Differential Rotation of Sunspots During Flares

The complex nature of sunspots presents a constant challenge in understanding their dynamics and how they interact with their surrounding environment. A new method to analyse sunspot rotations has been presented, by which the rotation of sunspots can be tracked using multiple ellipses fitted throughout the sunspot umbrae. The method is applied to sunspots in active regions of differing degrees of flaring, to determine a correlation between the rotation of the sunspot and the appearance of a flare. The study reveals that sunspots in active regions associated with flares present complex patterns of rotation within the umbral plasma, where multiple regions of rotation can be observed. Further implications of this study could help determine the link between sunspots and flares, which will contribute towards the betterment of flare forecasting.