Seismic Investigation of Solar Convection

Northwest Research Associates, Incorporated, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

Helioseismic imaging has begun to yield unique diagnostic information about the hidden subsurface layers of the Sun. This effort will pioneer the development of a new approach to seismic imaging of the Sun, in which an adaptable physical model of the subsurface structure of the solar convection zone plays a fundamental part. This so-called direct modeling approach will be used to systematically probe the three-dimensional structure of the turbulent convection zone. Long sequences of SOHO/MDI full-disk Dopplergrams will be used to detect turbulent convection as far into the Sun as sensitivity permits. The investigation will also assess the comparative advantages of the NSF supported GONG+ network. The focus of this effort will be on supergranular-scale flows (30 Mm), which will be characterized statistically in terms of velocity correlation functions.