Validating Time-Distance Far-Side Imaging of Solar Active Regions through Numerical Simulations

Far-side imaging using time-distance helioseismology methods is assessed using numerically generated artificial data. The data are generated using direct numerical simulations of acoustic oscillations in a spherical solar model. Localized variations of the sound speed in the surface and subsurface layers are used to model the perturbations associated with sunspots and active regions. The accuracy of acoustic travel-time far-side maps is shown to depend on the size and location of active regions. Potential artifacts in the far-side imaging procedure, such as those caused by the presence of active regions on the solar near side, are also investigated.