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Dynamo theory suggests that there are two types of solar dynamo, namely the conventional mean-field dynamo, which produces large- and small-scale magnetic fields involved in the activity cycle, and also the small-scale dynamo, which produces a cycle independent smallscale magnetic field. The relative contribution of the two mechanisms to solar magnetism remains a matter of scientific debate, which includes the opinion that the contribution of the small-scale dynamo is negligible. Here, we consider several tracers of magnetic activity that separate cycle-dependent contributions to the background solar magnetic field from those that are independent of the cycle. We call background fields the magnetic fields outside active regions and give further development of this concept. The main message of our paper is that background fields include two relative separate populations. The background fields with a strength up to 100 Mx cm-2 are very poorly correlated with the sunspot numbers and vary little with the phase of the cycle. In contrast, stronger magnetic fields demonstrate pronounced cyclic behaviour.We discuss how this result can be included in the above-mentioned concepts of solar dynamo studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more observations are showing a relatively weak, but persistent, non-axisymmetric magnetic field co-existing with the dominant axisymmetric field on the Sun. Its existence indicates that the non-axisymmetric magnetic field plays an important role in the origin of solar activity. A linear non-axisymmetric dynamo model is derived to explore the characteristics of the axisymmetric and the first non-axisymmetric modes and to provide a theoretical basis with which to explain the ‘active longitude’, ‘flip-flop’ and other non-axisymmetric phenomena. The model consists of an updated solar internal differential rotation, a turbulent diffusivity varying with depth, and an α-effect working at the tachocline in a rotating spherical system. The difference between the and the models and the conditions that favour the non-axisymmetric modes under solar-like parameters are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]