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Science 12 July 1991:
Vol. 253. no. 5016, pp. 152 - 157
DOI: 10.1126/science.253.5016.152
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Articles

Advances in Helioseismology

K. G. LIBBRECHT 1 and M. F. WOODARD 1

1 Department of Astrophysics, Mail Stop 264-33, Pasadena, CA 91125

Globally coherent oscillation modes were discovered in the sun about a decade ago, providing a unique seismological probe of the solar interior. Current observations detect modes that are phase-coherent for up to 1 year, with surface velocity amplitudes as low as 2 millimeters per second, and thousands of mode frequencies have been measured to accuracies as high as 1 part in 105. This article discusses the properties of these oscillation modes and the ways in which they are adding to our understanding of the structure and dynamics of the sun.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)