A Helioseismic Survey to Investigate Relationships between Subsurface Flows beneath Large Active Regions and Solar Flares
Abstract
A survey of the subsurface flow properties of about 120 of the largest active regions, determined from the application of helioseismic holography to Dopplergrams obtained with the HMI instrument onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory, is being carried out. The overriding goal is to characterize differences in the subsurface flows between active regions associated with eruptive flares and the flows observed in relatively quiescent regions. Applications to flare forecasting comprise only one part of this investigation, since the potential response of the subsurface environment to eruptive events during and after their occurrence is also of scientific interest. Other priorities include understanding the limitations of the helioseismic methods, identifying and correcting systematic effects, and validating the reliability of the measurements using artificial data. While inversions to determine the variation with depth of subsurface flows are planned, preliminary results will be discussed which make use of proxies for near-surface depth-integrated properties, including the horizontal component of the flow divergence and the vertical component of the flow vorticity.This work is supported by the Solar Terrestrial Program of the National Science Foundation, through grant AGS-1127327, and by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration SBIR program.
- Publication:
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American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #224
- Pub Date:
- June 2014
- Bibcode:
- 2014AAS...22421815B