A relation between magnetic field strength and temperature in sunspots
We present Stokes I Zeeman splitting measurements of sunspots using the highly sensitive (g = 3) Fe I line at a wavelength of 1.5649 micron. The splittings are compared with simultaneous intensity measurements in the adjacent continuum. The relation between magnetic field strength and temperature has a characteristic, nonlinear shape in all the spots studied. In the umbra, there is an approximately linear relation between B super 2 and T sub b, consistent with magnetohydrostatic equilibrium in a nearly vertical field. A distinct flattening of the B super 2 vs T sub b relationship in the inner penumbra may be due to changes in the lateral pressure balance as the magnetic field becomes more horizontal; spatially unresolved intensity inhomogeneities may also influence the observed relation.