Computational Helioseismology in the frequency domain

The quantitative interpretation of helioseismic observations from the SDO satellite requires numerical simulations of wave propagation in the solar interior, high-performance computing, and modern inverse methods. The MPI for Solar System Research is investing in a major effort to push the frontiers of computational helioseismology. We are looking for students with an interest in numerical modeling and applied mathematics. New methods will be developed to compute the effects of internal flows on solar oscillations, and to invert the observations to recover the flows. The methods will be optimized and tested using synthetic data. For more details about the forward modeling technique see the paper "Computational helioseismology in the frequency domain: acoustic waves in axisymmetric solar models with flows".

In this project we will extend the previous code to treat the vector wave equations, including the buoyancy terms. These equations of motion will be used to study wave propagation through global-scale flows such as differential rotation and meridional circulation, convective-like flows from analytical models or numerical simulations, and velocity patterns associated with Rossby waves and internal-gravity waves. The last two flow models are motivated by recent discoveries where acoustic waves are used to probe other low-frequency larger-scale waves in the solar interior.