Hans Publishers, Astronomy & Astrophysics, (513), p. L6
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/200913584
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Vortex-type motions have been measured by tracking bright points in high-resolution observations of the solar photosphere. These small-scale motions are thought to be determinant in the evolution of magnetic footpoints and their interaction with plasma and therefore likely to play a role in heating the upper solar atmosphere by twisting magnetic flux tubes. We report the observation of magnetic concentrations being dragged towards the center of a convective vortex motion in the solar photosphere from high- resolution ground-based and space-borne data. We describe this event by analyzing a series of images at different solar atmospheric layers. By computing horizontal proper motions, we detect a vortex whose center appears to be the draining point for the magnetic concentrations detected in magnetograms and well-correlated with the locations of bright points seen in G-band and CN images. ; Laura Antonia Balmaceda: Laura.Balmaceda@uv.es; Judith Palacios Hernández: Judith.Palacios@uv.es; Iballa Cabello García: Iballa.Cabello@uv.es; Vicente Domingo Codoñer: Vicente.Domingo-Codonyer@uv.es