Figure 3

A The Sun flips from an active state with sunspots and solar flares to a passive Sun. B The solutions to the self-similar DE are defined for 2n + 1 for an active Sun and 2n for a passive Sun. C. They take the form of either a decaying Gaussian multiplied by Hermite polynomials n = 1, 3, 5,… for an active Sun, analogous to a quantum harmonic oscillator or iterated error functions for a passive Sun. D The extremes in irradiance in the loops of the Hermite polynomials are W-events where the magnetic field flips. The beginning and end of the polynomials which are mirror images define the tail. The first global minimum is defined as an E-event and the second global minimum beginning the next cycle an H-event where there is a solar minimum and usually temperatures are lowest in the sequence.