Solar magnetic elements at 0''1 resolution. II. Dynamical evolution

Small magnetic structures can be seen in G-band filtergrams as isolated bright points, strings of bright points and dark micro-pores. At a resolution of 0''71, new forms of magnetic structures are found in strong field areas: elongated "ribbons" and more circular "flowers". In this paper we study the temporal evolution of these small scale magnetic structures. In strong-field regions the time-evolution is more that of a magnetic fluid than that of collections of flux-tubes that keep their identity. We find that the granular flow concentrates the magnetic field into flux sheets that are visible as thin bright features in the filtergrams. Weak upflows are found in the flux sheets and downflows in the immediate surroundings. The flux sheets often become unstable to a fluting instability and the edges buckle. The sheets tend to break up into strings of bright points, still with weak upflows in the magnetic elements and zero velocity or downflows between them. Where there are larger flux concentrations we find ribbons, flowers and micro-pores. There is a continuous transition between these forms and they evolve from one form to another. The appearance is mostly determined by the horizontal size - larger structures are dark (micro-pores), narrower structures are ribbon shaped and the flowers are the smallest in extent. All these structures have darker inner parts and a bright edge. The plasma is found to be at rest in the ribbons, with small concentrations of weak upflow sites. Narrow sheets with downdrafts are found right at the edges of the magnetic field concentrations.