The articles republished in this book survey and summarize recent research in helioseismology as well as studies of the interior structure, dynamics and magnetism of the solar interior that are being tested and refined using the helioseismic results.
Helioseismology has in the last few decades become a highly productive technique for studying the Sun's interior from observations of the vibrations of its surface. The vibrations are manifestations of resonant modes of the Sun that are continuously excited by turbulent motions in the Sun's convection zone, and a plethora of data have been obtained from dedicated ground-based and space-based observing systems.
The book will be of particular interest to researchers and graduate students in the fields of helioseismology, solar interior dynamics and the solar dynamo. It will also be of interest to researchers in solar physics, solar activity, stellar physics, astrophysical fluid dynamics and asteroseismology.
Originally published in Space Science Reviews, Volume 196, Issue 1-4, December 2015
About the Author: Dr M. J. Thompson is deputy director and chief operating officer of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colorado, and is currently serving as interim president of NCAR's parent organization, the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). An internationally recognized solar physicist, he served formerly as director of NCAR's High Altitude Observatory and as an associate director of NCAR. His research encompasses solar physics, space weather, and inverse problems. He is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society and the American Geophysical Union, and is a visiting professor at the University of Leeds, UK.
Dr. A.S. Brun is director of research and head of the laboratory Dynamics of Stars and their Environment at CEA-Saclay, near Paris, France. He is an expert in astrophysical fluid dynamics, magnetohydrodynamics, the Sun, space weather, stellar structure, dynamics and evolution, helioseismology, star planet interactions and high performance computing.
Prof J. l. Culhane is Emeritus Professor of Physics at University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory which he directed from 1983 to 2003. Previous and current research areas include X-ray astronomy, X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray/EUV instrumentation and solar physics. He is currently involved in the operation of the Japanese/US/UK Hinode spacecraft and in the analysis of solar EUV spectral data.
Prof. L. Gizon holds a joint appointment as director at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and full professor of physics at the University of Goettingen, Germany. He is co-principal investigator of the Centre for Space Science at New York University Abu Dhabi. His research focuses on helioseismology, asteroseismology, and the physics of the sun and sun-like stars. He is involved in several space missions, including the Solar Dynamics Observatory of NASA and the upcoming PLATO mission of the European Space Agency.
PD Dr. M. Roth is research group leader at the Kiepenheuer-Institut für Sonnenphysik in Freiburg, Germany and Associate Professor at the University in Freiburg. He is the executive director of the European Helio- and Asteroseismology Network (HELAS). He is an expert in helio- and asteroseismology with specific expertise in forward modelling and data analysis.. Dr. T. Sekii is currently at National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, where he is an Associate Professor. His research interests are in helioseismology, asteroseismology, and inverse problems. He is also involved in the operation of the Hinode satellite.
