Helioseismic imaging of sunspots at their antipodes

Recent work by Braun, Duvall, and LaBonte has shown that sunspots absorb helioseismic waves. We propose that sunspot absorption causes a seismic deficit that should be imaged at the antipode of the sunspot. If these images are observable, it should be possible to produce seismic maps of magnetic regions on the far side of the Sun. This possibility opens a broad range of synoptic and diagnostic applications. Diagnostic applications would include lifetimes of higher-frequency modes, and possibly rotation of the solar interior and detection of subsurface magnetic structure. We outline elements of the theory of seismic imaging and consider some applications. We propose the extention of acoustic holography to solar interior diagnostics in the context of antipodal imaging.Now at the Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, U.S.A.