EVIDENCE FOR CURRENT-CARRYING EMERGING FLUX

To determine the relationship between electric currents and magnetic f lux in emerging sunspots, we use observations of the morphology, prope r motion, magnetic flux, and currents associated with several well-obs erved growing bipoles. Our target was NOAA Active Region 7260, which i ncluded a preexisting large spot and a fast-growing area of new magnet ic flux, Magnetic bipoles in this region are well documented by X-ray images from the Yohkoh spacecraft and optical images and vector magnet ograms from several ground-based observatories. In this paper we show that (1) the H alpha and X-ray structures associated with these bipole s do not agree with potential-field extrapolations of magnetograms; (2 ) proper motions imply that the flux bundles that make up these new bi poles are twisted before they emerge; (3) these new bipoles are cospat ial with significant vertical electric currents; (4) the morphology, p roper motion, and measured currents of these bipoles all imply the sam e sense of twist; (5) this sense of twist is the same as the large-sca le twist of the preexisting large spot; and (6) the increase of these currents, as new flux emerges, is not consistent with their generation by photospheric motions. We conclude that the new magnetic flux that emerged in this active region carried currents generated below the pho tosphere.