paper

Evidence for Large-Scale Subsurface Convection in the Sun

arXiv:1605.06192 · doi:10.1093/mnras/stw1223

Abstract

A helioseismic statistical waveform analysis of subsurface flow was performed on two 720-day time series of SOHO/MDI Medium-l spherical-harmonic coefficients. The time series coincide with epochs of high and low solar activity. Time-dependent coupling-strength coefficients b(s,t;n,l) of modes of the same radial order n and degree l, but different azimuthal order m, were inferred from the waveform analysis. These coefficients are sensitive to flows and general aspherical structure. For odd values of s << l, the coefficient b(s,t;n,l) measures an average over depth of the amplitude of one spherical-harmonic (s,t) component of the toroidal flow velocity field. The depth-dependent weighting function defining the average velocity is the fractional kinetic energy density in radius of modes of the (n,l) multiplet. A mean-square (n,l)-dependent flow velocity was inferred from the b-coefficients for s in the range 5 through 35 for each n and l in the respective ranges 1 through 5 and 120 through 149 for the epochs of high and low activity. A further averaging, over l, yielded a root mean square flow velocity as a function of n for each epoch, which average increases from about 20 m/s at n=1 to 35 m/s at n=5. The inferred velocities are consistent with (though perhaps do not demand) a cellular pattern of flow extending over the vertical range of mode sensitivity, estimated to be about four percent of the solar radius below the photosphere.

arXiv commentThis article has been accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society

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