Inversion of Helioseismology Data

The author examines the solar inverse problem from the vantage point of optimization theory. It is shown that a simple convex and quadratic objective function can be used to describe the problem. Since the objective function has such a simple form, very elementary, yet efficient optimization routines can be utilized. The advantages of this formulation of the problem over traditional approaches are: numerical speed, flexibility in information incorporated, and less sensitivity to round-off error. Several realistic simulations are presented.