No Arabic abstract
The solar gravitational moments $J_{2n}$ are important astronomical quantities whose precise determination is relevant for solar physics, gravitational theory and high precision astrometry and celestial mechanics. Accordingly, we propose in the present work to calculate new values of $J_{2n}$ (for $n$=1,2,3,4 and 5) using recent two-dimensional rotation rates inferred from the high resolution SDO/HMI helioseismic data spanning the whole solar activity cycle 24. To this aim, a general integral equation relating $J_{2n}$ to the solar internal density and rotation is derived from the structure equations governing the equilibrium of slowly rotating stars. For comparison purpose, the calculations are also performed using rotation rates obtained from a recently improved analysis of SoHO/MDI heliseismic data for solar cycle 23. In agreement with earlier findings, the results confirmed the sensitivity of high order moments ($n>1$) to the radial and latitudinal distribution of rotation in the convective zone. The computed value of the quadrupole moment $J_{2}$ ($n=1$) is in accordance with recent measurements of the precession of Mercurys perihelion deduced from high precision ranging data of the MESSENGER spacecraft. The theoretical estimate of the related solar oblateness $Delta_{odot}$ is consistent with the most accurate space-based determinations, particularly the one from RHESSI/SAS.
The latitudinal distributions of the yearly mean rotation rates measured respectively by Suzuki in 1998 and 2012 and Pulkkinen $&$ Tuominen in 1998 are utilized to investigate internal-cycle variation of solar differential rotation. The rotation rate at the solar Equator seems to decrease since cycle 10 onwards. The coefficient $B$ of solar differential rotation, which represents the latitudinal gradient of rotation, is found smaller in the several years after the minimum of a solar cycle than in the several years after the maximum time of the cycle, and it peaks several years after the maximum time of the solar cycle. The internal-cycle variation of the solar rotation rates looks similar in profile to that of the coefficient $B$. A new explanation is proposed to address such a solar-cycle related variation of the solar rotation rates. Weak magnetic fields may more effectively reflect differentiation at low latitudes with high rotation rates than at high latitudes with low rotation rates, and strong magnetic fields may more effectively repress differentiation at relatively low latitudes than at high latitudes. The internal-cycle variation is inferred to the result of both the latitudinal migration of the surface torsional pattern and the repression of strong magnetic activity to differentiation.
By applying the theory of slowly rotating stars to the Sun, the solar quadrupole and octopole moments J2 and J4 were computed using a solar model obtained from CESAM stellar evolution code (Morel, 1997) combined with a recent model of solar differential rotation deduced from helioseismology (Corbard et al., 2002). This model takes into account a near-surface radial gradient of rotation which was inferred and quantified from MDI f-mode observations by Corbard and Thompson (2002). The effect of this observational near-surface gradient on the theoretical values of the surface parameters J2, J4 is investigated. The results show that the octopole moment J4 is much more sensitive than the quadrupole moment J2 to the subsurface radial gradient of rotation.
We present and discuss results from time-distance helioseismic measurements of meridional circulation in the solar convection zone using 4 years of Doppler velocity observations by the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) onboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). Using an in-built mass conservation constraint in terms of the stream function we invert helioseismic travel times to infer meridional circulation in the solar convection zone. We find that the return flow that closes the meridional circulation is possibly beneath the depth of $0.77 R_{odot}$. We discuss the significance of this result in relation to other helioseismic inferences published recently and possible reasons for the differences in the results. Our results show clearly the pitfalls involved in the measurements of material flows in the deep solar interior given the current limits on signal-to-noise and our limited understanding of systematics in the data. We also discuss the implications of our results for the dynamics of solar interior and popular solar dynamo models.
Todays picture of the internal solar rotation rate profile results essentially from helioseismic analyses of frequency splittings of resonant acoustic waves. Here we present another, complementary estimation of the internal solar rotation rate using the perturbation of the shape of the acoustic waves. For this purpose, we extend a global helioseismic approach developed previously for the investigation of the meridional flow cite{schad11, schad12, schad13} to work on the components of the differential rotation. We discuss the effect of rotation on mode eigenfunctions and thereon based observables. Based on a numerical study using a simulated rotation rate profile we tailor an inversion approach and also consider the case of the presence of an additional meridional flow. This inversion approach is then applied to data from the MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager aboard the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SoHO)) instrument and the HMI (Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager aboard the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO)) instrument. In the end, rotation rate profiles estimated from eigenfunction perturbation and frequency splittings are compared. The rotation rate profiles from the two different approaches are qualitatively in good agreement, especially for the MDI data. Significant differences are obtained at high latitudes $> 50^{circ}$ and near the subsurface. The result from HMI data shows larger discrepancies between the different methods. We find that the two global helioseismic approaches provide complementary methods for measuring solar rotation. Comparing the results from different methods may help to reveal systematic influences that affect analyses based on eigenfunction perturbations, like meridional flow measurements.
The Solar Dynamics Observatory/Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (SDO/HMI) filtergrams, taken at six wavelengths around the Fe I 6173.3 {AA} line, contain information about the line-of-sight velocity over a range of heights in the solar atmosphere. Multi-height velocity inferences from these observations can be exploited to study wave motions and energy transport in the atmosphere. Using realistic convection simulation datasets provided by the STAGGER and MURaM codes, we generate synthetic filtergrams and explore several methods for estimating Dopplergrams. We investigate at which height each synthetic Dopplergram correlates most strongly with the vertical velocity in the model atmospheres. On the basis of the investigation, we propose two Dopplergrams other than the standard HMI-algorithm Dopplergram produced from HMI filtergrams: a line-center Dopplergram and an average-wing Dopplergram. These two Dopplergrams correlate most strongly with vertical velocities at the heights of 30 - 40 km above (line-center) and 30 - 40 km below (average-wing) the effective height of the HMI-algorithm Dopplergram. Therefore, we can obtain velocity information from two layers separated by about a half of a scale height in the atmosphere, at best. The phase shifts between these multi-height Dopplergrams from observational data as well as those from the simulated data are also consistent with the height-difference estimates in the frequency range above the photospheric acoustic cutoff frequency.