Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 April 2016
High-resolution observations indicate that very strong, small scale magnetic fields in the solar photosphere are concentrated into ropes which emerge through it. The scale of these ropes is only a few hundred kilometres across (Stenflo 1976) and their strength is estimated to vary between 1,000 and 2,000 G (Harvey 1977). These features are closely related to photospheric granular convection. The flux is observed as X-ray bright spots and sheet-like crinkles in the dark intergranular lanes, and is buffeted and shifted about by the granules (Dunn and Zirker 1973). Further, the crinkles can be resolved into separate features which outline small micropores as though a flux sheet at the end of a convection cell has separated into several isolated tubes (Galloway and Weiss 1981).