Umbral Fine Structures in Sunspots Observed with Hinode Solar Optical Telescope

A high resolution imaging observation of a sunspot umbra was made with the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope. Filtergrams at wavelengths of the blue and green continua were taken during three consecutive days. The umbra consisted of a dark core region, several diffuse components, and numerous umbral dots. We derived basic properties of umbral dots (UDs), especially their temperatures, lifetimes, proper motions, spatial distribution, and morphological evolution. The brightness of UDs is confirmed to depend on the brightness of their surrounding background. Several UDs show fission and fusion. Thanks to the stable condition of the space observation, we could for the first time follow the temporal behavior of these events. The derived properties of the internal structure of the umbra are discussed from the viewpoint of magnetoconvection in a strong magnetic field.