Sunspot Structure and Evolution

The evolution of sunspots from simple pores to complex active regions intriguingly shows the variety of interactions between plasma flows and strong magnetic fields (e.g., Evershed flow, moat flow, and shear flows in flaring active regions). The global picture of the evolution is nowadays easily accessible from ground-based synoptic instruments and space missions. At the same time, the Japanese Hinode mission and meter-class solar telescopes on the ground reveal the instricate fine-structure of sunspots including penumbral filaments and umbral dots. High-resolution spectropolarimetry and advanced spectral inversion codes provide a wealth of information regarding the three-dimensional magnetic and flow features. Besides reviewing some of the latest advances in high-resolution sunspot physics, this talk presents recent sunspot observations obtained at Observatorio del Teide, Spain with the Vacuum Tower Telescope (VTT) and the GREGOR solar telescope.