ARE INTERNETWORK MAGNETIC FIELDS IN THE SOLAR PHOTOSPHERE HORIZONTAL OR VERTICAL?

Using many observations obtained during 2007 with the Spectro-Polarimeter of the Hinode Solar Optical Telescope, we explore the angular distribution of magnetic fields in the quiet internetwork regions of the solar photosphere. Our work follows from the insight of Stenflo, who examined only linear polarization signals in photospheric lines, thereby avoiding complications of the analysis arising from the differing responses to linear and circular polarization. We identify and isolate regions of a strong polarization signal that occupy only a few percent of the observed quiet Sun area yet contribute most to the net linear polarization signal. The center-tolimb variation of the orientation of linear polarization in these strong signal regions indicates that the associated magnetic fields have a dominant vertical orientation. In contrast, the great majority of the solar disk is occupied by much weaker linear polarization signals. The orientation of the linear polarization in these regions demonstrates that the field orientation is dominantly horizontal throughout the photosphere. We also apply our analysis to Stokes profiles synthesized from the numerical MHD simulations of Rempel as viewed at various oblique angles. The analysis of the synthetic data closely follows that of the observations, lending confidence to using the simulations as a guide for understanding the physical origins of the center-to-limb variation of linear polarization in the quiet Sun area.