in agreement with a model for the sustenance of quiet region flux.