Bibcode
DOI
Cacciani, A.; Korzennik, S. G.; Rhodes, E. J., Jr.; Hill, F.; Patron, J.
Bibliographical reference
Astrophysical Journal v.455, p.746
Advertised on:
12
1995
Citations
45
Refereed citations
31
Description
A ring-diagram analysis of solar oscillations has been applied to a 3
day time series of full-disk Doppler images obtained at Mount Wilson. A
model of the three-dimensional power spectrum assuming a Lorentzian
profile in frequency and the advection of the wave front by horizontal
flows has been fitted to the observed spectrum. The model provides
estimates of the two horizontal components of subsurface flows averaged
over depth. These estimates are then input to a least-squares
smoothness-constrained inversion procedure to infer the depth dependence
of the horizontal velocity. The method has been applied at nine
different heliographic positions. The results indicate the presence of
three east-west shear layers at all longitudes and latitudes, associated
in depth with the ionization zones of hydrogen and helium in the
outermost 20 Mm. The direction of the shear with respect to the average
surface rotation rate alternates with depth, with organized north-south
flows apparent between the east-west flows. Thus, the resultant vector
velocity field appears to execute a spiral as a function of depth. Below
˜30 Mm, the organized character of the flow disappears, and a
chaotic spatial distribution dominates. There is also an indication of a
convergent flow at ˜10° north latitude, suggesting the
presence of a toroidal convective roll. The magnitudes of the flows are
on the order of 100-200 ms-1 in the outer 20 Mm, rising to
several hundred ms-1 at 50 Mm.