arXiv subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Sarbani Basu.
Using data from the Global Oscillations Network Group (GONG) that covers the period from 1995 to 1998 we study the change in frequencies of solar oscillations with solar activity. From these frequencies we attempt to determine any possible variation in solar structure with solar activity. We do not find any evidence of a change in the convection zone depth or extent of overshoot below the convection zone during the solar cycle.
Using data from the Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) covering the period from 1995 to 1998, we study the change with solar activity in solar f-mode frequencies. The results are compared with similar changes detected from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) data. We find variations in f-mode frequencies which are correlated with solar activity indices. If these changes are due to variation in solar radius then the implications are that the solar radius decreases by about 5 km from minimum to maximum activity.
Using data from the Michelson Doppler Imager (MDI) instrument on board the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), we study the large-scale velocity fields in the outer part of the solar convection zone using the ring diagram technique. We use observations from four different times to study possible temporal variations in flow velocity. We find definite changes in both the zonal and meridional components of the flows. The amplitude of the zonal flow appears to increase with solar activity and the flow pattern also shifts towards lower latitude with time.
Most helioseismic analyses are based on solar oscillations frequencies obtained by fitting symmetric peak profiles to the power spectra. However, it has now been demonstrated that the peaks are not symmetric. In this work we study the effects of asymmetry of the peak profiles on the solar oscillations frequencies of p-modes for low and intermediate degrees. We also investigate how the resulting shift in frequencies affects helioseismic inferences.
We investigate systematic uncertainties in determining the profiles of the solar sound speed, density, and adiabatic index by helioseismological techniques. We find that rms uncertainties-averaged over the sun of ~ 0.2%-0.4% are contributed to the sound speed profile by each of three sources: 1)the choice of assumed reference model, 2) the width of the inversion kernel, and 3) the measurements errors. The density profile is about an order of magnitude less well determined by the helioseismological measurements. The profile of the adiabatic index is determined to an accuracy of about 0.2% . We find that even relatively crude reference models yield reasonably accurate solar parameters.
Ring diagram analysis can be used to study large scale velocity fields in the outer part of the solar convection zone. All previous works assume that the peak profiles in the solar oscillation power spectrum are symmetric. However, it has now been demonstrated that the peaks are not symmetric. In this work we study how the explicit use of asymmetric peak profiles in ring-diagram analysis influences the estimated velocity fields. We find that the use of asymmetric profiles leads to significant improvement in the fits, but the estimated velocity fields are not substantially different from those obtained using a symmetric profile to fit the peaks. The resulting velocity fields are compared with those obtained by other investigators.
The observed solar p-mode frequencies provide a powerful diagnostic of the internal structure of the Sun and permit us to test in considerable detail the physics used in the theory of stellar structure. Amongst the most commonly used techniques for inverting such helioseismic data are two implementations of the optimally localized averages (OLA) method, namely the Subtractive Optimally Localized Averages (SOLA) and Multiplicative Optimally Localized Averages (MOLA). Both are controlled by a number of parameters, the proper choice of which is very important for a reliable inference of the solar internal structure. Here we make a detailed analysis of the influence of each parameter on the solution and indicate how to arrive at an optimal set of parameters for a given data set.
The sense of line asymmetry of solar p-modes in the intensity power spectra is observed to be opposite of that seen in the velocity power spectra. Theoretical calculations provide a good understanding and fit to the observed velocity power spectra whereas the reverse sense of asymmetry in the intensity power spectrum has been poorly understood. We show that when turbulent eddies arrive at the top of the convection zone they give rise to an observable intensity fluctuation which is correlated with the oscillation they generate, thereby affecting the shape of the line in the p-mode power spectra and reversing the sense of asymmetry (this point was recognized by Nigam et al. and Roxburgh & Vorontsov). The addition of the correlated noise displaces the frequencies of peaks in the power spectrum. Depending on the amplitude of the noise source the shift in the position of the peak can be substantially larger than the frequency shift in the velocity power spectra. In neither case are the peak frequencies precisely equal to the eigenfrequencies of p-modes. We suggest two observations which can provide a test of the model discussed here.
The observed solar p-mode velocity power spectra are compared with theoretically calculated power spectra over a range of mode degree and frequency. The shape of the theoretical power spectra depends on the depth of acoustic sources responsible for the excitation of p-modes, and also on the multipole nature of the source. We vary the source depth to obtain the best fit to the observed spectra. We find that quadrupole acoustic sources provide a good fit to the observed spectra provided that the sources are located between 700 km and 1050 km below the top of the convection zone. The dipole sources give a good fit for significantly shallower source, with a source-depth of between 120 km and 350 km. The main uncertainty in the determination of depth arises due to poor knowledge of nature of power leakages from modes with adjacent degrees, and the background in the observed spectra.
We determine the frequencies of solar oscillations covering a wide range of degree (100< l <4000) and frequency (1.5 <ν<10 mHz) using the ring diagram technique applied to power spectra obtained from MDI (Michelson Doppler Imager) data. The f-mode ridge extends up to degree of approximately 3000, where the line width becomes very large, implying a damping time which is comparable to the time period. The frequencies of high degree f-modes are significantly different from those given by the simple dispersion relation ω^2=gk. The f-mode peaks in power spectra are distinctly asymmetric and use of asymmetric profile increases the fitted frequency bringing them closer to the frequencies computed for a solar model.
Ring diagram analysis of solar oscillation power spectra obtained from MDI data is carried out to study the velocity fields in the outer part of the solar convection zone. The three dimensional power spectra are fitted to a model which has a Lorentzian profile in frequency and which includes the advection of the wave front by horizontal flows, to obtain the two components of the sub-surface flows as a function of the horizontal wave number and radial order of the oscillation modes. This information is then inverted using OLA and RLS methods to infer the variation in horizontal flow velocity with depth. The average rotation velocity at different latitudes obtained by this technique agrees reasonably with helioseismic estimates made using frequency splitting data. The shear layer just below the solar surface appears to consist of two parts with the outer part up to a depth of 4 Mm, where the velocity gradient does not show any reversal up to a latitude of 60 degrees. In the deeper part the velocity gradient shows reversal in sign around a latitude of 55 degrees. The zonal flow velocities inferred in the outermost layers appears to be similar to those obtained by other measurements. A meridional flow from equator polewards is found. It has a maximum amplitude of about 30 m/s near the surface and the amplitude is nearly constant in the outer shear layer.
Ring diagram analysis of solar oscillation power spectra obtained from MDI data is performed to study the velocity fields within the solar convection zone. The three dimensional power spectra are fitted to a model with a Lorentzian profile in frequency and includes the advection of the wave front by horizontal flows to obtain the two horizontal components of flows as a function of the horizontal wave number and radial order of the oscillation modes. This information is then inverted using the OLA and RLS techniques to infer the variation in flow velocity with depth. The resulting velocity fields yield the mean rotation velocity at different latitudes which agrees reasonably with helioseismic estimates. The zonal flow inferred in the outermost layers also appears to be in agreement with other measurements. A meridional flow from equator polewards is found to have an amplitude of about 25 m/s near the surface and the amplitude appears to increase with depth.
Solar neutrino fluxes and sound speeds are calculated using a systematic reevaluation of nuclear fusion rates. The largest uncertainties are identified and their effects on the solar neutrino fluxes are estimated.
Frequencies of intermediate-degree f-modes of the Sun seem to indicate that the solar radius is smaller than what is normally used in constructing solar models. We investigate the possible consequences of an error in radius on results for solar structure obtained using helioseismic inversions. It is shown that solar sound speed will be overestimated if oscillation frequencies are inverted using reference models with a larger radius. Using solar models with radius of 695.78 Mm and new data sets, the base of the solar convection zone is estimated to be at radial distance of $0.7135\pm 0.0005$ of the solar radius. The helium abundance in the convection zone as determined using models with OPAL equation of state is $0.248\pm 0.001$, where the errors reflect the estimated systematic errors in the calculation, the statistical errors being much smaller. Assuming that the OPAL opacities used in the construction of the solar models are correct, the surface $Z/X$ is estimated to be $0.0245\pm 0.0006$.
A new set of accurately measured frequencies of solar oscillations are used to infer the rotation rate inside the Sun, as a function of radial distance as well as latitude. We have adopted a regularized least squares technique with iterative refinement for both 1.5D inversion using the splitting coefficients and 2D inversion using individual m splittings. The inferred rotation rate agrees well with earlier estimates showing a shear layer just below the surface and another one around the base of the convection zone. The tachocline or the transition layer where the rotation rate changes from differential rotation in the convection zone to almost latitudinally independent rotation rate in the radiative interior is studied in detail. No compelling evidence for any latitudinal variation in position and width of tachocline is found though it appears that the tachocline probably shifts to slightly larger radial distance at higher latitudes and possibly becomes thicker also. However, these variations are within the estimated errors and more accurate data would be needed to make a definitive statement about latitudinal variations.
Localized differences between the real sun and standard solar models are shown to be small. The sound speeds of the real and the standard model suns typically differ by less than 0.3% in the solar core.
We investigate the effect of localized opacity modifications on the sound-speed profile of solar models. The sound-speed difference between the Sun and a solar model is used to deduce the opacity correction that would be required to bring the model into agreement with the Sun. We test this procedure on artificial data for a pair of solar models and apply it to the solar sound speed as inferred from inversion of LOWL observed frequencies. We show that a solar model constructed with the appropriately modified opacity has a sound-speed profile very similar to that of the Sun.
Inversions to determine the squared isothermal sound speed and density within the Sun often use the helium abundance Y as the second parameter. This requires the explicit use of the equation of state (EOS), thus potentially leading to systematic errors in the results if the equations of state of the reference model and the Sun are not the same. We demonstrate how this potential error can be suppressed. We also show that it is possible to invert for the intrinsic difference in the adiabatic exponent Gamma_1 between two equations of state. When applied to solar data such inversion rules out the EFF equation of state completely, while with existing data it is difficult to distinguish between other equations of state.