Resolving the source of the solar acoustic oscillations: What will be possible with DKIST?

The solar p-modes are likely excited by small-scale convective dynamics in the solar photosphere, but the detailed source properties are not known. Theoretical models differ and observations are yet unable to differentiate between them. Resolving the underlying source events is more than a curiosity. It is important to the veracity of global helioseismic measurements (including local spectral methods such as ring diagram analysis) because global p-mode line shapes and thus accurate frequency determinations depend critically on the relationship between intensity and velocity during the excitation events. It is also fundamental to improving the accuracy of the local time-distance measurements because in these kernel calculations depend on knowledge of the source profile and the properties of the excitation noise. The Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) will have the spatial resolution and spectral range needed to resolve the solar acoustic excitation events in both time and space (horizontally and with height) using multi-wavelength observations. Inversions to determine the dynamic and thermodynamic evolution of the discrete small-scale convective events that serve as acoustic sources may also be possible, though determination of the pressure fluctuations associated with the sources is a challenge. We describe the DKIST capabilities anticipated and the preliminary work needed to prepare for them.