Analysis of Sunspot Number Fluctuactions

C. A. GARCÍA CANAL; H. FANCHIOTTI; C. HOJVAT; S. J. SCIUTTO

Fractals

World Scientific

Lugar: Hackensack, NJ, USA; Año: 2004 vol. 12 p. 405 - 411

0218-348X

Monthly averages of the sunspotnumber visible on the sun, observed from 1749, Zurich Observatory, and from 1848 other observatories, have been analyzed.  This time signal presents a frequency power spectra with a clear $1/f^alpha$ behavior with $alphasimeq 0.8 pm 0.2$. The well known cycle of approximately 11 years, clearly present in the spectrum, does not produce a sensible distortion of that behavior. The eventual characterization of the sunspot time series as a fractal is analyzed by means of the detrended fluctuation analysis. The jump size distribution of the signal is also studied.