Modeling solar cycles 15 to 21 using a flux transport dynamo

Context. The Sun's polar fields and open flux around the time of activity minima have been considered to be strongly correlated with the strength of the subsequent maximum of solar activity. Aims. We aim to investigate the behavior of a Babcock-Leighton dynamo with a source poloidal term that is based on the observed sunspot areas and tilts. In particular, we investigate whether the toroidal fields at the base of convection zone from the model are correlated with the observed solar cycle activity maxima. Methods. We used a flux transport dynamo model that includes convective pumping and a poloidal source term based on the historical record of sunspot group areas, locations, and tilt angles to simulate solar cycles 15 to 21. Results. We find that the polar fields near minima and the toroidal flux at the base of the convection zone are both highly correlated with the subsequent maxima of solar activity levels (r = 0.85 and r = 0.93, respectively). Conclusions. The Babcock-Leighton dynamo is consistent with the observationally inferred correlations.