2D-spectroscopy of the Evershed flow in sunspots

The radial variation of the Evershed ow in two small sunspots (NOAA 8737 and NOAA 9145) is studied by means of two-dimensional spectrograms of high spatial resolution. We find a systematic decrease of the flow velocity with photospheric height and a shift of the velocity maximum towards larger penumbral radii in higher layers but no clear correlation between ow velocity and continuum intensity. At the outer penumbral boundaries the Evershed flow ceases abruptly and even downward directed flow velocities in the deepest probed photospheric layers were found. Furthermore, granules adjacent to the penumbral boundary show a systematic redshift of their spot-side parts which is attributed to fast, eventually supersonic, downflows between them and the penumbral boundary.