Wavelike Properties of Supergranulation

Supergranulation has been a long studied feature of solar convection. While the cellular pattern and horizontal outflows are consistent with a convective phenomenon, the details of supergranulation indicate that it can not be explained by a simple convective model. One such aspect is its apparent super-rotation. Supergranulation appears to rotate a few percent faster than the solar surface plasma. Some have theorized that this super-rotation can be explained by a wave like component in the supergranulation signal. Here, we present research that cumulates into the discovery of two distinct components of the supergranulation rotation rate using dopplergrams obtained from the HMI instrument aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory.