Magnetoatmospheric Effects in Helioseismology

Margarita Ryutova

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics, L-413
Livermore, CA 94550

Potential collaborators:
Alan Title, Ted Tarbell, Tom Berger, Dick Shine, Neal Hurlburt (Lockheed), Tom Duvall and Todd Hoeksema (Stanford).

Strong inhomogeneity of solar atmosphere with respect to distribution of magnetic flux makes magnetic effects the efficient means for understanding the basic plasma processes in Sun and for development of the adequate diagnostic appliance. To analyze the observational data and provide the appropriate diagnostic procedure for photospheric and chromospheric manifestation of solar oscillations it is necessary to take into account these inhomogeneities. The objective of this research is to address this problem and to study the interaction of the random ensembles of magnetic flux tubes with the convective and wave motions, which includes as an important part, the investigation of the collective phenomena in the propagation of the acoustic waves through quiet regions, sunspots and plages. We intend to analyze and compare the observed differences in the p-mode propagation through these differently magnetized regions. Such complementary studies will allow us to develop the reliable basis for "magnetoacoustic" spectroscopy, on one hand, and, on the other hand, to understand the coupling of photospheric dynamics with the processes in chromosphere and predict their possible observed signatures.


Complete text of proposal.