The unusual minimum of sunspot cycle 23 caused by meridional plasma flow variations

We are currently experiencing solar cycle 24, the latest roughly 11-year cycle of solar magnetic activity since the scientific recording of sunspot activity began in 1755. The Sun is currently extremely active, but the recent, deep activity minimum that occurred during cycle 23 was characterized by an unexpectedly large number of sunspot-less days (unprecedented in almost a century), very low radiative energy output (irradiance), and high cosmic ray flux. Nandy et al. use kinematic dynamo simulations to explain the possible origin of this unusual solar minimum. They find that rapid solar plasma flows during the first half of a cycle, followed by slower flows in the second half, reproduce the characteristics of the minimum of sunspot cycle 23.