The potential of solar high-degree modes for structure inversion

It is likely that precise and reliable frequencies of high-degree modes will soon be available from the SOI/MDI experiment. Here we examine the ability of such modes (with l>300) to resolve the solar structure in the near-surface region. In particular, we investigate inversions to determine the adiabatic exponent ₁ as a test of the solar equation of state, as well as the potential of such data to constrain the solar envelope helium abundance.     

Star-formation modes in the solar neighborhood

We perform a study into the spatial and kinematical distribution of young open clusters in the solar neighborhood, distinguishing between Gould Belt and local Galactic disk members. We use a previous estimate of the structural parameters of both systems obtained from a sample of O to B6 stars from Hipparcos. The two star-forming regions that dominate and give the Gould Belt its characteristic inclined shape show a striking difference in their content of star clusters: while Ori OB1 is richly populated by open clusters, not a single one can be found within the boundaries of Sco OB2. This is mirrored in velocity space, translating again into an abundance of clusters in the region of the kinematic space populated by the members of Ori OB1, and a marginal number of them associated with Sco OB2. We interpret all these differences by characterizing the Orion region as a cluster complex typically surrounded by a stellar halo, and the Sco-Cen region as an OB association in the outskirts of the complex. The different contents of star clusters, the different heights above the Galactic plane and the different residual velocities of Ori OB1 and Sco OB2 can be explained in terms of their relative position with respect to the density maximum of the Local Arm in the solar neighborhood. The origin of this feature could have been the interaction of a density wave with the local interstellar medium close to the Galactic co-rotation radius.     

Global modes constituting the solar magnetic cycle

The sunspot occurrence probability defined in Paper I is used to determine the Legendre-Fourier (LF) terms in the rate of emergence of toroidal magnetic flux,Q(, t), above the photosphere per unit latitude interval, per unit time. Assuming that the magnetic flux tubes whose emergence yields solar activity are produced by interference of global MHD waves in the Sun, we determine how the amplitudes and phases of the LF terms in the toroidal magnetic fieldB , representing the waves, will be related to those of the LF terms inQ(, t). The set of LF terms in Q that represents the set of waves whose interference produces most of the observed sunspot activity is {l = 1, 3, , 13;v =nv _*,n = 1, 3, 5}, wherev _* = 1/21.4 yr^–1. However, among the shapes of sunspot cycles modeled using various sets of the computed LF terms the best agreement with the observed shape, for each cycle, is given by the set {l = 3 orl = 3, 5; andn = 1, 3 orn = 1, 3, 5}. The sets of terms: {l = 1, 3, 5, 7;n = 1}, {l = 1, 3, 5, 7;n = 3}, {l = 9, 11, 13, 15;n = 1} and {l = 9, 11, 13, 15;n = 3} seem to represent four modes of global MHD oscillation. Correlations between the amplitudes (and phases) of LF terms in different modes suggest possible existence of cascade of energy from constituent MHD waves of lowerl andn to those of higherl andn. The spectrum of the MHD waves trapped in the Sun may be maintained by the combined effect of this energy cascade and the loss of energy in the form of the emerging flux tubes. The primary energy input into the spectrum may be occurring in the mode {l = 1, 3, 5, 7;n = 1). As expected from the above phenomenological model, the size of a sunspot cycle and its excess over the previous cycle are well correlated (e.g., 90%) to the phase-changes of the two most dominant oscillation modes during the previous one or two cycles. These correlations may provide a physical basis to forecast the cycle sizes.     

Global modes constituting the solar magnetic cycle

The spherical-harmonic-Fourier analysis of the Sun's magnetic field inferred from the Greenwich sunspot data is refined and extended to include the full length (1874–1976) of the data on the magnetic tape provided by H. Balthasar. Perspective plots and grey level diagrams of the SHF power spectra for the odd and the even degree axisymmetric modes are presented. Comparing these with spectra obtained from two simulated data sets with random redistribution within the wings in the butterfly diagrams, we conclude that there is no clear evidence for the existence of any relation between the harmonic degree and the temporal frequency of the power concentrations of the inferred field. Apart from the power ridge in the narrow frequency band at 1/21.4 y ^–1, and low ridges at odd multiples of this frequency, there are no other spectral features. This strongly suggests that the solar magnetic cycle consists of some global oscillations of the Sun forced at a frequency 1/21.4 y ^–1 and, perhaps, weak resonances at its odd harmonics. The band width of the forcing frequency seems to be much less than 1/107 y ^–1. In case the global oscillations are torsional MHD, the significance of their parity and power peak is pointed out.     

Global modes constituting the solar magnetic cycle

We show that the axisymmetric odd degree SHF modes of 21.4-yr periodicity and degrees l 29 in the solar magnetic field (as inferred from sunspot data during 1874–1976), are at least approximately stationary. Among the sine and cosine components of these SHF modes we find four groups, each defining the geometry of a coherent global oscillation characterized by a distinct power hump and its own level of variation. The first two of these geometrical eigenmodes (viz., B ₁ and B ₂), define the large-scale structure of the butterfly diagrams. Remaining SHF modes define the orderliness of the field distribution even within the wings of the butterflies down to scales l 29. These include the geometrical eigenmodes B ₃ and B ₄, which are not present in simulated data sets in which the latitudes of the sunspot groups are randomly redistributed within the wings of the butterflies.Superposition of B ₁, B ₂, B ₃, and B ₄ is necessary and sufficient to reproduce important observed properties of the latitude-time distribution of the real field, not only in the sunspot zone, but also in the middle (35°–75°) and the high (75°) latitudes, with appropriate relative orders of magnitude and phases. Thus, B ₁, B ₂, B ₃, and B ₄ seem to represent really existing global oscillations in the Sun's internal magnetic field. The geometrical form of B ₁ may also be the form of the forcing oscillation.     

Searching for l = 1 modes of solar oscillations

An instrument to measure the non-full-disk low-order solar oscillations that uses a magneto-optical filter in Na-D lines is described. It has the advantage, over the resonant cells used by other observers, that it gives an image of the Sun and a higher photonic flux.Proceedings of the 14th ESLAB Symposium on Physics of Solar Variations, 16–19 September 1980, Scheveningen, The Netherlands.     

Rigidly rotating modes of the solar magnetic field

Discrete rigidly rotating components (modes) of the large-scale solar magnetic field have been investigated. We have used a specially calculated basic set of functions to resolve the observed magnetic field into discrete components. This adaptive set of functions, as well as the expansion coefficients, have been found by processing a series of digitized synoptic maps of the background magnetic field over a 20-year period. As a result, dependences have been obtained which describe the spatial structure and the temporal evolution of the 27-day and 28-day rigidly rotating modes of the Sun's magnetic field.The spatial structure of the modes has been compared with simulations based on the known flux-transport equation. In the simulations, the rigidly rotating modes were regarded as stationary states of the magnetic field whose rigid rotation and stability were maintained by a balance between the emergence of magnetic flux from stationary sources located at low latitudes and the horizontal transport of flux by turbulent diffusion and poleward directed meridional flow. Under these assumptions, the structure of the modes is determined solely by the horizontal velocity field of the plasma, except for the low-latitude zone where sources of magnetic flux concentrate. We have found a detailed agreement between the simulations and the results of the data analysis, provided that the amplitude of the meridional flow velocity and the diffusion constant are equal to 9.5 m s^–1 and 600 km² s^–1, respectively.The analysis of the expansion coefficients has shown that the rigidly rotating modes undergo rapid step-like variations which occur quasi-periodically with a period of about two years. These variations are caused by separate surges of magnetic flux in the photosphere, so that each new surge gives rise to a rapid replacement of old large-scale magnetic structures by newly arisen ones.     

Modelling solar atmospheric gravity oscillation modes

Solar oscillations are investigated in a one‐dimensional hydrodynamic plane‐parallel model with an atmosphere. Besides the acoustic pressure (p) modes, the fundamental (f) and Lamb mode, another set of eigenmodes, a group of atmospheric gravity (g) modes, is found in the low‐frequency region of the spectrum. Their frequencies and spatial behaviour are studied. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

The asymptotic spectrum of gravity modes as a function of the solar structure: Standard solar model

Some results are given on the properties of the second-order asymptotic expression of the periods of low-degree gravity modes and on their rotational splitting. These could be of some help for the detection of these modes in the signal.     

The visibility of low‐frequency solar acoustic modes

We make predictions of the detectability of low‐frequency p modes. Estimates of the powers and damping times of these low‐frequency modes are found by extrapolating the observed powers and widths of higher‐frequency modes with large observed signal‐to‐noise ratios. The extrapolations predict that the low‐frequency modes will have small signal‐to‐noise ratios and narrow widths in a frequency‐power spectrum. Monte Carlo simulations were then performed where timeseries containing mode signals and normally distributed Gaussian noise were produced. The mode signals were simulated to have the powers and damping times predicted by the extrapolations. Various statistical tests were then performed on the frequency‐amplitude spectra formed from these timeseries to investigate the fraction of spectra in which the modes could be detected. The results of these simulations were then compared to the number of p‐modes candidates observed in real Sun‐as‐a‐star data at low frequencies. The fraction of simulated spectra in which modes were detected decreases rapidly as the frequency of modes decreases and so the fraction of simulations in which the low‐frequency modes were detected was very small. However, increasing the signal‐to‐noise (S/N) ratio of the low‐frequency modes by a factor of 2 above the extrapolated values led to significantly more detections. Therefore efforts should continue to further improve the quality of solar data that is currently available. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Resonant coupling between solar gravity modes

It is shown that in consequence of the parametric resonance, g modes of low spherical harmonic degree l are strongly coupled to the modes of high degree. The coupling limits the growth of low l modes to very small amplitudes. For g ₁, l = 1 mode, the final amplitude of the radial velocity is of the order of 10 cm s^-1. A mixing of solar core as a result of a finite-amplitude development of linear instability of this mode is thus highly unlikely.     

Overstability of acoustic modes and the solar five-minute oscillations

The stability of linear convective and acoustic modes in solar envelope models is investigated by incorporating the thermal and mechanical effects of turbulence through the eddy transport coefficients. With a reasonable value of the turbulent Prandtl number it is possible to obtain the scales of motion corresponding to granulation, supergranulation and the five-minute oscillations. Several of the acoustic modes trapped in the solar convection zone are found to be overstable and the most unstable modes, spread over a region centred predominantly around a period of 300 s with a wide range of horizontal length scales, are in reasonable accord with the observed power-spectrum of the five-minute oscillations. It is demonstrated that these oscillations are driven by a simultaneous action of the -mechanism and the radiative and turbulent conduction mechanisms operating in the strongly superadiabatic region in the hydrogen ionization zone, the turbulent transport being the dominant process in overstabilizing the acoustic modes.     

Excitation of high-m tearing modes at the solar flare site

It is shown that high-m drift tearing modes can be excited under the conditions prevalent at the solar flare sites. Since the growth rate of the high-m tearing modes is larger than that for low-m macroscopic tearing modes and smaller than that of microscopic ion-acoustic instability, these modes warrant accommodation in the scheme of instabilities possibly operating in the hybrid model of solar flares suggested by Spicer.     

Granulation and supergranulation as convective modes in the solar envelope

The stability of linear convective modes in the solar convection zone is investigated by incorporating the mechanical and thermal effects of turbulence through the eddy transport coefficients. The inclusion of turbulent thermal conductivity and viscosity, calculated in the framework of the mixing length approximation, is demonstrated to have a profound influence on the convective growth rates. The solar envelope model of Spruit (1977) is used to show that that most rapidly growing fundamental mode and the first harmonic are in reasonable accord with the observed features of granulation and supergranulation, respectively.On leave of absence from Govt. Digvijai College, Rajnandgaon 491441, India.     

Influence of temperature profile on solar acoustic modes

Solar global acoustic oscillations in a multilayer model of the solar atmosphere are studied in the plane-parallel geometry. Calculated frequencies of acoustic modes of the Sun are found to depend on parameters of the temperature profile used in the model. Larger influence on frequencies comes from values of the temperature gradient in the convection zone, and less influence from values of the thickness L of the transitional layer and from values of the ratio Tc/Tp of the coronal and the photospheric temperature, Tc and Tp, respectively. The uncertainties in determining these parameters can easily yield frequency shifts that are larger than the observational accuracy. This then indicates a possibility for a diagnostics of solar plasma based on known values of observed oscillation frequencies.