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C. Lindsey (Solar Physics Research Corporation), D.C. Braun (NorthWest Research Associates)
The first images of magnetic regions on the far solar surface were recently secured by applying seismic holography to five-minute oscillations with spherical harmonic degrees roughly in the range 20 to 40 in SOHO-MDI observations. These waves penetrate up to half way to the sun's center, and can therefore sample the base of the convection zone with a resolution similar to that of the aforementioned far-side images, approximately 10\circ in longitude at the solar equator. However, by far the best seismic diagnostics are invariably offered by the highest possible frequencies, 6 mHz and above, if possible. Because these waves are efficiently absorbed by the solar surface, helioseismic observations that can compare the far side of the sun with earth-based observations of the near side are needed for coherent phase-sensitive imaging of the deep solar interior. Coordinated near- and far-side seismic observations of the sun at frequencies in the range 6--7 mHz would allow us to examine the thermal and Doppler profile of the solar core with a resolution of 75~Mm. This presentation is based on research supported by grants NAG5-7236 from NASA and AST-9528249 from NSF, and by a contract, PY-0184, with Stanford University.
The author(s) of this abstract have provided an email address for comments about the abstract: lindsey@sprc.com