GLOBAL SOLAR OSCILLATIONS OBSERVED IN THE VISIBLE TO NEAR-INFRARED CONTINUUM.

Abstract

A new technique for detecting solar oscillations in the visible to near infrared continuum has been developed and tested at the Santa Catalina Laboratory for Experimental Relativity by Astrometry (SCLERA). In 1985, measurements of the solar radiation intensity near disk center were made by Oglesby (1986, 1987). The results of these observations have been compared to the reported detections and classifications by Hill (1984, 1985) and Rabaey and Hill (1987) of the low-order, low-degree acoustic modes; the intermediate degree f-modes; and the low-order g-modes. For the low-order, low-degree, acoustic modes and the intermediate degree f-modes, a total of 40 multiplets were used in the analysis. The coincidence rates between the peaks in the power spectrum of the 1985 observations and the classified frequency spectrum for multiplets taken in subgroups of ≈5 (same n and contiguous in ℓ) are typically 4-5 σ above the accidental coincidence rate. The maximum coincidence rates for these same subgroups of multiplets were found to occur for frequency shifts of the classified spectrum ranging from -0.27 μHz for modes that are sensitive to the internal properties near the bottom of the convection zone to 0.06 μHz for modes that are sensitive to internal properties near the top of the convection zone. Also included in this work is a comparison of diameter measurements obtained at SCLERA in 1978 (Caudell 1980) with the classified modes mentioned above. Agreement in this case is at the 3.1 σ level for both the f-mode (n = 0) multiplets with 21 ≤ ℓ ≤ 36 and the n = 1, 6 ≤ ℓ ≤ 12 acoustic modes. The confirmation of the detection and classification of the low-order g-modes of oscillation was found to be at the 3.3 σ level. Additionally, the m dependence of the 1985 power spectrum was found to behave in the manner expected for the proper classifications in m for the g-modes.