Variations of the Vector Magnetic Structures in the Solar Polar Regions Observed by Hinode

Abstract Using the polar vector magnetic field data observed by Hinode from 2012 to 2021, we study the long-term variations of the magnetic flux, the flux proportion of different polarities, and the magnetic inclination with respect to the local normal in the solar polar regions above 70° latitude during solar cycle 24. In both polar regions, after the polarity reversal, the unsigned magnetic fluxes of the dominant polarity increased to a peak of about 1.3 × 10 22 Mx during the solar minimum, while those of the nondominant polarity remained stable at approximately 0.5 × 10 22 Mx. The proportions of the dominant polarity flux in the total flux in both polar regions increased to more than 70% at the solar minimum. These results reveal that the total magnetic flux and the number of open field lines in solar cycle 24 were larger than those in solar cycle 23, and also imply the existence of a local dynamo in polar regions. After the polarity reversal, the magnetic inclination of the dominant polarity fields decreased, indicating that the stronger the dominant polarity field, the more vertical the field lines. The inclination angle decreased with the increase of the threshold of radial magnetic flux density, revealing a fanning-out structure of the polar magnetic patches.