Observation of solar photospheric magnetic fields and differential rotation

Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées, 57 Avenue d'Azereix, BP. 826, Tarbes Cedex, France

Abstract

This review about solar photospheric magnetic fields will follow the two traditionnal approaches to study these fields. I will first review some recent results about magnetic fields observed at small scales, from sunspots and active regions down to network and intranetwork magnetic fields. The second part of the talk will be devoted to the global approach, mostly concerning the solar cycle: large spatial and temporal scales as well as global motions including differential rotation. I will finish by a discussion about studies attempting to link the two approaches.