Estimation of gravitational wave from solar emerging magnetic flux tube

Abstract

This study investigates the gravitational waves (GWs) generated by the emergence of magnetic flux tubes in the solar convection zone. We focus on the upward buoyancy of magnetic flux tubes, which leads to significant magnetic activity and the formation of active region sunspots. This study adopts parameters representative of a moderate-sized solar active region to estimate the GWs generated by the emergence of magnetic flux tubes. Our results indicate that the GW strain amplitude, achievable through signal superposition and detection at close proximity (e.g., approximately one solar radius from the solar surface), may reach $\sim$10$^{-29}$. The characteristic GW frequency is estimated at $\sim$10$^{-5}$ Hz, placing it at the high-frequency end of the sensitivity band of Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) methods. However, the estimated strain amplitudes remain orders of magnitude below the sensitivity thresholds of current and foreseeable gravitational wave detectors. Notably, reducing the cadence $\Delta t$ of Pulsar Timing Array (PTA) observations to approximately 2 hours ($\Delta t = 2\text{hours}$) would raise the maximum detectable frequency to about $5.8 \times 10^{-5} \text{Hz}$, thereby encompassing the dominant spectral component of solar activity-related GWs predicted in this study, offering a potential pathway for future detection. Successful detection in the future may help to predict the super solar active region emergence in space weather forecasting.