1. 1. Short Introduction
1.1 Overview of helioseismology results and prospects

2. Helioseismology: A tool to help answer fundamental questions
What is the mechanism of the solar cycle?
Dynamo theory: motions generate magnetic field
Large-scale flows, convective flows
Internal magnetic field
Active regions: structure, emergence, evolution
Drivers of space weather
Basic physics: neutrinos, G, etc.

3. The eleven-year solar cycle

4. Solar oscillations
The Sun is filled with acoustic waves, with periods near 5 min.
Waves are excited by near-surface turbulent convection
Surface motions are a few 100 m/s, superimposed on the 2 km/s solar rotation.

5. Solar tsunami (flare induced)
Helioseismology is the technique of using low frequency acoustic waves to probe the inside of the Sun much the way earthquakes are used to probe the inside of the Earth (seismology).
By monitoring the ways these waves move through different regions of the Sun’s interior, we can learn about the temperature within layers of the solar interior, and velocity of plasma flows inside the Sun.
From these waves, we have found sun quakes resulting from solar flares disturbing the surrounding solar surface, much like throwing a pebble into a pond that disturbs the surrounding water.

6. Global helioseismology
Measurement and inversion of the frequencies of the global modes of resonance (millions of modes).
Among the most precise measurements in astrophysics: some frequencies are known with a precision of 1 ppm.

7. Solar structure Sound speed difference from best solar model.
Maximum deviation is 2% (red is faster, blue is slower than model).
Small surface variations on 11-yr time scale.

8. Internal rotation Differential rotation in the convective envelope.
red is faster (26 days)
blue is slower (35 days).
Differential rotation in the convective envelope.
Uniform rotation in the radiative interior.
Near-surface shear layer.

9. The pulse of the solar dynamo?

10. Local helioseismology
Measure travel times of wavepackets travelling between any two points A and B on the solar surface.
Differences between the A→B and B→A directions arise from bulk motion along the path.
3-D maps of flows and temperature beneath the surface.

11. Subsurface flows
Convection
Rotation Variations
Interior Structure
Magnetic Connectivity
Meridional Circulation
Far-side Imaging
Solar Subsurface Weather

12. Solar subsurface ‘weather’

13. Sunspot internal structure
Red regions have higher wave speed, blue slower.

14. Supergranulation and network evolution

15. Far-side imaging Map of Sun’s large magnetic regions
180
360
90N
90S
Sun rotates in 27 days so images will
move to left since map grid is fixed

16. Current topics of research
Detect magnetic field in the solar interior, i.e. decouple magnetic from other types of perturbations
Emergence and evolution of active regions from limb to limb
Probe deeper layers in the convection zone

17. Missions ahead Solar Dynamics Observatory (LWS NASA)
Launch Date: April 2008
Mission Duration: 5 years, 10 yr of expendables
Orbit: km, circular, 28.5º geo. synch. Inclined
1’’ resolution, full disk, high duty cycle.
Ideal for local helioseismology.
Solar Orbiter (ESA)
Launch Date: 2015
Mission Duration: 5 (nominal) to 7 years (ext.)
Orbit: Assisted by Venus swing-bys, the spacecraft's 150-day orbit will evolve gradually over the mission lifetime from an inclination of about 12 to 35 degrees to the solar equator.

18. Stereoscopic observations: Solar Orbiter, Sentinel, Safari (?)

19. Asteroseismology
Mass, radius, chemical composition, and age of isolated stars
Independent test of theory of stellar structure and evolution
Internal stellar rotation
Constraints on dynamo theories
Convection
Implications for planetary system formation

20. All stars are suspected to pulsate

21. Solar-like oscillations
a Cen A
Sun

22. Asteroseismology projects
Ground
MOST (Canada)
COROT (ESA, 2006)
Kepler (NASA, 2006)
Eddington? (ESA)
Stellar Imager?

23. Points to keep in mind
Helioseismology is the only way to solve the long-standing puzzle of solar cycle.
In particular, techniques of local helioseismology in combination with high-resolution space data will be key in revealing the interactions between flows and magnetic fields in the interior.
Asteroseismology will be an extremely valuable tool to study stellar activity and evolution.
Asteroseismology is on the eve of a revolution with the launch of COROT (Dec 2006).

25. Average “magnetic tube”
Tracked MDI hires magnetogram (average of abs value over 4 hr)
Average of 45 magnetic features over 4 hr
Field strength (G)
 FWHM ~ 1Mm
 250 Mm 
Radial distance (Mm)

26. Scattering f modes by kink mode (Bogdan’s solution)

27. All stars are suspected to pulsate-2 2 4 6
5.0
4.5
4.0
3.5
log Teff
log (L/L)
Main Sequence
Solar-type stars
Mira LPVs
 Cepheids
Irregular LPVs
DBVs
DDVs
PNNVs
Instability Strip
Classical Cepheids
RR Lyrae
 Scutis
VW Virginis
ZZ Ceti (DAVs)
Different mechanisms invoked

28. Sunspot internal dynamics
Collar flows probably hold the spot together.