Seismic Constraints on Interior Solar Convection

Abstract

We constrain the velocity spectral distribution of global-scale solar convective cells at depth using techniques of local helioseismology. We calibrate the sensitivity of helioseismic waves to large-scale convective cells in the interior by analyzing simulations of waves propagating through a velocity snapshot of global solar convection via methods of time-distance helioseismology. Applying identical analysis techniques to observations of the Sun, we are able to bound from above the magnitudes of solar convective cells as a function of spatial convective scale. We find that convection at a depth of $r/R_{\odot }=0.95$ with spatial extent $\ell <20$, where $\ell$ is the spherical harmonic degree, comprise weak flow systems, on the order of 15 m/s or less. Convective features deeper than $r/R_{\odot }=0.95$ are more difficult to image due to the rapidly decreasing sensitivity of helioseismic waves.

accepted, ApJ Letters, 5 figures, 10 pages (in this version)

References in corpus (3)

• Structure and Evolution of Giant Cells in Global Models of Solar Convection
• Prospects for the Detection of the Deep Solar Meridional Circulation
• Effects of Large-Scale Convection on p-mode Frequencies

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