The Earth’s Magnetic Field and the Large-Scale Magnetic Field of the Sun: The Solar-Terrestrial Connection

Abstract

The paper presents the results of a joint analysis of the Earth's main magnetic field (core field) BIGRF and the large-scale magnetic field (LSMF) of the Sun. Selected 11- and 22-year periods of LSMF and BIGRF variations are well manifested in both fields and are usually modulated by solar activity. Even 11-year cycles for which the direction of the Sun's magnetic field coincides with the direction of the Earth's magnetic field are characterized by the minimum values of sanspot numbers, and odd cycles with opposite directions of magnetic fields have larger values of sunspot numbers. The rotation rate of two- and four-sector structure of the Sun source of LSMF varied with about 11-year and 22-year cycle. Longer changes in the magnetic fields of the Sun and the Earth with a period of about 75 years have also been revealed. The rotation periods of the Sun source global field (28.0-28.5 days) were maximum at the middle of the 20th century in the period 1940÷1960 years. This maximum of solar activity corresponds to temporal gradient of geomagnetic field. It is shown that the gradient of the geomagnetic field BIGRF depends on the rate of change in the length of the day. So, according to the results of the study, the rotation modes of the Sun and the Earth cause different periodic changes in their magnetic fields.