Complexes of activity on the Sun during solar cycle 23

Results of studying complexes of activity (CA) on the Sun evolving during Cycle 23 are presented. 69 CA cores in the northern hemisphere and 77 cores in the southern hemisphere have been detected during this cycle from sunspot activity synoptic charts. CA core catalogue has been made. We have found that the number of CA cores decreased with increasing lifetime (14 rotations at the most); their longitudinal distribution was irregular; the number of CA cores decreased locally during Cycle 23 solar maximum (rotations 1967-1979, October 2000-August 2001). The quasiperiodic character of variations in rotation-to-rotation total power of CA cores during the cycle has been established, the quasi-period was 12-14 rotations. The peculiarity of Cycle 23 as compared to Cycle 22 is the prolonged period of CA generation. The last CA cores in the southern hemisphere were observed up to the 144th rotation after the previous minimum from Wolf numbers (in Cycle 22, to the 110th rotation). The total number of CA cores in Cycle 23 (146) far exceeds that in Cycle 22 (104). 94 % of powerful proton flares at over 10 MeV with the number over 10 /(s sm2 sr) in the Earth's orbit occurred near the CA cores. The total number of proton flares related to CA cores of the said class increased: 48 in Cycle 22 versus 62 in Cycle 23. We have also revealed a strong north-south asymmetry in the CA evolution showing up in different indices describing CA activity.